The industry’s top achieving events, venues, suppliers and individuals were recognised last night (5 December 2018) at the The Exhibition and Event Association of Australasia’s (EEAA) annual Awards for Excellence.
Held in ICC Sydney’s Grand Ballroom, the awards marked EEAA’s 26th gala event, which saw the community come together to celebrate the industry.
The gala dinner opened with a special video from Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who acknowledged the importance of the exhibition industry in Australia.
“Our tourism, hospitality and expo industry are among the best in the world, indeed I say they lead and I pay tribute to what you do tonight,” he said,
“You’re world-class, you’re world’s best, you always make the most challenging events look easy. From trade shows to expos, your events make a real contribution to our economy, to jobs, trade and investment.”
Two winners were named in the Unsung Hero Award category: Mark Magennis, managing director of Decorative Events & Exhibitions and Stephen Steenson, operations director at Reed Exhibitions Australia.
Georgie Chapman-Burgess from Exhibitions and Trade Fairs was awarded the Richard Geddes Young Achiever Award and the inaugural Tourism Australia scholarship to attend the UFI Asia-Pacific Congress in Tokyo in March 2019.
Reed Exhibitions Australia took out this year’s Best Show Award for Play World Australia, a new show aimed at the children’s market.
Reed also entered the Hall of Fame for Best Association Event with PAX Australia for Interactive Games & Entertainment Association after taking out the award for three consecutive years.
The Best Corporate Citizenship Award was won by the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre for the Melbourne Renewable Energy Project.
Chair of judges John Trevillian AM said there were 35 judges, including nine international to ensure entries were assessed by those who work in a global context.
“Each of the categories was judged by three independent judges,” he said. “We thank them all for their time and expertise and commitment to the industry.”
All the award winners
Best Consumer Show Over 10,000m2
Exhibitions and Trade Fairs – Motorclassica 2017
Highly commended: Reed Exhibitions Australia – Oz Comic-Con Sydney 2018
Best Trade Show Over 10,000m2
Exhibitions and Trade Fairs – World Gas Conference 2018
Best Association Event
Reed Exhibitions Australia – PAX Australia 2017 for Interactive Games & Entertainment Association
Best Supplier – Services or Products
ExpoNet
Best Innovation in Event Tech
Reed Exhibitions Australia for Emperia
Best New Product or Service
Zadro Agency – Zadro University – ZU
Best Custom Stand
Exhibit Systems – Cisco at Cisco Live! 2018
Highly commended: Designteam – Panasonic at ARBS 2018
Most Creative Innovation in Event “Experience” Delivery
Designteam – OPPO R11s Launch 2018
Highly commended: Mumbrella | Diversified Communications Australia – Mumbrella360
Best Trade Show Under 10,000m2
National Media – NoVacancy
Best New Initiative – Large Scale Venue
Luna Park Sydney – Luna Park Venues
Highly commended: International Convention Centre Sydney – Legacy Program
Most Outstanding Marketing Campaign
The Royal National Agricultural and Industrial Association of Queensland – Royal Queensland Show (Ekka)
Highly commended: Reed Exhibitions Australia – All-Energy Australia 2017
Best Supplier Team – Event
Decorative Events & Exhibitions, Merivale, AV24/7 – Event Inception Collective
Best Venue Team
International Convention Centre Sydney – AWISA 2018
Best Show Team
Talk2 Media & Events – Good Food & Wine Show Perth 2018
