Judging Criteria

Spotlight Awards: Companies

Catering Company of the Year
This Spotlight Award will be presented to the catering company whose work in on- or off-premise catering is exceptional in all aspects.

Who Should be Nominated:
• Off-Premise Catering Companies
• Hotel Caterers
• Convention Venue Caterers
• Event Site Caterers

Judging Criteria:
• Creativity
• Menu Design
• Innovation vs. Budget
• Food Management Skills
• Customer Service
• Quality Control
• Meeting Challenges
• Teamwork

Convention Center of the Year
This Spotlight Award will be presented to the convention center that provides superior facilities and customer service in the hosting of meetings and events.

Who Should be Nominated:
• Convention Centers

Judging Criteria:
• Catering Capabilities
• Cooperation with Visitors Bureau, Hotels and Local Businesses
• Meeting Space Flexibility
• Promotional Materials/Website
• Staff Professionalism
• Technical Capabilities
• Technical Support
• Unique Event Space
• Customer Service
• Quantity and/or Quality of Events Held

Entertainment Company of the Year
This Spotlight Award will be presented to the entertainment company whose utilization or production of original entertainment has made a significant impact on the event industry.

Who Should be Nominated:
• Entertainment Production Companies
• Entertainment Brokers
• Entertainment Design Companies

Judging Criteria:
• Creative Use of Innovative Performances
• Entertainment Design
• Entertainment Direction
• Entertainment Management
• Meeting Client Expectations
• Application of Entertainment to Client Goals

Event Company of the Year
This Spotlight Award will be presented to an event company that displays an outstanding ability to organize, manage and execute events for all types of clients.

Who Should be Nominated:
• Destination Management Companies
• Event Design Companies
• Event Management Companies
• Event Marketing Companies
• Event Planning Companies
• Event Production Companies
• Meeting Planning Companies
• Mobile Marketing Companies
• Any Other Type of Event Planning Company

Judging Criteria:
• Caliber of Events
• Creativity
• Importance of Events
• Innovation vs. Budget
• Management Skills
• Meeting and Exceeding Client Expectations
• Scope of Events
• Teamwork
• Technical Challenges

Event Site of the Year
This Spotlight Award will be presented to a unique event site (other than a hotel, resort or convention center) that makes a venue hospitable, service-oriented and conducive to fantastic events.

Who Should be Nominated:
• Clubs
• Halls
• Nightclubs
• Museums
• Sports Facilities
• Restaurants
• Casinos
• Any Other Type of Event Site (other than hotels, resorts or convention centers)

Judging Criteria:
• Customer Service
• Staff Performance
• Creation of Event-Friendly Environment
• Uniqueness

Event Supplier of the Year
This Spotlight Award will be presented to the event supply company that supplies products to other event companies in a manner that consistently results in superior event support.

Who Should be Nominated:
• Companies that Supply Products to Other Event Companies
• Companies that Supply Specific Services to Other Event Companies

Judging Criteria:
• Creative Problem Solving
• Product Quality
• Customer Service
• Consistent Performance
• Innovation
• Meeting and Exceeding Client Expectations
• Quality Control

Hotel Event Site of the Year
This Spotlight Award will be presented to the hotel or resort offering an event site that is outstanding in every aspect and offers event professionals the opportunity to maximize the effectiveness of their events in achieving their goals.

Who Should be Nominated:
• Hotels that Offer Unique Event Venues
• Resort Hotels that Offer Unique Event Venues

Judging Criteria:
• Uniqueness of On-Site Event Venue(s)
• Catering Excellence
• Customer Service
• Flexibility
• Technical Capabilities and Support

Rental Company of the Year
This Spotlight Award will be presented to the rental company that demonstrates outstanding overall performance throughout the year.

Who Should be Nominated:
• Event Rental Companies

Judging Criteria:
• Consistency of Performance
• Creativity
• Customer Service
• Design
• Meeting Challenges
• Presentation of Products
• Quality Control
• Range of Products
• Technical Difficulty of Installations
• Uniqueness of Products

Technical Support Company of the Year
This Spotlight Award will be presented to the technical support company that has exhibited outstanding achievement in the technical aspects of event services support, including but not limited to lighting, sound, entertainment, multimedia, décor, logistics and special effects.

Who Should be Nominated:
• Décor Companies
• Lighting and Sound Companies
• Logistics Support Companies
• Multimedia Designers/Producers
• Special Effects Companies
• Technical Production Companies
• Staging Companies
• Any Other Type of Technical Services Support Company

Judging Criteria:
• Creative Application
• Cutting-Edge Technology
• Innovation vs. Budget
• Logistical Challenges
• Meeting Technical Challenges
• Overall Quality
• Overcoming Logistical Challenges
• Teamwork/Management Skills

The Robert Bottoms Stage Set Award
This spotlight award will be presented to the company that best applies scenic craftsmanship skills with the latest technologies to create a truly exemplary “Look” to a client’s stage set.

• Who Should Be Nominated?
  • Full-Service Scenic Shop
  • Companies involved with actual construction of a stage set

• Judging Criteria:
  • Innovation vs. Budget
  • Creative Integration of Client’s Theme
  • Interaction of Materials with Set Construction & Lighting
  • Innovative & Custom Elements Incorporated into a Stage Set
  • Researching and Applying New Technologies

Spotlights Awards: Individuals

Corporate Event Planner/Producer of the Year
This Spotlight Award will be presented to an individual corporate planner who consistently utilizes meetings and events to accomplish corporate goals with creativity and impact.

Who Should be Nominated:
• Professionals who are on the staff of a corporation or company for the purpose of planning, producing or developing events and meetings for their company

Judging Criteria:
• Creativity/Innovation
• Impact of Events on Company Goals
• Message Delivery
• Meeting Technical Challenges
• Meeting Logistical Challenges
• Budget Management
• Achieving Return on Investment

Corporate Marketing Professional of the Year
This Spotlight Award will be presented to the corporate marketing professional working from inside a corporation who utilizes events effectively in the promotion or marketing of the company’s goals.

Who Should be Nominated:
• Marketing Directors
• Brand Managers
• Advertising Directors
• VP of Events and/or Meetings
• Other Management Professionals Responsible for Meetings and Events

Judging Criteria:
• Campaign Strategies
• Creativity
• Innovation vs. Budget
• Positive Return on Investment
• Effective Branding

Creative Director of the Year
This Spotlight Award will be presented to the individual who has mastered directing the creative process from concept to execution of the event design.

Who Should be Nominated:
• Independent Creative Directors
• Creative Directors within an Event Company

Judging Criteria:
• Actualization of Client Goals and Visions
• Incorporation of Event Elements
• Innovation vs. Budget
• Overall Creativity
• Overall Quality
• Utilization of Unique Design Criteria

Designer of the Year
This Spotlight Award will be presented to an individual displaying superb ability, creativity and achievement in the design of events and/or event décor.

Who Should be Nominated:
• Designers of Events
• Designers of Event Elements
• Designers of Items Related to Event Décor
• Designers of Event Environments

Judging Criteria:
• Creativity
• Innovation vs. Budget
• Design Ingenuity
• Unique Use of Materials
• Message Delivery
• Meeting Design Challenges

Entertainer of the Year
This Spotlight Award will be presented to the individual or group that has energized the event industry with top-flight entertainment.

Who Should be Nominated:
• Any person or group whose talent and goal is to entertain at events
• Artists
• Comedians
• Dancers or Dance Groups
• Humorists
• Instrumentalists
• Magicians
• Emcees
• Musical Groups
• Musical Soloists
• Performers

Judging Criteria:
• Client/Guest Satisfaction
• Consistent Quality of Performances
• Creativity
• Innovation
• Special Talents

Event Planner of the Year
This Spotlight Award will be presented to an event planner who has set exemplary standards for the industry by demonstrating the highest degree of creativity, organization and management in planning events.

Who should be nominated:
• Independent Event Planners
• Planners from within an event company

Judging criteria:
• Creativity
• Innovation vs Budget
• Management Skills
• Meeting and Exceeding Client Expectations
• Overall Quality
• Teamwork
• Technical Challenge

Event Producer of the Year
This Spotlight Award will be presented to an event producer who displays an outstanding ability to organize, manage and execute all aspects of event production from the creative to the technical.

Who should be nominated:
• Independent Event Producers
• Event Producers from within an event company

Judging criteria:
• Scope - Level of Involvement
• Caliber
• Technical Challenge
• Creativity
• Innovation vs Budget
• Management Skills
• Teamwork
• Meeting and Exceeding Client Expectations

Organizational Planner of the Year
This Spotlight Award will be presented to an individual non-profit, association, government or university planner who adeptly utilizes events to accomplish his or her organization’s goals with creativity and impact.

Who Should be Nominated:
• Association Planners
• Government Planners
• Non-Profit Planners
• University Planners

Judging Criteria:
• Appropriate Event Utilization
• Budget Management Skills
• Creativity
• Innovation
• Logistical Challenges
• Message Delivery
• Technical Challenges
• Range of Products
• Technical Difficulty of Installations
• Uniqueness of Products

Rising Star
This Spotlight Award will be presented to an individual event industry professional who has been in the event industry for five years or less. This person will show great promise of becoming an industry leader or major player in the years to come.

Who Should be Nominated:
• Developers of New Products
• Entertainers
• Planners
• Producers
• Sales
• Site Managers
• Suppliers

Judging Criteria:
• Accomplishments
• Performance as a Newcomer to the Industry
• Career Path
• Creativity
• Customer Service
• Innovation
• Leadership

Samaritan Service
This Spotlight Award will be presented to an event professional who has demonstrated exceptional generosity in the donation of time, talent and resources to help those in need.

Who Should be Nominated:
• Event Professionals from any Segment of the Event Industry

Judging Criteria:
• Demonstration of Caring
• Impact
• Level of Involvement
• Time Commitment