On July 20th the Event Industry Awards celebrated a special landmark as they turned 10 years, honouring the best in the business. Hundreds of leaders and innovators from all areas of the events industry were in attendance, as 27 awards were presented to those who have impressed over the last 12 months.
The landscape within the industry has changed dramatically in the 10 years since the Awards were first launched. A quick glance through this year's winners shows the growth in experiential-based events and, of course, web-based companies. For instance, Paddy Cosgrave, CEO and co-founder of Web Summit, became the 2018 recipient of the Outstanding Contribution to the Event Industry Award. Since its first event in 2010, the Web Summit has grown exponentially, to the point where it will welcome 70,000 attendees to the 2018 edition in Lisbon, this November. Its success is the perfect example of what can be achieved through the events medium.
The judging panel was chaired by Ruth Craggs PhD Programme Chair, Bsc. (Hons) Event Management, from the School of Hospitality Management and Tourism within the College of Arts and Tourism at Dublin Institute of Technology. She explained how the process worked:
“Dublin Institute of Technology, adjudicating partner of Event Industry Awards, ensured a fair and objective judging process. The panel, with their extensive knowledge and expertise, reviewed and scored entries, established a shortlist and selected a winner in each category. The rigorous and comprehensive judging process determined the worthy winners of the Awards.”
Dublin Zoo took home two awards for their much-lauded Wild Lights at Dublin event, which ran from November to January. The night-time event – which featured a lantern trail, filled with colourful sculptures and Chinese performances – won the award for Best Live Event and the overall prize for Best Event. Speaking about their win, Aoife Keegan-Twomey, senior events executive at Dublin Zoo said:
“For Wild Lights at Dublin to be recognised as Best Live Event and Best Event at the 2018 Event Industry Awards is a real honour. Throughout the entire process, from the submission stage to the fabulous awards ceremony, the Event Industry Awards is an event the entire industry can be proud of.”
Cogs & Marvel was also a multiple award-winner on the night. The brand experience and creative events agency won Best Event Management Company and Best Event Innovation for Lidl at the National Ploughing Championships. "We're delighted to see our work recognised by the EIAs, particularly for innovation," said Cogs & Marvel creative director, Shane Holohan. "As the event industry comes out of the shadows and stands tall as a marketing channel that's capable of having real impact on the people it engages, innovation is only going to become more and more important."
An award winner on the night in their own right, Citywest Hotel was also a sponsor of the awards. Their commercial director, Sean Reid, explained that he felt their involvement in the event gave them the perfect opportunity to network and highlight their offering to potential clients: "Citywest Hotel prides itself on delivering first class events for its clients through its service, creativity and experience. Partnering with Event Strategies on the Event Industry Awards provided the perfect platform to showcase this to our industry colleagues. While picking up an award was a fantastic recognition, the real win for us was delivering a memorable, first-in-class experience that we can be proud of."
This viewpoint was shared by Louise Phelan, marketing manager, at The Helix, who also sponsored the event. "The EIAs was another great opportunity to have exposure for our brand in front of the people who we want to do business with. The night was amazing and it was important for us to be there to network with and support the companies and teams who are reaching the highest standards in the industry."
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The full list of winners is available below.
1. Best Event / Sponsored by Citywest Hotel
Winner: Wild Lights at Dublin Zoo
2. Best Event Management Company
Winner: Cogs & Marvel
3. Best Small Event Management Company
Winner: EveryEvent
4. Best Professional Conference Organiser
Winner: Abbey Conference & Events
5. Best Corporate Entertainer
Winner: Fidget Feet Aerial Dance Theatre
6. Best Event Sponsorship
Winner: HELL & BACK Sponsored by Londis
7. Best Live Event / Sponsored by Audionetworks
Winner: Wild Lights at Dublin Zoo
8. Best Sporting Event
Winner: Gaelforce Dublin 2017
9. Best Conference / Sponsored by AVC
Winner: The Event of the Future
10. Best Awards Ceremony / Sponsored by AVC
Winner: weddingsonline Awards
11. Best Corporate Event / Sponsored by The Helix
Winner: SAP United 20th Anniversary Celebration
12. Best Fundraising Event
Winner: Cannonball Ireland
13. Best Cultural Event
Winner: SeaFest 2017
14. Best Launch Event / Sponsored by MCE Events
Winner: Circle K Global Brand Launch
15. Outstanding Contribution to the Events Industry / Sponsored by Citywest Hotel
Winner: Paddy Cosgrave - Web Summit
16. Best Exhibition / Sponsored by Alexander Boyd Display
Winner: gradireland Graduate Careers Fair
17. Best In - House Event Team / Sponsored by Stage & Lighting
Winner: Croke Park Meetings & Events
18. Best Event Team / Sponsored by Dublin Institute of Technology
Winner: Titan Experience
19. Best Event Design
Winner: Waterford Harvest Festival – EveryEvent
20. Best Purpose Built Event Venue
Winner: Aviva Stadium
21. Best Hotel Event Venue / Sponsored by Stage & Lighting
Winner: Citywest Hotel
22. Best Unique/Private Wedding Venue
Winner: Kilshane House Tipperary
23. Best AV Company
Winner: Conference Services
24. Best Experiential Agency
Winner: Neon Agency
25. Best Event Infrastructure Provider
Winner: Magnum Events
26. Best Event Caterer
Winner: Aramark at Croke Park
27. Best Event Innovation / Sponsored by Hanley Event Group
Winner: Lidl at the National Ploughing Championships – Cogs & Marvel
