EXPO announces the call for entries for the 2nd annual E.X.C.I.T.E. Awards program.  This is the first program of its kind established to recognize excellence in tradeshows and events.  The E.X.C.I.T.E. Awards shine a spotlight on the best aspects of a show: the venue, the quality of marketing, the freshness of the event concept, the on-site experience, the business and consumer value, the ROI, and more.  

In entering the awards, keep it simple.  The best way to catch the judges' attention is to simply tell us what makes your show or campaign great.  Show us examples, share results and tell us why your show deserves to win.

We look forward to honoring the best industry innovators on June 19th at the annual awards luncheon at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront.  Winners and honorable mentions will also be profiled in the June issue of EXPO magazine and on expoweb.com.

Good Luck!
The EXPO Team
Questions? Contact  Asistant Marketing Manager, Danielle Sikes at dsikes@accessintel.com.
 

Categories:

Best Application of Content/Education on the Showfloor--More shows are offering attendees workshop sessions and conference panels right on the showfloor, maintaining connections between exhibitors and educational content. This award recognizes those doing so in the most innovative way possible.

Best Association Show--Association show managers have to satisfy their exhibitors and attendees AND serve the members of their associations. This award will recognize those who perform that unique balancing act best.
 
Best Buyer-Seller Event--Some show managers are replacing the traditional showfloor with events that get buyers and sellers together in more unique ways, like matchmaking events an hosted-buyer programs, to mention just a couple. This award honors innovation in programs that get buyers and sellers together.

Best Consumer Event--As consumers have more entertainment options available to them, creating quality events for consumers and for the companies interested in displaying products and services is more of a challenge all the time. This award recognizes those consumer events that are meeting that challenge.
 
Best Development of a Spinoff Event--Not everybody can take a very successful event and then replicate in another location or for another audience. This award honors the spinoff that best replicates the success of its flagship event
 
Best Environmental Design--The look and feel of an event, from signs,  and booths,  to decor, and the things they're made with, creates a lasting impression and contributes to the success of the experience in a fundamental way. This award recognizes the best in event design.

Best Extension of an Event's Life--Smart show organizers are finding ways to create a conversation between their exhibitors and attendees that lasts all year. This award will honor those who do the best job of extending the life of a show beyond two or three days a few times a year.

Best Green Event--Attendees today are asking—sometimes demanding—sustainable measures on and around the showfloor. Show organizers, service contractors and venues are working to satisfy those demands. This awards recognizes the shows that are most successful at limiting their carbon footprint.

Best Hybrid Event--Converting your tradeshow to a full-year, 360-degree community, with both live and digital elements, is a critical strategy. This award will honor the best of the innovators in this area.

Best Incorporation of Venue or Destination Into a Show--Every venue and every destination is different. Enterprising show managers are taking advantage of the environment they find to make the experience more satisfying for attendees. This award recognizes innovative incorporation of the destination and venue in the show experience.

Best Innovative Sponsorship Idea--This category recognizes the shows that go beyond the old-school banners and lanyards to find the best breakthrough sponsorship concept, including originality of the idea and exposure and ROI for the sponsor.
 
Most Innovative Venue--Venues in different cities offer a wide variety of services, technology and space opportunities. This award will honor the venues that are most innovative in offering their space and services to show organizers.

Best Interactive Exhibit--Exhibitors are taking advantage of technology to move beyond mere graphics and the standard elevator speech to demonstrate their products and services. This award recognizes those exhibitors who have made the best us of interactive media to get the attendee involved with their products and services.

Best International Event--International markets can be quite different than those in the United States. Consequently, tradeshows and events often are quite different from what American tradeshow professionals are used to. This award recognizes the non-U.S. show that best demonstrates how to meet the needs of its specific international market.
 
Best Marketing Campaign--It's tougher and tougher to break through the noise these days. There are so many new channels, some of which have extraordinarily high levels of active engagement. This award recognizes those who have done the best job of drawing attention to their shows
 
Best Marketing Collateral--Marketing collateral is where the process of a successful event begins. It's the kernel of an idea, it's the focus, the message, the value proposition and it's the presentation. This award recognizes the best in the business for this critical art.

Best Media Coverage--Providing access to the media is an extremely important element of a tradeshow, with exhibitors expecting the opportunity to introduce products, mingle with editors and provide executives for interviews. This award honors those shows that do the best job of providing media access to exhibitors.

Best Overall Public Relations Campaign--The successful flow of information between show organizers and the public can make or break an event. This award will recognize those who do an excellent job of getting the message they want out to every segment of their audience.

Best Showfloor Design--Smart show managers are always looking for the most effective ways to help their exhibitors display their products and services and to provide a navigable showfloor to their attendees. This award honors those who have been the most innovative in designing their showfloors to achieve the goals of both.

Best Showfloor Engagement Strategies--For an event to succeed for both exhibitor and attendee, the floor needs to be an engaging hub, a place that surprises and welcomes visitors, and facilitates commerce. We select the best.

Best Startup/First-Year Event--Launches are never easy, and always fraught with unanticipated consequences. And yet, every year show managers successfully start new shows. This award honors those who have been most successful with a brand new event.
 
Best Use of A Mobile App--Increasingly, shows are taking advantage of the wide proliferation of mobile devices to help attendees and exhibitors get the most out of their events. This award will recognize the best custom app used in an event or tradeshow campaign.

Best Use of Audiovisual to Enhance an Event--Show managers race to keep up with the latest in tradeshow technology and the way it can be applied to the tradeshow experience. This category will recognize the cutting-edge use of videos and media at shows.

Best Use of Event Technology--This award will acknowledge the best application of a single or mix of multiple technologies in singular event campaigns, trade show programs and show experiences.

Best Overall Use of Social Media--Social media is the most important emerging marketing channel in a decade, and it is nowhere close to reaching its full potential. This award will recognize those shows that have made the most innovative, forward-thinking use of Facebook, Twitter, Flipboard, Foursquare and all the rest.

Best Use of Facebook--Hundreds of millions of people around the world use Facebook to get information and communicate with others. This award recognizes the most innovative use of social medium in the tradeshow environment.

Best Use of Geo-Location Services (Foursquare)--With 20 million registered Foursquare users, show managers are finding ways to take advantage of it to assist both exhibitors and attendees. This award recognizes the most innovative use of the location-based social networking site on the showfloor.

Best Use of Integrated Media in a Sponsorship--From a booth to a Web site, to signage and beyond, judges will review the components of a sponsorship package and choose who provides the most bang for the sponsorship buck.

Best Use of LinkedIn--Best known as a professional networking tool, show managers are finding unique ways to use LinkedIn to grow their shows and communicate with audiences. This award recognizes those show managers who have found the most innovative ways to use LinkedIn.

Best Use of Twitter--140 characters: That’s all the 500 million users of Twitter have to work with. Yet, show managers are using it to their great advantage. This award recognizes those who have used so little to do so much for their shows.

Best Website/Microsite--Sites and microsites can play a crucial role in amplifying a live event, initiating early conversations and taking potential attendees far beyond just the schedule and the price. This award recognizes the best of these efforts.
 
Best Show (Overall)--**Editors Pick**--Shows come in all shapes, all sizes, with all kinds of experiences available to their constituents. This award is intended to recognize the show that does the best overall job of delivering exactly what its exhibitors, attendees and the larger community it serves wants. All E.X.C.I.T.E Awards entrants will automatically be entered into our Best Show category.

How to Enter

1. Hit the Enter Now button on the right to set up your online profile.
2. Choose the category(ies) you wish to enter
3. Enter your company and event details and answer the entry questions (listed below)
4. Upload supporting photos, renderings and/or video.
5. Submit your entry fee payment online.

Entry Questions
1. Describe your company's role in the event/tradeshow
2. Describe the overall objectives for the event
3. Describe the event experience through the eyes of your attendees/exhibitors
4. Describe the important factors that were meaningful to the success of the event.
5. Describe how the event met or exceeded its objectives/expectations
6. Please include quantifiable results such as attendance numbers, media hits, PR impressions, survey results, post-event analysis, etc.

Who Should Enter?
The E.X.C.I.T.E. Awards is open to all tradeshow industry organizers, corporate organizers and industry suppliers. International submissions are encouraged!

Eligibility Requirements
To be eligible, the event must have taken place (either in part or in full) between January 1, 2012, and February 1, 2013. 

Deadline/Entry Fees
Final Deadline February 22, 2013

All entries must be final and paid by Friday, February 22, 2013.

Entry Fees
The price of your primary entry is $300. Each additional entry after your first will cost $199.
Entries submitted after February 15, 2013 will incur a $175 late fee per entry.
All entries are non-returnable and non-refundable.

Questions?
Contact Assistant Marketing Manager, Danielle Sikes at (203) 899-8433, dsikes@accessintel.com.