Although it didn’t take out the Professional Conference Organisation category, ICMSA took home Exhibition of the Year for the 26th World Mining Exhibition and Regional Event of the Year for Meeting of the Mines 2023. Two ICSMA staff also won individual awards, with Tiffany Lo winning the MEA Future Leader category and Suellen Holland taking the Sales, Marketing or Business Development Person of the Year. The PCO also won two Platinum Awards for the highest scoring entries in all of the event of the year categories and all of the individual event professional categories for Meeting of the Mines 2023 and Tiffany Lo’s Future Leaders entry respectively.
Wise Connections won the PCO category.
SoldOut, the Queensland Department of Education and Forum Group Events and Marketing also landed two national wins each, with Forum Group picking up the last Platinum Award for highest scoring entry across all of the company categories.
Across the rest of the awards, winners were well spread and included AV1, SongDivision, Sydney Showground, EventsAir, Harry the hirer, Congress Australia, Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, Crowne Plaza Terrigal Pacific, Melbourne Royal and Destination North Coast Business Events.
Both Harry the hirer and Congress Australia joined the Hall of Fame after each winning their respective categories – exhibition services and specialist services and suppliers – for the third straight year.
In the Event of the Year categories, the Brisbane Truck Show, the Biaggio Signorelli Foundation 15 Year Tribute Gala Dinner, the University of Queensland’s St Lucia Open Day, the 26th World Mining Congress and SXSW Sydney all came out on top. Encore Event Technologies also won for their work on the Amway China Leadership Summit in New Zealand while VEE Agency won Special Event of the Year for River Riffs.
Nicci Gow was named Event Educator of the Year.
Co-founder of Scene Change, Ian Whitworth, received the Outstanding Contribution award.
“We were able to showcase performances of distinction across the breadth of the Australian events industry during 2023,” said MEA CEO Peter McDonald.
“It’s my hope that every national, as well as state and territory, finalist and winner will use their peer determined acknowledgement to champion and leverage themselves as they conduct business.
“My thanks go to the chair of judges Simon Baggs, and indeed all judges for their volunteered time and experience.
“Immense gratitude also to our award category sponsors Apex Event Recruitment, Black Diamond Agency, Cvent and Business Events Australia for their support. It’s impossible to offer this program without any of this altruism.”
The ceremony was held at Rydges Resort in the Hunter Valley in New South Wales and attended by over 200 people, according to the association.
