The purpose of Successful Meetings' Super Six Awards of Excellence in Planning is to recognize event planning creativity and achievement in six areas: corporate meetings, association meetings, incentive programs, special events, trade show management, and a special Pathfinder Award for innovation. Beyond recognizing excellence, the objective of the Super Six Awards is to give some of the most talented meeting planners the opportunity to educate and influence their peers by shining a spotlight on their outstanding work.
We received 56 entries in this inaugural effort and have found 11 programs worthy of recognition, in five of the six categories.
Together with our award sponsor, the Austin Convention and Visitors Bureau, we hope that the Super Six Awards of Excellence will reinforce the spirit of enterprise and innovation, and boost the confidence and passion of all those in our industry.
Best Corporate Meeting Budget Over $250,000
Winner: CEMEX Global Conference
Planned by: Andrea Michaels, owner, Extraordinary Events, Sherman Oaks, CA
When Extraordinary Events (EE) was asked to promote "togetherness and synchronicity" to nearly 270 top leaders from CEMEX, an international producer and marketer of cement and ready-mix products, the firm had to implement some of the same ideas it was trying to reinforce. The three-day conference was titled "Meeting the Global Challenge Together." Because the conference was held in Barcelona and the vendors and entertainers were from many different nations, communication was a considerable challenge. By using translators and a keen awareness of cultural differences when dealing with vendors, EE was able to increase understanding among all participants and ensure their objectives were met.
Another success of the conference was the creativity used in weaving CEMEX's message into every element of the event, from the extravagant entertainment (a dancer who contorted a huge sheet of thin plastic around her body to illustrate new ideas and flexibility) to teambuilding (groups participated in a walking tour and completed a puzzle which all teams joined in solving). In the end, attendees took away with them an appreciation for Barcelona's culture as well as a strongly reinforced company message of collaboration and synchronicity.
Best Corporate Meeting Budget Over $250,000
Winner: AFLAC Annual Sales and Marketing Conference
Planned by: Phelps R. Hope, CMP, president, Aspen Productions, Atlanta, GA
Creating a compelling annual sales meeting is a challenge, as the same messages are often delivered to the same attendees year after year.
Yet Aspen Productions found a unique way to keep the State and Regional Sales Coordinators Annual Sales and Marketing Conference for Columbus, GA-based insurance giant AFLAC 2002 fresh and inspiring.
Acting on the notion that turning the meeting in an unconventional direction would capture attendees' attention, Aspen started the first general session of the multiday meeting by introducing the theme: "In the Zone." This term refers to the focus athletes enjoy at the height of competition, and AFLAC's executives sought to inspire the same level of concentration in attendees. To reinforce this, the general session featured speakers who were introduced by faux sportscasters who appeared on video screens, and who offered "post-game" commentary immediately after each presentation.
Later on, a presentation by AFLAC's vice president of sales was interrupted by noisy janitors, who were in fact dancers and musicians who performed a dance routine where they banged out beats on garbage cans. The purpose: To let attendees relax their focus briefly, as do pro athletes who cannot stay "in the zone" for too long a stretch without a break.
Best Association Educational Conference
Winner: The Boy Scouts of America Leadership Training Conference
Planned by: Norman Burkhalter, assistant national director, development/ strategic initiative group, Irving, TX
The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) 2002 Leadership Training Conference was conducted in four locations and drew over 4,200 attendees. Past evaluations indicated that the previous conferences lacked a structured way to engage in meaningful dialogue. To remedy this, prior to the meeting, each of the BSA's more than 300 local councils received a CD-ROM in a box stamped confidential. The CD contained messages from the chief scout executive and the four regional directors, and included actual case studies addressing the BSA National Strategic Plan's five areas of emphasis, which would be the conference's focus. To add interest, each study was couched with a mystery theme involving famous detectives such as Sherlock Holmes and Sam Spade.
The four regional meetings were conducted over a two-week period, with most lasting three days. Each had a nationally produced segment that focused on the "Scouting for Solutions" agenda, as well as a regional segment that dealt with local issues.
At the end of each conference, critiques were solicited from table facilitators; these were overwhelmingly positive. In a post-event survey, 92 percent of participants found the conference met or exceeded their expectations.
Best Special Event Budget Over $100,000
Winner: Siebel Systems 2002 Worldwide Users Conference
Planned by: Andrea Michaels, owner, Extraordinary Events
There's a right way and a wrong way to create an Academy Awards-themed special event. In the case of Siebel Systems' 2002 Worldwide Users Conference, sponsored by Hewlett-Packard, Extraordinary Events did it the right way. To start with, the event took place at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, home to the real Academy Awards. Extraordinary Events ambitiously procured all the necessary permits, such as those for installing the huge curtain that drapes the front of the theater, as well as those for lights, generators, and sky trackers. The city even closed the street -- no small feat, since Sony Pictures was filming a Harrison Ford movie the same night and was competing for full access to the street. Additionally, Extraordinary Events had to negotiate with Kodak Theatre's three distinct owning entities in order to coordinate decor and security.
On the big night, guests arrived via first-class motorcoaches and were welcomed by "paparazzi" who snapped away with cameras. Extraordinary Events even hired a faux Entertainment Tonight crew to conduct interviews, over the shrieks of about 100 "fans."
Later, celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck satisfied guests with his distinctive gourmet fare. After dinner, guests were escorted into the theater to enjoy a performance by Natalie Cole.
Best Association Annual Meeting
Winner: The 2002 Forest Leadership Forum
Planned by: Nancy Wilson, CMP, principal, Meetings Strategies Worldwide, Portland, OR
The 2002 Forest Leadership Forum, hosted by the World Wildlife Fund and the Certified Forest Products Council, drew 1,300 attendees from 45 countries. Both organizations were committed to making the conference as green as possible, and to demonstrating cost-effectiveness as well.
A statement of policies and expectations, such as requests to conserve energy and to donate leftover food, was provided to the participating hotels.
The environmental practices used at the forum yielded these savings: Online registration saved $3 per participant, for a total of $3,900; eliminating conference bags saved $11,700 plus shipping costs; eliminating handouts saved $1,950; providing water in pitchers rather than plastic bottles saved $12,187; and eliminating shuttle buses by choosing hotels within walking distance of the convention center saved $30,000.
In the short term, the conference succeeded in minimizing its impact on the local ecosystem. In the long term, it raised awareness, changed business practices of attendees, venues, and vendors, and spawned entrepreneurial partnerships that will be instrumental in "greening" the hospitality industry. Most importantly, it helped to prove that environmental stewardship and fiscal responsi- bility are not mutually exclusive.
Best Incentive Budget Under $250,000
Winner: VIASYS Healthcare Inc.,"The Mystic Powers of Atlantis"
Planned by: Harith Wickrema, president, Harith Productions LTD, Oreland, PA and Atlantis Paradise Island Resort
VIASYS Healthcare Inc. didn't have a lot of money to spend on the trip delivery for its incentive. To make the budget stretch as far as possible, the mythical-themed Atlantis Paradise Island Resort in the Bahamas was chosen as the site. The events throughout the program were designed to incorporate the themes expressed in the resort's existing decor. That in itself isn't unusual. But this is: Harith Productions (HP) designed the entire event to be a template that could be recreated by the resort for other groups. Partnering with the resort further maximized the budget.
The ultimate challenge came in the production of the final awards banquet. After arrangements had been made, the resort asked the company to move the dinner from the Grand Ballroom. The reason? The Michael Jordan Celebrity Invitational Golf Tournament awards dinner was booked for the same night. But HP was able to turn this setback into an advantage by agreeing to produce the Jordan event for free -- provided a smaller version of the event could be produced in the Grand Ballroom for VIASYS the night before. In fact, the VIASYS group was invited to experience the next evening's event with Jordan and other celebrities. The end result of HP partnering creatively with Atlantis and the Jordan group was top ratings on every attendee evaluation form.
The Pathfinder Innovation Award Corporate
Winner: Cisco Systems, Cisco AVVID Express Roadshow
Planned by: Kelly Mattus, program manager, MAC Meetings and Events, St. Louis, MO
How can you get a training session for employees, a product demo for customers, and an educational briefing for suppliers all under one roof and draw a national audience? The solution created by Cisco Systems and MAC Meetings and Events was to put it all on wheels and send it on the road.
The Cisco AVVID Express Roadshow provided Cisco customers, employees, and partners around the country with a unique, hands-on experience with the AVVID Network Architecture, a framework for Internet business solutions. By housing it in an 18-wheel truck, the Cisco AVVID Express contained the entire system and displayed it in a thoughtful, relevant manner.
The AVVID Express was used for events that showcased the technology in four different environments: in a corporate office, at home, on the move, and at a small- to mid-sized branch office.
The success of the program depended upon the Cisco employees in the field. Each team leader was responsible for staffing the event with presenters. This approach ensured that the uniqueness of each locale and the expectations of its customers were met. The program received high satisfaction scores from both attendees (4.42 out of 5) and employees (4.23 out of 5).
Best Incentive Budget Over $250,000
Winner: Equant, "President's Club"
Planned by: Anne Klein, marketing manager, USMotivation, Atlanta, GA
It wasn't easy coming up with a knock-their-socks-off reward for top performers at Equant. Qualifiers at the high-tech company are sophisticated professionals who travel constantly and come from around the globe.
Anne Klein of USMotivation opted for old-fashioned luxury and romance: a first-class cruise aboard the Seabourn Pride, a top-rated cruise vessel, with a custom-designed itinerary covering the best of the French and Italian Riviera. Even given the sumptuousness of the program -- which included French cooking classes, a private tour of the Vatican, and a red-carpet reception in Cannes -- Klein managed to spend her budget dollars wisely: Sixty percent of participants were from Europe, meaning airfares were reasonable, and the use of the Seabourn as a floating hotel made expensive overnight hotel stays unnecessary.
Klein's biggest challenge was with the local destination management company she'd partnered with. Its unresponsiveness and poor communication delayed her progress, forcing her eventually to find another DMC willing to take on a huge job on short notice. Luckily, French-based firm LSO stepped in and provided expert logistics management despite less than three months' lead time.
Not that participants noticed. The President's Club program proved so popular with attendees it became a model for Equant's future incentive offerings. Last year, the sales team's performance improved so much that the company grew sales by 12 percent, making the program's cost just .03 percent of the firm's total revenue.
Best Special Event Budget Over $100,000
Winner: Crime Stoppers, "Swing Into June Jam"
Planned by: Mark Sonder, CSEP, chief entertainment officer, Mark Sonder Productions, Chantilly, VA
Breathing new life into an established event is challenging, but Mark Sonder bested six years of tradition and declining revenues with his production of the 2002 Swing Into June Jam for Crime Stoppers of Fresno, CA.
Whereas members of the anticrime community organization had produced previous fundraisers themselves, Fresno Crime Stoppers broke from the routine and selected Sonder to produce the event. As the concert promoter and entertainment and production planner, Sonder's goals were to educate the public and generate positive awareness of the local Crime Stoppers program, while also raising money for the nonprofit organization through ticket sales as well as open and silent auctions.
Sonder scored a victory by landing a popular swing band, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, to headline the event. Their appearance was heavily promoted in local radio and television spots, which were produced by Sonder. Ticket sales jumped, and Sonder generated better box-office returns than the event had experienced in previous years.
Sonder also added value to the event by overseeing the profitable auctions; he arranged for the donation of items to be offered, including gifts from the headlining act and the grand prize: a vacation in New York City.
The Pathfinder Innovation Award for Association
Winner: World at Work -- The Professional Association for Compensation, Benefits, and Total Rewards; Food And Beverage Assessment of 2002 Conference
Planned by: Lori Ann Harnish, event manager, World at Work, Scottsdale, AZ
To reduce F and B outlays for the 2002 event, the management team developed a new F and B request-for-proposal process for use with its host hotel. The RFP was designed as a research tool that evaluated the history of F and B at previous World at Work annual conferences through analysis, projections, culinary creativity, and best practices.
Much more than simply an RFP document, the effort amounted to an in-depth analysis of the entire F and B process. The organization applied an "action research" concept which consisted of diagnosis, considering alternatives, taking action, evaluating results, and identifying general findings. The process was applied in the following areas: Request for Proposal and Concessions, Budget and Actual Expenses, Attendance and Guarantees, and Evaluation Comments and Ratings.
Applying an evaluation methodology to the history of the event enabled the World at Work management team to partner more effectively with the host hotel. Understanding the dollar value of the meeting enabled the venue and the planner to project realistic F and B costs for all events, and come up with a comprehensive list of best practices to implement in future conferences. The final ROI of this process reflected a savings of $51,000 for the 2002 event.
The Pathfinder Innovation Award for Special Event
Winner: City of Austin Economic Growth and Redevelopment Services, "Dialogue on Civic Art and Design in Downtown Austin"
Planned by: Anne S. Easterling, public information specialist, Austin Economic Growth and Redevelopment Services, Austin, TX
The City of Austin Economic Growth and Redevelopment Services and the Texas Commission on the Arts sponsored a two-day forum to gather community input on issues related to civic art and design in the downtown area. Since public input on government projects is usually limited to public hearings that provide little structure or interaction, the planning team opted for an open-space meeting format to generate the interaction they felt was necessary. The open-space format is a structured meeting style that establishes general guidelines, then challenges participants to set the agenda, organize discussion groups, and prepare recommendations.
As the team members prepared for the dialogue, they recognized the need for extensive background documentation for the participants and a thorough bibliography and reference listing on community planning and public art. Reproducing the documents on paper and mailing them to participants would have cost more than the budget allowed. So the team posted all documentation on the Internet.
As a result of the conference, the city was able to determine a direction for civic art in the downtown area. In a survey to participants on the effectiveness of the event, 100 percent rated the event as good and 82 percent said they would like to use the open-space format for future events.