International organisers and venue operators are making room for a little extra hardware in their trophy cabinets after the recent AEO Excellence Awards were held in London.
The prestigious annual awards were held London’s Grosvenor House last month (June).
AEO chief executive Chris Skeith said the night showcased outstanding businesses in the events industry.
“It was a great event and represented exactly what the name suggests – excellence,” Skeith said.
“Our members and other stakeholders from across the events industry make the event a success from the number and quality of entries right down to the celebrations at the end of the ceremony."
The team from ExCeL London, a member of the ADNEC Group, walked away with the coveted Venue of the Year Award for 2015.
Jeremy Rees, ExCeL London executive director of exhibitions, paid tribute to the venue’s staff.
“The entire team’s focus is on delivering the best possible event outcomes at ExCeL and to have this recognised by our industry peers is fantastic,” Rees said. "This year’s AEO awards have been a great celebration of event successes and an affirmation that the efforts that we are putting in place are reaping rewards.
“The trophy will sit proudly next to the Exhibition News Award for Best Venue, which we were delighted to also win earlier this year,” he added.
It was the ADNEC Group’s second win for the night, after the Abu Dhabi Exhibition Centre was named Most Sustainable Venue and Conference Venue.
The group's chief executive, Humaid Matar Al Dhaheri, said: "It is encouraging to see ADNEC’s strong commitment to developing advanced event infrastructure and delivering excellent services continue to receive a nod from the industry’s most respected players.”
International organiser I2i Events celebrate a triple-win after being named Best Overseas Tradeshow (over 2,000sqm) for Money20/20, Organiser Team of the Year for its Glee Operations Team, and Best Use of Social Media.
Award winners for 2015:
Outstanding Contribution to the Industry - Tim Etchells, Single Market Events
Best Trade Show Launch - CPhI Istanbul, UBM EMEA
Best Consumer Show Launch - The Allergy and Free From Show Berlin, F2F Events Ltd
Best UK Trade Show (over 2000sqm) - IFSEC International, UBM EMEA
Best Overseas Trade Show (over 2000sqm) - Money20/20, i2i Events Group
Best Trade Show (under 2000sqm) - Casual Dining, Diversified Communications
Best Consumer Exhibition - MCM London Comic Con, MCM Expo Group
Best Live Event - The 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games Ceremony, Jack Morton Worldwide
Marketing Campaign of the Year - ICE Totally Gaming, Clarion Events
Organiser Team of the Year - Glee Operations Team, i2i Events Group
Venue of the Year - ExCeL London
Venue Team of the Year - Olympia London Traffic Team
Service Supplier of the Year - Showplans
Stand Design and Build Supplier of the Year - Evolve Creative Solutions Ltd
Unsung Hero - Charlie Boyes, Fire & Safety Officer, Olympia London
Innovation Award - Cinebop Limited
Sustainability Award - Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company
Best Use of Social Media - i2i Events Group
Most Respected Company of the Year - Perton Signs
Event Personality of the Year (Member Vote) - Chris Hughes, Brand Events
