We were so thrilled to receive several amazing submissions that we decided to choose FIVE nominees for TSNN’s inaugural “Best of Show” award.

It’s pretty simple – Please fill out the form located HERE. One vote per e-mail is allowed. Voting closes Oct. 25 at 12:00 a.m. EST.

The winner will be announced at the 2011 TSNN Event Excellence Awards Nov. 4-6 at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in D.C. For more info please visit www.T-awards.com.

Here are the five nominees:

AIBTM - The Americas Meetings & Events Exhibition
European and Asian markets, but they decided to take a chance on launching in the U.S. market at their recent show held in Baltimore. Some of the highlights of the event that brought together buyers and suppliers in the meetings and events space included a thorough buyer qualifying process with a commitment to meet with at least eight suppliers; a dedicated CEO education program was offered that had an overwhelming response; several high-end networking functions, including 1,300 tickets given away for a U2 concert, as well as Visit Baltimore hosted reception; and more. The result was more than one-third of the exhibitors rebooked onsite for the 2012 show, which was called a “staggering success” and buyers also gave the event high marks.

America's Health Insurance Plans' Institute 2011
AHIP recently experienced a very successful first run incorporating QR codes into their event. This medical industry event drove traffic to their mobile app with QR codes, allowing attendees to easily access session, speaker and logistic information. The QR codes were established and printed on clear peel-and-stick labels affixed on signage during move-in. Using the stickers, rather than printing on graphics, gave the client last-minute leeway for QR code changes and hence provided peace of mind. They also instructed attendees (via cards handed out onsite and general show signage) how the QR codes could benefit them and how they worked. As a result, Attendees commented how pleased they were to see the organization embracing new technology tools. 

Craft & Hobby Association’s 2011 Winter Conference and Show
Despite a severe hit to the craft and hobby marketplace during the past few years, which impacted the Craft & Hobby Association's Winter Conference and Show, the association took several steps to make its 2011 show a success. Some of those steps included renaming the show to emphasize the conference component, aggressively marketing the new location in Los Angeles, recruited celebrity crafters, a TV studio on the showfloor, a matchmaking component and much more. As a result, the show saw overall growth in exhibitors and showfloor size, as well as drew strong attendance. 

International Converting Exposition (ICE) USA
In the middle of a tough economy, Mack Brooks Exhibitions took a leap of faith and launched a new show serving the converting industry, which is a step before the packaging process. The lead U.S. event in this space CMM International had shrunk drastically, so Mack Brooks bought it, renamed it and then had to resell it through a strategy called the “ICE Mentality” as the go-to place for the converting industry. An advisory board was established and the show got to work putting together a unique experience for attendees/exhibitors at the show, including an icebreaker party with a Jimmy Buffet tribute band, golf tournament, huge ice sculpture, icebreaker breath mints and ICE-branded clothing products were sold, to name a few.  As a result, Mack Brooks said the event was a “smashing success”.

Outdoor Retailer
According to Nielsen Expositions’ show management for Outdoor Retailer, the show has revolutionized the trade show business by taking the old b2b, order-writing buyer/seller platform and transforming the 30-yr-old show into an experience that flows from b2b transactional to a b2c experiential must-attend event. From innovative treatments like the Business Community Zones, Adventure Theater and Design Competition to the online tools deployed like the show’s Mobile App, Show Planner interface, 'LiveFrom' video clips and our new customized OR Hub interface, the show has enabled attendees to get more out of the show experience, and network like never before with like-minded but disparate market players. By designing the floorplan with key adjacencies, the show fosters partnerships among the different vertical market forces in the 'zones'. The show enables this not only on floorplan, but digitally with key media partnerships and programs that simultaneously deepen core business connectivity and increase peripheral market opportunity for all stakeholders in Outdoor. As a result, the show has seen significant growth and looks to grow even more into the future.