Conference News speaks with previous winners of the Conference News Agency Awards who share their experiences of being recognised, the impact it’s had on their careers and organisations, and their thoughts on why these awards matter.
The Conference News Agency Awards recognise and celebrate excellence, innovation and outstanding achievements from event agencies that operate in the UK and beyond. For the previous winners, the awards offer a moment to pause, reflect, and celebrate their contributions to the events industry.
Evolve Events: winner of the Event Influencer Award 2023 and 2024:
Anna Peters, creative director of Evolve Events, has won the ‘The Event Influencer Award’ two years running. This award has not only been a personal milestone but also a transformative experience for Anna. As an advocate for sustainability, Anna has used her platform to amplify voices within the industry, foster best practices, and champion initiatives like sustainable travel. Peters says: “It’s a pinch-me moment when you’re at those kinds of events, especially if you’re entering a solo award. You’re with your peers, people you totally respect, and so it’s a wonderful thing to be acknowledged and have that voice of confidence given to you that you’re sort of going in the right direction.”
Winning her first award in 2023 prompted Peters to reflect on the true meaning of ‘influence’ and inspired her to train others on using social media to amplify their voices. The recognition also expanded her network, leading to opportunities like speaking on sustainable travel in Prague and Poland, promoting sleeper trains across Europe, and creating a train challenge to encourage conference delegates to travel by rail to Bruges. Peters says: “We’re all about looking after other people and it’s important to take a step back for a moment and applaud what we do. That kind of recognition that the CN awards give is a lovely moment for everybody in the industry.”
Peters adds that these awards promote better industry practices by encouraging entrants to uphold and showcase examples of best practice, with winners held accountable to those standards. She explains: “It makes you keep questioning and wanting to be innovative and do the next best thing.”
Stagestruck: winner of the Employer of the Year award 2024:
Stagestruck, a creative agency known for delivering unique live events and communications, won the 2024 Employer of the Year award. Group account director, Kat Saha Sen highlighted how entering the awards showcases their work within the industry and benchmarks them against industry standards. Reflecting on the ceremony, she praised the premium atmosphere and appreciated the opportunity for the team to celebrate alongside peers and industry leaders in a well-curated setting. She says: “Our people are really important to us, so to win for Employer of the Year, which was the one that we really wanted felt great. Winning the award has created excitement within the company and, as Employer of the Year it has helped with recruitment.”
Stagestruck’s team enjoy attending the awards each year, with the event becoming a highlight for the agency. Saha Sen noted that they make it a point to involve different members from various departments, ensuring a broad representation across the business and giving more employees the chance to experience the excitement first-hand. She says: “I also think it was good for our clients to see that we are the kind of company that cares about their people to align with their general values and beliefs.”
mcm creative group: winner of Internal Communications Agency of the Year:
mcm creative group, a people experience agency, won Internal Communications Agency of the Year, entering the awards to showcase the meaningful impact that they create in internal communications. Rob Morrison, client engagement director, says: “It was a chance to measure ourselves again against the best in the industry, as we were pleased to win for a second year. Behind every win is our team of dedicated, talented individuals who pour their hearts into their work, so the award belongs to them more than it does to the agency.”
Morrison says: “The CNAAs celebrate excellence and innovation, and we appreciate the work that the Mash Media team do to support our industry, so we love to give back. Supporting you strengthens our industry, highlights outstanding work, and builds connections between agencies and clients.”
Karrie Petty, Principal Global Events: winner of the Rising Star award:
Karrie Petty, project manager at Principal Global Events, an agency specialising in hybrid, Virtual & Live Event Management, AV and production, visual content creation and incentive travel, won the Rising Star Award last year. Petty says: “Being nominated by Principal and recognised by the industry in a group of such outstanding talent was a very special moment.”
Director of the company, Rachel Wilde dubbed the awards as one of the highlights of the year, giving them an opportunity to reflect on what they have achieved and celebrate their team and their work, alongside the best of the industry. She says: “The CN Agency Awards shine light on the incredible work we do as an industry, and the creativity, passion, and integrity of the people in it. They drive innovation and excellence across the whole events community.”
This year’s awards take place on Friday 21 March 2025, at De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms in London. Submissions will be open until 24 January 2025. To enter, click here: https://cn-agency-awards-2025.cfp.lineup.ninja/
