The Conference News Agency Awards took place once again this year, with the winners being recognised as the cream of the crop for agencies.
The Conference News Agency Awards has come around once again, to recognise the agencies truly pushing the envelope in the events industry. Conference News’ star-studded panel of judges have highlighted the best and brightest in our industry across a variety of categories.
Martin Fullard, editorial director, Conference News, said: “Agencies represent the creative heart of the conference and experiential landscape, it’s important to highlight those providing excellence at all scales.
“The Agency Awards is always a big occasion in the calendar, and this year was no different. I look forward to staying in touch with the winners and learning more about creative innovations.
“I would also like to offer my personal congratulations to Anita Lowe, our Pioneer Award recipient. She is a true inspiration and without question one of the kindest people I have met in our industry.”
Over the next few pages we’ll show you the highlights from the night and the details of some of the winners who stood out to our judges.
What judges looked for
Each year our judging panel look for excellence among the entries, a tough ask as our shortlists often include some of the top agencies in the sector. Our judges talk about the defining factors of a winning entry.
David Parker, commercial and events director, Royal College of Physicians, said: “I was looking within the entries for a bit of ‘magic’ something that made me stop and think ‘Wow’ that’s going to make the client happy.
“What stood out to me in the entries this year, is that all were exceptional in the delivery of services to the client, but many struggled to tell the story about what they did, why they did it, and what the result was. I wanted to be lost in the story of their success, the ones I judged most highly did this.”
Client value was a theme throughout the judging, but was also accompanied by innovation for those clients – it’s no longer about achieving results for agencies, but doing it in a standout way that aligns with corporate values.
Heather Lishman, association director, ABPCO: “It was great to see so many high-quality submissions, although it did make the judging quite tricky. The creativity and determination to offer innovative services to clients really stood out to me. It definitely seemed like a race to the top, which has got to be good for the whole industry.
“The ones that really shone were those where the culture of the organisation for the team is strong. This then gives great foundations for exceptional service.”
Making waves
The awards are not just an opportunity to shine a light on the best in the industry, but also to find themes and trends among the workings of agencies. Sustainability, culture and recruitment cropped up as key areas for judging during this process.
Veronica Lake, head of events and marketing, UK ASEAN Business Council, said: “The focus is on sustainability, support to employees, and matching the tech requirements. Sustainability is really seen as a unit of measure now and is key to the decision-making process. The second big trend was employee retention encouraged through a defined career path that can empower and amplify the employee’s existing skillset. Another trend was set on creativity harnessed by tech – crucial to have both for the final delivery.”
“The awards are a collective recognition and a great way to celebrate the team effort behind it. From a marketing perspective, it truly makes a difference as it helps the organisation stand out and be immediately perceived as reliable and trustworthy.”
It’s not just top-level trends that make the difference though, our judging panel also recognised submissions that looked at the granular operations of agencies, looking at recruitment and employee engagement as key factors.
Robert Kenward, founder of The Hub and Fitability Recruiter at YOU Search & Select, said: “I was really impressed with the number of employers who are looking ahead, who shared their groundbreaking plans for the future and who showed they have listened and reacted in a positive way.
“I was also impressed with how the role of a salesperson has changed, and how they now take a more consultative approach to the sale process and finally thank god, the days of ‘kicking down doors’ is behind us.” Want to learn more about the award’s winners?
Read on as our CN reporter, Louisa Daley, finds out what some of the key companies thought of the awards, what it means to them and how our industry is changing.