For event professionals large and small, the countdown is on for the 2011 Australian Event Awards, with organisers today announcing a range of new initiatives including a specialised Event Symposium, new industry partnerships and a schedule of national launch events.
The Australian Event Awards is the national program to reward excellence and innovation across the entire Australian Events Industry and is the only opportunity for Australian events, event managers, products and service providers to be nationally recognised for their achievements regardless of event type, size, geographic location or association membership.
With entries set to open on 1 June 2011, Ian Steigrad, Director of the Australian Event Awards, said now is the time to start preparing for what is shaping up to be a huge year for the Awards.
“In 2011 the Australian Event Awards promise to be bigger and better than ever with new partners who represent the very best specialists in the events industry, new online content via a fresh website and social media, launch events in four states and a 2 day Events Symposium developed in partnership with leading industry associations,” said Steigrad.
The Awards has also announced partnerships with the industry’s most high profile associations and organisations including the Australian Centre for Event Management, the PCO Association, the Exhibition and Event Association of Australasia, the Australian International Sporting Events Secretariat, the Public Relations Institute of Australia, Sponsorship Australasia and the Sustainable Event Alliance.
“It is a great honour to have this incredible array of specialists on board and we are thrilled about the great showcase they will deliver to the Industry over the next six months and especially at the awards ceremony in October,” said Steigrad.
The inaugural Australian Event Symposium will be staged on October 6 and 7 at Sydney Olympic Park, with four international keynote presentations and workshop sessions, held in conjunction with International Special Events Society (ISES) Regional Event Conference.
Free launch events will also be held in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and Adelaide in the coming months to enable the events industry to network, meet the people behind the Event Awards, ask questions and learn how to make their entry stand out.
The Australian Event Awards are judged by a panel of highly skilled industry experts co-chaired by Johnny Allen, Foundation Director of the Australian Centre for Event Management, and Sandy Hollway, formerly CEO of the Sydney Organising Committee for the 2000 Olympic Games.
Key Dates for 2011:
- Categories and Criteria announced – 2 May 2011
- Entries Open – 1 June 2011
- Early Bird Entries (reduced cost) – 11 July 2011
- Entries Close – 26 July 2011
- Finalists Announced – 23 August 2011
- Industry Night of Nights – 6 October 2011
