The results of The UK Event Awards have been announced, celebrating the very best corporate, brand and consumer events staged by UK-based organisers in 2016 and 2015.
The awards, organised by marketing magazine The Drum, featured 28 categories and were judged by a panel of marketing experts, including representatives from Innocent Drinks, notonthehighstreet.com, British Fashion Council and Guinness World Records, as well as a number of leading agencies.
Here we take a closer look at some of the award winning events, and examine how they exceeded expectations.
Award: Grand Prix
Winner: Jack Morton Worldwide for Kodak drupa 2016
Jack Morton helped Kodak showcase a wealth of new products and printing solutions at drupa, the world’s largest printing trade show held in Düsseldorf, Germany.
The brand experience agency created a life-size interpretation of an urban neighbourhood called The Kodak Quarter. Designed to reflect the evolution of Kodak’s brand it featured warehouses converted into print presses and industrial spaces that have morphed into creative studios.
The Kodak Quarter was divided into four subsections with a distinct identity. Each bringing Kodak technology to life through a series of city-inspired creative spaces such as a pop-up ‘Made with Kodak’ gallery and a fly poster wall featuring posters inspired by the arts and fashion industry.
Mike Kunheim, Managing Director at Jack Morton Worldwide, said: “Kodak is a brand that is prepared to push the boundaries of marketing. We could see a truly exciting opportunity to work closely with them to evolve their brand and express it from today’s perspective, bringing it to life in a physical way.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swTO8nHVsWU
Award: Chairman’s Award
Winner: Weli Creative for Magic Lantern Festival London 2016
February 2016 saw the inaugural Magic Lantern Festival take place at Chiswick House and Garden in London.
The month long festival of illuminations was staged by Weli Creative, a creative agency with a mission to increase the cultural exchange of values and customs between China and the UK.
Says Weli Creative: “Chinese Lantern Festivals are a part of Chinese New Year celebrations and it seemed such a shame that Londoners had not experienced such a wonderful festival before, that Weli Creative decided to bring the festival to London.”
The agency created a 75–minute walk-through experience featuring thousands of individual lantern installations. More than 110,000 ticketed visitors attended and 150 major media organisations covered the event
“The festival of illuminations celebrated the Chinese New Year, year of the Monkey but also western Valentines Day and half term week. It was a massive project for Weli Creative. The festival ran very smoothly and we are immensely proud of this project.”
During 2017, the Magic Lantern Festival will take place in Yorkshire and Birmingham as well as London.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vc5T5Hvh2PQ
Award: Conference of the Year
Winner: Corporate Rewards for NetApp Insight 2015
Data management company NetApp tasked Corporate Rewards with organising NetApp Insight 2015, its annual EMEA technical conference for storage and data management professionals.
The four-day conference took place at City Cube Berlin and offered delegates an experiential showcase of new technology with 1,250 ‘Hands-On Labs’ completed, 34,493 hours of training carried out and 930 certifications issued by The NetApp University.
Social activities, meanwhile, included a Brazilian Carnival welcome reception and an offsite Oktoberfest themed appreciation party held at Berlin’s historic Tempelhof Airport.
As NetApp Insight coincided with Syrian refugees entering Germany, NetApp pledged $1.00 to the International Red Cross for every tweet that contained #NetAppInsight; a total of $7,000 was donated, while the hashtag trended at #10 worldwide.
The event also enhanced social media engagement by live broadcasting 26 ‘Tech OnTap’ videos over Twitter’s Periscope.
Award: Corporate Event of the Year
Winner: Momentum Worldwide for Microsoft Future Decoded 2015
The brief for Future Decoded was to “totally reinvent Microsoft’s approach to business events as a ‘One Microsoft’ proposition.”
Momentum Worldwide worked with Microsoft to create an event that would generate both substantial sales revenue and effective brand reappraisal amongst business decision makers.
Says Momentum Worldwide: “Future Decoded, a proprietary series of ‘un-business business events,’ tells the Microsoft One story by inviting audiences of 11,000 partners and customers to explore the business challenges and opportunities in the ‘World of Tomorrow’.
“Aligning to Microsoft’s new global mission to empower every person and every organisation on the planet to achieve more through a combination of inspired keynotes, a 4,500 sqm self-explore exposition and visitor-centric working sessions.”
The event clocked up 27 million media impressions and succeeded in generating an estimated £191.5 million incremental Microsoft ecosystem sales.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1aGTKskuQE
Award: Cultural Event of the Year
Winner: Volpa for The Enchanted Forest FLUX 2015
The Enchanted Forest is a spectacular sound and light show that takes place every October at Faskally Wood in Pitlochry, Perthshire.
Last year the event celebrated its 15th anniversary with a record turnout of 70,000 visitors. Featuring dazzling visuals set against an original music score, The Enchanted Forest has been responsible for dramatically boosting tourism to the Pitlochry area.
Run by Enchanted Forest Community Trust, the event brings in an estimated £2 million to the local economy and funds numerous community groups and local initiatives.
Ian Sim, Chairman of The Enchanted Forest Community Trust, said: “It’s heart-warming to think that this event, which began with just 1,500 people over a few nights, has not only grown so much but continues to be innovative and inspiring.
“Being named the UK’s Best Cultural Event underscores all the hard work that goes into not only putting on The Enchanted Forest, but keeping it fresh each year.
“People travel from all over the world for the show and it generates lots of positive press for Highland Perthshire. We’re proud to be driving tourists ‘into the woods’ of Pitlochry at what has always been a traditionally quiet time of year.”
Award: Sports Event of the Year
Winner: ITV & The National Lottery for I am Team GB
Organised by the National Lottery and ITV, I am Team GB – The Nation’s Biggest Sports Day was a series of 14 flagship parties held in every ITV region around the country on Saturday, 27 August 2016.
The free events offered the public a chance to welcome home Britain’s returning Olympic stars and take part in sporting activities.
The events included an on-set sports day at Manchester’s Coronation Street studios, a family duathlon around Emmerdale Village in Leeds and free sailing lessons at the Ullswater Yacht Club in the Lake District.
I am Team GB also encouraged local sports clubs to run their own events, and over 2,600 additional events were organised as part of the initiative.
Conclusion
The UK’s events professionals continue to push the boundaries, creating award winning events that not only wow with their creativity but also demonstrate clear ROI through their results. The full list of winners can be found here.
