Named on the shortlist for the first ICCA Best PR Award were five finalists, according to a judging panel who will select the winner at the ICCA Congress in Shanghai, China, on Nov. 3.
Amsterdam RAI, Glasgow City Marketing Bureau, Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, Seoul Tourism Organisation and Wonderful Copenhagen Convention Bureau became finalists after being on a long list of 16 candidates. The winner will be recognized for exceptional PR performance by members of International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), which represents specialists who organize, transport and accommodate international meetings and events.
“We are very glad that we were able to identify a long list of 16 candidates who we believe showcased exceptional PR skills, resulting in great editorial coverage around the world. We have long believed that PR is one of the most cost-effective yet under-utilized elements in the marketing mix,” said Martin Sirk, CEO, ICCA.
The unique feature of the ICCA Best PR Award competition, in association with International Meetings Review (IMR), is that there is no need to send in an entry. Instead, editorial representatives from IMR publishers and ICCA’s PR staff carefully evaluate the PR coverage of ICCA members for the year. They look for strong story-telling, high-visibility coverage, brand consistency, PR that helps to overcome a crisis, and PR that showcases success, covering both traditional print and Web/social media channels.
“Our aim is to help ICCA members gain the best possible editorial coverage. We are sure that our partnership with IMR on this new award and the PR tools that we offer to our members will help to dramatically improve ICCA members’ PR performance,” added Sirk.
The judging panel – consisting of James Latham, executive producer of International Meetings Review; Martin Lewis, chairman of IMR’s Editorial Advisory Board and chief editor of CAT Publications; Roger Kellerman of Meetings International; and Mathijs Vleeming, manager marketing and PR of ICCA – will evaluate the eventual winner from the shortlist.
The finalists and the winner receive worldwide acknowledgement and profiling via ICCA and IMR, and have the opportunity give a short presentation on their PR strategy and campaigns in a dedicated Media and PR session at the ICCA Congress. The ICCA Best PR Award competition was launched at the 2012 ICCA Congress in Puerto Rico, where ICCA and its business partner, International Meetings Review, launched their long-term strategic collaboration.
