IAEE's 2011 Art of the Show competition accepting entries

The International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE) is now accepting entries for its 2010 Art of the Show competition. The competition provides a platform for defining excellence in the quality of promotional materials and setting the standards for the exhibitions and events industry. The competition awards those who show quality in the development of promotions for their exhibitions and events.


From the first-place entries, judges choose the top submission for the Best of Show recognition. This entry reflects the very best of the annual Art of the Show competition, which is sponsored by Visit Orlando and the Orange County Convention Center. In 2010, Marketing Design Group won Best of Show for its entry in the Email Promotion, Over 150,000 net square feet (nsf) category.

“Marketing Design Group has been entering the Art of the Show competition almost since it began. It’s a good investment,” said Denise Paccione, president of Marketing Design Group. “MDG garners recognition for the effective creative campaigns we produce for our clients’ events and benefits from the comprehensive industry exposure only IAEE can provide. Our clients enjoy the exposure as well, and benefit by publicizing the awards to their exhibitors as proof of the efficacy of their event’s attendee marketing. It also grants them bragging rights within their own organizations and within the industries they serve. The added exposure IAEE provides to Best of Show winners is especially beneficial.”

One of the broadest categories of the competition is Industry Promotion, in which most anyone can participate. The category consists of an advertisement or campaign used by an organization to promote the exhibitions and events industry as a whole. The ad campaign must have appeared in an industry trade publication, onsite guide, website, signage or other marketing collateral for an exhibition or event.

For promotional entries, judges will consider whether the message and creativity are impressionable on the target audience, and if the materials are effective in creating a brand association with the exhibition or event. The objective provided by the company entering the piece(s) is also examined, and an independent panel of judges will determine if the goal for the promotion was met by the entry. The judges will give honors to those entries that are inventive and promote the exhibition or event vividly and successfully.

Judges will consider category-specific measures including creativity, clarity of message, design, layout, copy, creation of brand association and overall presentation. For the Web category entries, ease of navigation and user-friendliness will also be considered.

Exhibition and event promotional materials produced between April 1, 2010 and March 31, 2011 are eligible for entry. Entries must be received by Friday, July 15, 2011. First place winners will be displayed at Expo! Expo!, IAEE’s Annual Meeting & Exhibition 2011 in Las Vegas, Nev. to be held December 6-8, 2011. The entry form and other information on the competition and its categories can be found at www.iaee.com/aos.

The competition includes 14 categories of contest for three show sizes: less than 50,000 nsf, 50,000-150,000 nsf and over 150,000 nsf. One first place winner and one honorable mention will be selected for each category.

The categories are:

Attendance Promotion Brochure (single piece)
Attendance Promotion Campaign (multiple pieces)
Brand Design/Development
Convention/Exhibition Center Promotion
E-mail Promotion
Exhibit Sales Brochure/Prospectus (single piece)
Industry Promotion
Most Innovative Use of Technology
Print Advertising (single piece)
Show Daily
Show Photography (single piece)
Show Promotion – website
Signage/Decoration
Sponsorship Development Program