The Association of British Professional Conference Organizers has opened nominations for the fifth ABPCO Excellence Awards. The annual awards are an opportunity to recognize members who have demonstrated excellence and leadership in conference and event organizing within the association sector. The awards ceremony is set to take place at the ABPCO Chairmen’s Lunch on Dec.13 at the Scottish Event Campus in Glasgow, Scotland.
The awards are open to any ABPCO accredited member and all entries are free. The winners are set to be picked by the audience following individual presentations by each finalist. For 2018 the presentation requirements are set to be simpler, opening the field to a wider number of entries from ABPCO’s diverse membership. The categories this year are:
- Best Conference by an In-House Conference Organizer
- Best Conference by an Agency Conference Organizer
- Best Industry Partnership
- Chairman’s Special Award
The 2018 Chairman’s Special Award will be focused on organizations and individuals who can demonstrate that they reflect ABPCOs values of excellence, learning and belonging.
ABPCO staff say that following the success of 2017 awards, which marked ABPCO’s 30th birthday, the association is looking forward to welcoming even more attendees to the celebration this year.
“We had an overwhelming response to our awards and Chairman’s Lunch last year,” says Heather Lishman, association director at ABPCO. “The entries were really strong and the judging was extremely close. We are really looking forward to seeing this year’s entries as they demonstrate the best practice and excellence they have delivered throughout the last year.”
Winners of the award last year were:
- Best Conference by an In-House Conference Organizer: Royal College of Nursing. Macmillan Cancer Support and NCRI were also shortlisted.
- Best Conference by an Agency Conference Organizer: MCI UK. BioScientifica and Hampton Medical were also shortlisted.
- Best Industry Partnership: Visit Belfast. Shocklogic and AECC were also shortlisted.
- Chairmen’s Award: Madalina Marincas from Opening Doors and Venues
Submissions for the awards should be e-mailed to heatherlishman@abpco.org by October 31 for the Chairman’s Special Award and should state the award they are nominating.
ABPCO is the U.K.’s leading organization for professional conference and event organizers, industry associates and those studying for, or seeking a career in, the conference and meetings industry. For more info, visit www.abpco.org.
