How To Enter
Step 1: Submission Instructions
Download the detailed, printable
Submission Instructions, which explain the following requirements and submission process.
Step 2: Form/Fee
Fill out the
online entry form and remit payment via credit card. (See the
Submission Instructions for details on the 50% discount.)
Step 3: Summary
Provide project information via a written summary as detailed in the
Submission Instructions and submit materials via
Dropbox.com.
Step 4: Art/Visuals
Submit overall and detail images of the project in two different formats via
Dropbox and share with
[email protected].
Why Enter?
The Corporate Event Awards offer winners more than just trophies; they also provide a high-profile platform to showcase your strategic and creative brilliance.
- Global Recognition: Winners are featured in the August/September issue of EXHIBITOR magazine, reaching an international audience both in print and online.
- Double Opportunities: Beyond the awards, all entries are considered for magazine features, columns, and portfolios unrelated to the competition.
- Client Confidence: Entering on behalf of a client demonstrates a deep commitment to their success and proves you believe their project is world-class.
- Tangible Prestige: Celebrate your victory with stunning custom trophies and official winner "bugs" (digital badges) to supercharge your own marketing and promotional efforts.
- Maximized Investment: With 22 categories across two specialized tracks, you can enter multiple categories to increase your chances of winning and potentially take advantage of our 50% discount.
- Impactful Advertising: If you're an agency or experiential marketing firm, your clients are our audience. Winning an award drives their eyes to your work - and your contact info.
Stay Informed
You don’t need to flood your inbox with unnecessary info.
Choose exactly which awards updates you’d like to receive.
Questions?
Contact Linda Armstrong,
[email protected]
Program Overview
Secure your place in the spotlight and earn international prestige with a feature in the globally recognized EXHIBITOR magazine.
Whether you’re highlighting your own efforts or a client's success, winning puts your work in front of a massive, worldwide audience of marketing and design professionals. Earn accolades and validation from industry leaders and join the ranks of the world's most iconic brands.
Eligibility
Corporate events launched between Dec. 1, 2024, and Dec. 1, 2026, are eligible. A corporate event is defined
as a marketing event where the target audience comprises external customers (businesses, partners, or consumers) or members of the media.
The following events are ineligible: trade show exhibits, public trade shows, and internal events (e.g., sales-incentive programs, company parties, and employee recognition programs).
Categories
The following 22 categories are divided into the following two purpose- and criteria-driven groups:
- Strategic Impact (recognizing outstanding event results and strategic marketing)
- Design and Innovation (honoring creative, forward-thinking event designs and activations)
Projects may be entered in multiple categories, but each submission requires an additional fee.
Strategic Impact (Results-Driven)
Organized around event types, these categories recognize outstanding event results and strategic marketing initiatives.
Entries are judged primarily on their overall strategy and measurable results, with creativity and innovation assessed as secondary criteria.
- C-level/VIP Event. An event that targets executive customers or partners.
- Customer-Appreciation Event. An event intended to build or foster relationships with customers or partners.
- Customer Conference/Event. Any eligible marketing event held for traditional purposes, such as to generate awareness, affinity, sales, loyalty, etc. among customers and/or prospects.
- Dealer/Distributor Event. An educational, recognition, or training event for external dealers, distributors, or franchisees.
- Media Event. An event at which members of the media are the primary guests and the objective is to generate media coverage for a company and/or its products.
- Nontraditional Event. An event for customers, partners, consumers, or the media that doesn't fit other categories (e.g., virtual or hybrid events).
- NEW Pop-Up Experience/Marketing Stunt. A temporary (perhaps unexpected) installation designed to engage customers, create awareness, and/or promote a brand via a memorable experience. (Compared to a corporate event, it’s usually shorter, more experiential, and less sales driven.)
- Private Trade Show. An eligible event that includes a trade show floor.
- Road Show/Multivenue Event. An event presented in multiple locations. The event may or may not be based on a vehicle platform, such as a tractor-trailer.
- NEW Sponsored Experiences and Event Activations. A marketing-focused activity or sponsorship taking place within an unrelated event, such as professional sporting or entertainment events, SXSW experiences, fan zone activations, etc.).
- User Conference. An educational event hosted by a corporation.
Design and Innovation (Creativity-Driven)
These categories honor creative, forward-thinking event designs and concepts. Entries are judged primarily on
their design quality, creativity, innovation, and visual impact. Entries must be executed within events that meet the aforementioned eligibility criteria.
If your event is entered in a Strategic Impact category (above), all entries in this category group are discounted 50%.
- A-to-Z Design. Innovative and forward-thinking design across the entire event.
- Immersive Environment. Use of lighting, sound, and décor within the entire event or a portion of the event to transport attendees into the brand’s world.
- Interactive Attendee Experience. Innovative interactive tactic(s) or event activation(s) meant to actively engage attendees.
- Mobile Vehicle. Inventive interior and exterior designs for mobile marketing vehicles (e.g., buses, tractor-trailers, trucks, etc.).
- Nontraditional Element. An event element that doesn’t fit well within other design categories.
- Scenic, Stage, or Set Design. Impactful and innovative design for stages, sets, scenic backdrops, etc.
- Sustainable Design. Creative design approaches to sustainability, including eco-friendly materials/logistics, waste reduction, etc.
- Theme. A unique and creative event theme that enhances the attendee experience and deeply impacts the event design.
- Venue Transformation. Exceptional creativity in transforming a space to align with the event's goals or theme.
- Use of Technology. Effective and innovative integration of technologies (e.g., AR/VR, projection mapping, mobile apps, custom-built hardware/software) to enrich the event.
- User Experience (UX). Innovative and effective consideration for the way attendees navigate an event. Everything from the registration area and wayfinding design to networking hubs and end-of-event activities reduce friction and maximize human connection.
NOTE: Pending judges' scores, winners may not be selected in all categories. EXHIBITOR reserves the right to disband the awards program if the quantity of entries affects the viability and integrity of the program. In this case, applicable entry fees will be refunded.
The Judges
The competition will be judged by the following panel of marketing and design experts.
Click on a photo to view each judge's bio.
Jeff Bartel
executive art director, co-founder, Nemo Design, Portland, OR
As executive art director of Nemo Design, Jeff Bartel leads a rebel alliance of creatives and strategists who believe the force that connects communities is even stronger when design is used to make things look better and work better. A byproduct of Salem, OR, Bartel was a bowling prodigy in search of a higher calling. He made the leap from alley to the art department of Morrow Snowboards back when MC Hammer ruled the airwaves. Crafting hundreds of best-selling board graphics via rubylith, illustration, Exacto blades, and imagination, he was part of a pioneering movement to push the frontier of design in action sports. Holding authenticity as the highest value, Bartel didn’t put limits on his creativity — turning his visual communication skills to editorial design, video and photography, packaging, retail, events, and experiences.
Bartel co-founded Nemo in 1999, where he continues to champion design, authenticity, and collaborative culture. Named one of the top independent agencies in North America and ranking No. 7 on Outside Magazine’s Best Places to Work, Nemo is the go-to design firm for the world’s best active, lifestyle, and culturally relevant brands including Nike, MasterCraft, Mammoth Mountain, Hot Wheels, and more.
Jenny Ewing
freelance strategist and event producer, Anaheim, CA
Jenny Ewing brings a deep range of event production and strategic acumen, built with more than 25 years of event and marketing experience on domestic and international projects.
Her innate curiosity and love of learning has helped her to build an accomplished project history, including showroom design, large-scale trade show management, immersive environments, corporate meetings, multiday launch events, touring programs, and strategic rebranding. A career highlight is her role as lead event producer for the pre-opening and grand opening events for Hong Kong Disneyland.
As a strategic consultant, Ewing has a passion to create genuine, enjoyable connections that exceed the client’s goals. Working in multiple industries, including automotive, pharmaceutical, energy, and consumer products, she has won several in-house corporate awards, as well as ASID recognition for trade show design.
Chetan Fernandes
executive producer and project director, Paris
Chetan Fernandes is an award-winning creative leader and communications strategist with more than 25 years of experience across EMEA and APAC markets. He thrives on building integrated communications projects that transcend screens, pages, and devices, and that touch real people in real life while delivering real results. He is inspired by passionate critical thinking, popular culture, and cinema. His calling is to create work that is informed by and in synch with the pulse of culture, creativity, commerce, and communication.
Fernandes’ professional journey has seen him work with agencies from San Francisco to Paris to Bombay and with clients from verticals as diverse as aviation, automotive, CPG, defense, government, and tech.
Chris Fredericksen
co-founder and chief creative officer, C1PH3R, a Creative Services Consultancy, Los Angeles
As co-founder and chief creative officer at C1PH3R, Chris Fredericksen leads a world-class ensemble of talented creative visionaries, strategists, and designers that bring show-stopping brand experiences, events, and environments to life for some of the world’s top brands. Prior to his current role, Fredericksen held executive creative leadership positions on both the agency and client sides of the industry, as he worked for brands such as Pinnacle, Derse, AMCI, George P. Johnson, and Westfield.
With a background that spans architecture and interactive digital media, Frederickson is an award-winning creative leader that lives at the intersection of environmental and experiential design. In his 15+ action-packed years of diverse and far-reaching experience, he’s designed everything from theme parks and high-end retail destinations to international auto shows and resort cities. His wide spectrum of expertise has afforded him coveted opportunities to develop engaging creative solutions for global brands including Epic Games, Dell, Alienware, PlayStation, Walmart, Toyota, Lexus, Porsche, Mazda, Hyundai, Audi, BMW, Disney, Paramount Pictures, Canon, Microsoft, American Express, Kaiser Permanente, Samsung, Harley-Davidson, Sony, Toshiba, ZTE, Capital One, and more.
Fredericksen holds a Master of Design degree from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design with joint credit granted from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He also holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Woodbury University.
Josh Frisbie
vice president of creative, Hamilton, Indianapolis, IN, USA
For more than 20 years, Josh Frisbie has led Hamilton’s award-winning multidisciplinary creative team, focusing on magnifying customer brands through unique immersive experiences. Frisbie oversees Hamilton’s in-house creative experiential studio, StudioH. Under his leadership, StudioH develops campaigns and experiences designed to evoke emotional connectivity with audiences, driving exceptional outcomes.
Frisbie maintains a deliberate emphasis on desired customer outcomes and understands how innovative design can support achieving those outcomes. He challenges his creative team and Hamilton’s customers to go the extra mile and stand out with innovative strategy and design, ensuring that Hamilton remains a leader in delivering memorable solutions.
Christian Herbstreuth
freelance art director, Stuttgart, Germany
Christian Herbstreuth has been working as an independent art director and freelancer since 2012. Prior to this time, he spent many years at various agencies as a museum and exhibition designer, print and online designer, and provider of artworks.
Today, as a freelancer for agencies, he implements, among other things, large trade fair projects, showrooms, and live events for international customers. His focus is on design and final artwork as well as motion design for live events.
Steve Kelly
creative director, Larym Design, Las Vegas
Steve Kelly is the creative director at Larym Design, a Las Vegas-based creative agency, with more than 30 years of experience in brand identity, visual communications, campaign artwork, and live-event design. His work spans hospitality, entertainment, sport, charity, lifestyle, and corporate sectors, with a strong focus on typography, art direction, and visual storytelling.
Kelly has developed creative for a wide range of branded experiences, including event campaigns, sponsorship presentations, promotional design, digital assets, and venue-led marketing. His approach combines strategic thinking with a highly visual, design-led sensibility, shaped by a long-standing interest in film, composition, print culture, and contemporary brand expression.
Kimberly Kee
event marketing leader, independent, Denver
Kimberly Kee is a seasoned event marketing leader with more than 30 years of experience turning booths, ballrooms, and breakouts into powerful brand moments. She’s led programs for tech-forward brands like MCI WorldCom, Hughes, Jeppesen, Arrow Electronics, TeamViewer, and RealPage. Kee still gets jazzed about a well-crafted floorplan and a clever event theme, and when she’s not orchestrating unforgettable experiences, you’ll find her nerding out over event ROI (spreadsheets are life) or mentoring the next generation of event professionals.
Michela Moretti
creative engineer, Bloom, Bergeijk, Netherlands
Michela Moretti is an industrial designer and design engineer specializing in the development of experiential and spatial environments. With a background in large-scale projects such as cruise ship experience areas and design exhibitions, she brings a strong understanding of how people interact with space and form. Her work focuses on transforming creative concepts into tangible, buildable solutions that balance aesthetics, functionality, and feasibility.
Driven by a passion for physical interaction and visual perception, Moretti bridges the gap between design intent and technical realization: from detailed engineering to supplier coordination and on-site execution. Her experience includes contributions to The Harbour for MSC Cruises and Sekisui Beyond at Milan Design Week 2025. Combining technical precision with a sensitivity to human experience, she approaches retail and exhibition design as opportunities to craft environments that engage, guide, and inspire.
Bethany Murphy
senior director, global strategic events, SentinelOne Inc., Cambridge, MA
Bethany Murphy is a seasoned events professional with more than 20 years of experience in the technology sector. As senior director, global strategic events at SentinelOne Inc., she leads a team responsible for the strategic planning and execution of proprietary and tier 1 industry events (e.g., RSA, BlackHat), ensuring alignment with organizational goals and delivering exceptional attendee experiences.
Prior to SentinelOne, Murphy served as head of events at 6sense, where she led a team focused on creating impactful experiences while maximizing ROI and pipeline growth. She also held the role of director of global events at Drift and has led global event initiatives for brands such as Akamai Technologies, LogMeIn, and Forrester Research.
Known for her strategic vision and meticulous attention to detail, Murphy consistently drives successful event management practices that contribute to organizational growth and success.
Dana Tilghman
CMM, CMP, CTSM Diamond, manager of global events, Minitab LLC, State College PA
Dana L. Tilghman has 30 years of experience in the trade show and events industry. Throughout her professional journey, she has remained dedicated to the technology sector, building extensive experience in event strategy, planning, and execution.
Tilghman currently serves as manager of global events for Minitab LLC, a data analytics company headquartered in State College, PA. In this role, she oversees the planning and execution of global event programs that support the company's business objectives, customer engagement, and brand presence.
Over the course of her career, Tilghman has earned several respected industry credentials, including the Certified Trade Show Marketer (CTSM) Diamond designation, Certified Meeting Professional (CMP), and Certification in Meeting Management (CMM). These certifications reflect her ongoing commitment to professional development and delivering meaningful event experiences.
Tilghman enjoys creating opportunities to bring people together through events that foster connection, collaboration, and learning. Drawing on decades of experience, she is passionate about designing engaging experiences that help attendees build relationships, share ideas, and achieve meaningful outcomes.
Drue Townsend
marketing consultant, An Outside View Consulting, Frisco, TX
Drue Townsend has more than 30 years of experience as a branding, marketing, advertising, and public relations professional working across many industries and business structures.
With an extensive business-to-business background, she has held positions with increasing responsibility at both ad agencies and corporations. Her longest serving role was at Fastsigns International (1995 – 2019), with most of those years spent serving on the executive team as the senior vice president of marketing, while developing marketing strategies and leading the team that executed branding and marketing initiatives for the Fastsigns franchise system across all channels.
Since March of 2020, Townsend has been providing consulting services and project management to a variety of clients through her company, An Outside View Consulting, as well as honing her painting and fiction writing skills. A native Texan, Townsend holds a BBA in Marketing from Texas A&M University.
Kristin Veach
integrated event marketer, Trio Creative Communications LLC, Chicago
From digital strategies to live events (and everything in between), Kristin Veach is an accomplished marketer with more than 15 years of agency and brand-side experience. Throughout her career, she has led the strategy, development, implementation, and measurement of innovative event-marketing and lead-generation programs, with proven success in building awareness, driving leads, closing sales, and achieving goals. In 2021, Veach was named a Smart Women in Meetings: Industry Leader. A gifted writer and editor, she has also authored a plethora of event industry eBooks, white papers, and blogs for leading publications, including MarketingProfs.com and TSNN.
Before starting her own experiential marketing consulting company, she served as chief communications and growth strategist for an award-winning experiential marketing agency. Responsibilities included building brand awareness for the agency and consulting on client account teams to develop strategies and tactics for marketing programs. She earned her Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Notre Dame.
Johnice Veals
HMCC, associate director, events and international communications, Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc., Boston
Johnice Veals, HMCC, is an accomplished events and internal communications leader with a passion for creating experiences that inspire authentic connections, build community, and bring organizational moments to life. As associate director, events and international communications at Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc., a Fortune 500 global biotechnology company, she develops strategic events and employee engagement initiatives that enhance culture, elevate the employee experience, and transform key milestones into meaningful, memorable moments.
Before joining Vertex, Veals served as events producer at Life is Good Playmakers, where she led fundraising and brand visibility experiences that brought together joy, community, storytelling, and purpose in support of the organization’s optimistic mission.
Her work has earned industry-wide recognition, including being named an MPI 50 Up and Comer, a 2024 Smart Women in Meetings honoree, a Black in Events Network Top 100 honoree, and a National Coalition of Black Meeting Professionals 2026 Trailblazer. She currently serves as 2026 president of the MPI New England Chapter, helping shape what excellence looks like across the events industry.
Erika Welling
CEM, DES, chief experience officer and founder, Blendz Events, Las Vegas
Erika Welling is the founder and chief experience officer of Blendz Events, which creates innovative and memorable exhibition and event experiences around the globe. Clients include brands such as the San Diego Wine & Food Festival, Universal Whisky Experience, ConvExx (SHOT Show), National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), Gabriel & Co, and NABD.
Welling has more than 25 years of experience in the hospitality industry and has been on launch teams for exhibitions, events, attractions, and tours. Her various roles include senior-level operations and marketing positions for international general service contractors in the exhibitions and events industry and a prominent destination management company (DMC), and she’s held various international roles with themed restaurants and attractions. What’s more, she invariably incorporates her education learned from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh within her profession.
An 18-year veteran of the board of the Las Vegas Hospitality Association (LVHA), she is a founding member, treasurer, and trustee for the Las Vegas Hospitality Association Foundation (LVHAF). In addition, she’s a founding member of the international Exhibition Think Tank (ETT), a past chair of membership engagement for the International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE), a past commission member of IAEE’s Certified Event Management (CEM) accreditation program, and more.
Criteria
Each group of categories is judged using different criteria.
- Strategic Impact — Entries are judged primarily on their overall strategy and measurable results, with creativity and innovation assessed as secondary criteria. Entries must provide measurable, numeric objectives and corresponding measurable, numeric results such as leads gathered, sales made as a direct result of the event, media coverage, or return on investment.
- Design and Innovation — Entries are judged primarily on their design quality, creativity, innovation, and visual impact. Judges consider whether designs or concepts are new and inspiring, audience-appropriate, memorable, aesthetically pleasing, etc.
Recognition
Multiple awards and honorable mentions are offered across both category groups, along with one Impact and Innovation Award, the competition's top honor. Pending judges' scores, winners may not be selected in all categories, and multiple winners may be selected within the same category.
Winners will be notified by March 1, 2027. Winners that provide print-quality visuals as described in the
Submission Instructions will be featured in the August/September issue of EXHIBITOR magazine. Entries also are considered for magazine features and columns unrelated to the competition.
