AUSTRALASIA – The Exhibition and Events Association of Australasia (EEAA) celebrated its 20th anniversary along with its 2012 EEAA Awards for Excellence at the National Gallery of Victoria on 4 December.
Hosted by comedian Tom Gleeson, the EEAA Awards recognise outstanding merit and leadership within the industry and provide an opportunity for members to showcase their finest work and people. Judged by a panel of independent industry experts, the awards were open to venues, suppliers and organisers.
EEAA President Matthew Pearce presented the Trevor Riddell President’s Award to Ton van Amerongen, CEO of the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre (SCEC), in recognition of his contribution to the exhibition industry, including 18 years at the helm of the Centre.
“Tom has brought great professionalism, passion and style to all aspects of business partnerships in the exhibition and event sector,” said Pearce. “Under Ton’s stewardship, the centre has hosted grand events that will be part of the city and nation’s event history.”
The EEAA Awards also included the Young Achiever Award, which was awarded to Jessica Calder. Calder successfully managed over 30 events in the qualifying period, including the Australian Fitness and Health Expo, Grand Designs Live and Cloudforce events, and led the review of the Centre’s total Event Management process.
2012 Winners included:
- Best Trade Show over 10,000sqm (sponsored by FABframe) – Australian Fitness and Health Expo
- Best Supplier Team – ExpoNet – Good Food and Wine team
- Best Venue Team – Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre team
- Best New Product or Service – TrackerApp – Info Salons
- Best Green Initiative – Transformation Project by Reed Exhibitions Australia
- Best Safety Initiative – Traffic Management System – Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre
“There was high calibre competition across all categories, with entries up eight per cent this year as members realise the commercial benefits that flow to both winners and finalists from attaining this distinction,” said EEAA GM, Joyce DiMascio.
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