Meetings & Events Australia is pleased to announce the winners of the 2020 MEA State & Territory and National Awards at the 2020 MEA Awards Night held at Scene Change Studios.

Reflecting on a particularly challenging year, these Awards recognise the innovation and exceptional work done by organisations and individuals in the events sector throughout 2020. This was the second time that the state and national awards were concurrently presented and the second year the ceremony was broadcast to a virtual audience across Australia.

Peter McDonald, MEA CEO, celebrated all finalists who were up for an award, “I’d like to acknowledge the effort made by anyone who contributed a submission for consideration, to congratulate those who became worthy finalists, and to celebrate those deemed to ultimately be category winners. They’ve been determined to be the best of the best by their peers. They’ve established new benchmarks for the industry to emulate. Well done.”

Chair of Judges, Ian Stuart, commented, “The greatest impact on the business events sector in the past 18 months has of course been COVID.

“The whole industry has faced cancellations, confusion and concern about when it will all end. But, resourceful as ever, our sector has responded creatively and with optimism. We’ve learned how to replace and to complement the traditional face to face experience by including hybrid and virtual alternatives. We’ve worked out how to keep our audiences’ attention, how to engage with them and the event’s stakeholders. There is great evidence of this in the 2020 MEA National Awards.”

Destination NSW, EventsAIR, ICC Sydney, Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, Touchpoint and Ungerboeck partnered with MEA to confer these awards, and we thank them very much. A special thank you to the Scene Change Sydney team who stepped up and answered our call for help when the event was forced virtual. MEA is always grateful to all our sponsors and urges the sector to support those that support it. Without the generous assistance of all these organisations, MEA’s capacity to deliver its programs – including our awards – is very diminished.

Further thanks to our PCO Janette Beedell and the TPM team and our MC, Nigel Collin, for making the event possible.

MEA congratulates all winners of the 2020 MEA National Awards, as well as all State and Territory winners. Kate Smith of WALDRONSMITH Management was awarded the 2020 Outstanding Contribution Award for her contribution and dedication to the sector. Kate has been an enormous support and mentor for the industry, including as immediate past Chair of MEA, all while dealing with the same challenges COVID presented her own business. MEA heartily congratulates Kate on her recognition.

The 2020 Celebration of Excellence publication is available from the MEA website, featuring all winners’ names and their achievement stories.

NATIONAL WINNERS
Excellence in Industry Awards
Destination Marketing Organisation or Bureau – Destination North Coast
Innovation Award – Harry the hirer (NSW & VIC)

Event Products & Services Awards Sponsored by Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre
Audio Visual Services – Novatech Creative Event Technology
Banqueting & Catering – Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre
Event Marketing – Milestone Creative Australia
Event Technology – EventsAIR
Exhibition Services – Harry the hirer
Speakers, Entertainers and Team Builders – SongDivision
Specialist Services and Suppliers – Congress Rental Australia

Event Legacy Award
Event Legacy Award – World of Drones & Robotics Congress 2020, Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre

Event Professional Awards Sponsored by Ungerboeck
Event Manager of the Year – Agency – Alison Jack (Admire Events)
In-House Event Manager of the Year – Association, Corporate or Government – Victoria Dillon (La Trobe University)
MEA Future Leader – Joshua Clark (Formerly ICC Sydney)
Operations Person of the Year – Chantal Trimboli (Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre)
Sales, Marketing or Business Development Person of the Year – Christine Kotsis (Harry the hirer)

Event Management Awards Sponsored by Scene Change
Event Agency – Alive Events Agency
Event Management Team – Association – ASHM Conference & Events
Event Management Team – Corporate – La Trobe University
Professional Conference Organisation – Arinex

Venue Awards
Event Hotel of the Year – Hyatt Regency Sydney
Event Venue – Capacity less than 500 – Fed Square
Event Venue – Capacity more than 1,500 – Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre

Events of the Year Awards Sponsored by Destination New South Wales
Association Event of the Year – The University of Melbourne MD Student Conference 2020, ICMS Australasia
Cause Related Event of the Year – NSW Rotary Emergency Services Community Awards (RESCA), Admire Events
Corporate Event of the Year – GradsFest2020, La Trobe University
Government Event of the Year – Creative Generation – The Show Goes on 2020 TV Broadcast, Department of Education
Major Event or Festival of the Year – New Year’s Eve Featuring Tones & I and Sheppard at Darwin Waterfront, Agentur & Darwin Waterfront Corporation
Regional Event of the Year – ASBAQ 2020 State Conference, ICMS Australasia
Special Event of the Year – Fed Square’s Dining In Turned Inside Out & Sky Castle, Fed Square

Platinum Awards Sponsored by ICC Sydney
Event Company of the Year – Harry the hirer
Event Professional of the Year – Christine Kotsis – Harry the hirer
Event Company of the Year – New Year’s Eve Featuring Tones & I and Sheppard at Darwin Waterfront, Agentur & Darwin Waterfront Corporation

Outstanding Contribution Award
Outstanding Contribution Recipient – Kate Smith – WALDRONSMITH Management