IDEA Categories

Best Catered Event

The best catered event category honors culinary excellence in catering: either on or off-premise. Eligible entrants include caterers, specialty bakeries, restaurants, facility operators, hotels, or any other entity that provides food and beverage to an event.

Best Culinary Innovation

The best culinary innovation is awarded to ILEA members who provided a unique culinary technique, product or presentation for an event

Best Event Filmmaking

This category honors excellence in event videography. Eligible entrants are videographers or producers (video and/or photography companies) who produced a video(s) for an event or business-related purpose(s).

Best Event Photography

This category honors excellence in event photography. Eligible entrants are photographers or producers (photography and/or video companies) who produced photograph(s) for an event or business-related purpose(s).

Best Digital Marketing/Design Collateral

The best digital marketing/design collateral category honors excellence in the creation and execution of online/web marketing and design collateral for an event. Eligible entrants include producers and designers of event marketing collateral. Eligible collateral includes advertisements, social media campaigns, websites, e-invitations, media lounges etc.

Best Print Marketing/Design Collateral

The best print marketing/design collateral category honors excellence in the creation and execution of marketing and design materials for an event. Eligible entrants include producers and designers of event marketing collateral. Eligible collateral includes advertising, promotional pieces, invitations, event signage, etc.

Best Industry Contribution

The best industry contribution category honors an event professional whose event, service, or product impacted the growth and prestige of the live events industry. The contribution may be an article, a speech, a product, a book, a program or an event. This is not a lifetime achievement award. (Note: this is the only category where names and companies/logos are permitted.)

Best Industry Innovation

The best industry innovation category honors an event professional that created a new, different, or innovative product, concept, trend, or service. The innovation must have been introduced, redesigned or developed in 2019.

Best Event Logistics and Support Services

This category honors excellence in logistics and event support services. Eligible entrants include but are not limited to tenting, transportation, crowd control, risk management, and/or other specialty services.

Best Event Solution

The best event solution honors an event professional that has met and overcome significant or unique event challenges such as unusual or difficult client demands, locations, logistics and/or time frames in the planning, production or execution of an event. Limited budgets do not qualify as an award worthy challenge. This category must refer to an event and not a product.

Best Technical Production

This category honors excellence in special event technical, design or execution services. Eligible items include but are not limited to lighting, audio visual, multi-media, staging and special effects.

Best Event Design/Décor

The best event design/décor categories recognize excellence in event design. The event design/décor categories are open to any event professional whose products or services contribute to the look and feel of an event. Design/décor products or services include, but are not limited to theme décor, floral/plant design, props, scenery, display design, draping, furniture, linens, rentals, lighting, etc.

Best Entertainment Production

The best entertainment production categories honor excellence in entertainment production for an event. Eligible entrants include entertainment producers, choreographers, event professionals or event entertainment performers.

Best Corporate Event
The best corporate event categories honor excellence in the planning and execution of a corporate event. Events entered in corporate categories may not be cross entered in social, non-profit or wedding categories. Eligible entrants include corporate event planning professionals, facility or venue managers, producers and managers of events, destination management companies or other entities that provide planning services for corporations.

Events in this category may include, but are not limited to, general session opener, award ceremonies, company celebrations, employee or client appreciation celebrations, etc.

Best Event for a Non-Profit Organization
The best event for a non-profit organization categories are open to event professionals and other entities that provide not for profit event and development planning services. Events in this category may include but are not limited to, fundraisers, association and donor events. Events entered in this category may not be cross entered in corporate, social or wedding categories.

Best Event with a Legacy
The best event with a legacy category honors events that create long-term value for a community or cause. This event must occur annually or bi-annually and have a history of more than five years. Events may include but are not limited to benefits, charitable fundraising events, and/or ceremonies. Note this category is only for events. Events not eligible include dedications, groundbreakings, and ribbon cuttings.

Best Social Event (non-wedding)
These categories recognize excellence in planning private occasions. Eligible entrants include consultants, event professionals, facility or venue managers, or other entities that provide social event experiences. Events in this category include but are not limited to bar/bat mitzvahs, personal celebrations, milestone birthdays, etc.

Note: weddings are not eligible in this category; see best wedding category. Events entered in social categories may not be cross entered in corporate, non-profit or wedding categories.

Best Public Event
This category honors excellence in planning and implementing public events. Eligible entrants include public event planning professionals or other entities that provide these types of public event services. Events in this category may include but are not limited to street fairs, festivals, tradeshows, concerts, sporting events.

Best Wedding
This category recognizes excellence in wedding planning services. Eligible entrants include wedding planning professionals, consultants, event professionals, facility or venue managers, or other entities that provide wedding planning services. Events in this category are limited to weddings only.

Note: Events entered in wedding categories may not be cross entered in corporate, non-profit or social categories.

Best Meeting/Conference Program
This category honors excellence in meeting/conference programs. Eligible entrants include meeting and conference planning professionals, destination management companies or other entities that provide these types of meeting/conference services for single or multi-day programs.

**The entry should include both a meeting and special event component.

Best ILEA Event Volunteer Collaboration
This category recognizes a team of ILEA event volunteers who collaborated together to produce and manage a member, chapter, regional, or international ILEA event. This category is for ILEA events only! A minimum of two ILEA members are needed to qualify for this category. Only one online entry is allowed for each event. A team leader must be chosen and is responsible for the team’s entry. A designated team leader should collect team member responses and submit the entry.

Best ILEA Team Effort
These categories honor a team of ILEA event professionals who successfully worked together to produce a non-ILEA event in 2019. All ILEA related events must be entered into the Best ILEA Event Volunteer Collaboration category. A minimum of three or more ILEA members are needed to qualify for this category. Only one online entry is allowed for each event. A team leader must be chosen and is responsible for the team’s entry. A designated team leader should collect team member responses and submit the entry.