Exhibitor and Organiser Awards
Decorex wins big at recent AAXO ROAR and EXSA-llence Exhibitor and Organiser Awards
Decorex SA once again went home with top accolades at the annual ROAR Organiser and Exhibitor Awards – hosted by the Association of African Exhibition Organisers (AAXO) at a Gatsby-themed ceremony held on 31 January.
For the second time in three years, Decorex Durban won the Best Trade and Consumer Exhibition 6001 – 12000 sqm award. This is the third year in a row that Decorex SA has walked away with the Best Trade and Consumer Exhibition title with Decorex Durban taking the award in 2016 and Decorex Cape Town in 2017.
“We are once again so honoured to take home this incredible award,” said Sian Cullingworth, Portfolio Director at Reed Exhibitions. “There is a lot of work that goes into every exhibition, and so many key stakeholders involved in its success, we are truly proud of the collaborative effort that has resulted in this award. I’d like to congratulate all the other award recipients who continue to elevate the standard for local exhibitions.”
Reed Exhibitions, event organisers behind Decorex SA, took home a number of big wins including Fire & Feast in the 6000m2 under Trade & Consumer category, Comic Con in the Social Media category and WTM for the 6001 -12 000m2 Trade & Consumer category. SmartBuild – a new division of Reed Exhibitions – was the highest scoring entry across all the entries received for 2018, taking home the EXSA-llence Best Stand Award for Caesarstone in the External Design Stand in the less than 100m2 category.
“Taking overall honours is a massive step in the right direction for SmartBuild,” said Ross Cullingworth, Project Director for SmartBuild. “There were no fewer than 107 stand entries for this years’ awards and to score higher than any other submission is something special. It will no doubt prove to be a huge boost to the platform going forward into 2019. Obviously, this was never going to be a solo effort so I would just like to thank everyone involved behind the scenes on SmartBuild, including the sales’ teams for pushing their clients my way. Long may it continue!”
According to AAXO chairman, Leatitia van Straten, the organisation and the ROAR Awards were created “to bring quality, credibility, transparency and professionalism to the exhibition industry”. Recipients of these awards are held in high esteem by industry peers as they recognise a truly elevated level of professionalism in a variety of categories.
The ROAR Awards – hosted under the umbrella of the Exhibitions Industry Alliance (EIA), in conjunction with EXSA – continue to attract a high volume of entries year-on-year, with the quality of entries increasing alongside the quantity.
All categories were judged on a range of pre-set criteria including successful exhibition strategy incorporating marketing, activation, stand construction and return on investment with public relations assessed for the Organiser Awards. The task of judging was assigned to two teams of prominent industry leaders.
AAXO ROAR AWARDS 2018
• Best Trade Exhibition 6001m2 – 12 000m2, WTM Africa, Reed Exhibitions.
• Best Trade & Consumer Exhibition 6001m2 – 12 000m2, Decorex SA Durban, Reed Exhibitions.
• Best Trade & Consumer Exhibition under 6000m2, Fire & Feast Meat Festival, Reed Exhibitions.
• Social Media, Comic Con Africa, Reed Exhibitions.
The 2018 AAXO ROAR Awards adds to Decorex SA’s long list of awards, including:
• 2017 Best Trade & Consumer 6001 – 12000m2 Award for Decorex Cape Town
• 2017 Best Trade & Consumer 6001m2 & Under Award for 100% Design
• 2017 Social Media Award for 100% Design (joint winner)
• 2016 Exhibition of the Year Award for Decorex Joburg
• 2016 Best Trade and Consumer Exhibition 6001 – 12000m2 for Decorex Durban
• 2016 Best Trade and Consumer Exhibition under 6000m2 for 100% Design South Africa