ABPCO’s flagship event, the Excellence Awards 2024, took
place at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool on Thursday 12 and Friday 13 December.
The two-day programme brought together more than 140
members of the Association of British Professional Conference Organisers (ABPCO), industry partners and sponsors to recognise and celebrate excellence,
best practice, and dedication in the delivery of events in the Association, not-for-profit
and charity sectors.
“This year felt like the best ABPCO Excellence Awards ever
with a 57 per cent increase in entries,” said ABPCO director, Heather Lishman. “The
quality of which hit new heights and an uptick of more than 20 per cent in
attendance. There really was an amazing vibe as everyone connected and
networked throughout the event, and there was much excitement as short listers
and their supporters came together to find out who had won a coveted award.
“Huge thanks to Meet Blackpool, as the destination sponsor
for the event - and of course the iconic Blackpool Winter Gardens – the scene
of much celebration. We also extend our thanks to our wonderful lead sponsor -
the Royal Armouries in Leeds – and to our additional event sponsors including
MICE Concierge, Harrogate Convention Centre and First Sight Media.
“We have all been genuinely excited about this year’s
Excellence Awards. With the pandemic behind us, everyone has been in full flow,
and there have been some exciting, high quality event solutions and creative
ideas and developments delivered in our sector. So, it was a real pleasure to
recognise such outstanding achievements, AND to bring our wonderful, vibrant,
friendly community, together to connect with each other and celebrate what has
been, a really fantastic year.”
The ABPCO excellence awards – 2024 roll of honour
- GES for winning the Industry Supplier of the Year award -
sponsored by Soaring Worldwide.
- Northern Ireland Investment Summit, delivered by Event-ful
on behalf of DBT, Invest NI and Northern Ireland Office for winning the Best
Event by an Agency PCO award - sponsored by Full Circle Exhibitions and Events.
- RenewableUK for winning the Best Association Events Team
award - sponsored by Olympia Events.
- Chartered Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys for winning the
Best Member Engagement award - sponsored by Memcom.
- EICC’s Exchange Initiative – Bridging the gap between
academia and the meeting industry, for winning the Best Partnership award – sponsored
by International Confex.
- First Sight Media for NHS Confed Expo 2024 for winning the
Best Digital & Technology Provider award - sponsored by Conference News.
- ISHA Annual Scientific Meeting 2023 for winning the Best
International Conference award sponsored
by Boardroom Magazine.
- Arryann Duncan for winning the Student of the Year award - sponsored
by ACC Liverpool.
- Kaylie Hodges, NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union, for winning the
Rising Star award – sponsored by Abstract Events.
- Emma Robson, Alzheimer’s Research for winning the Guiding
Star award – sponsored by Excel London.
- NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union for winning the Best EDI at a
Conference award.
- RenewableUK for winning the Best Sustainable Conference
award – sponsored by P&J Live, Aberdeen.
- Alzheimer’s Society Annual Conference 2024 for winning the
Best Event by an In-house PCO award sponsored by Barbican.
- ISHA Annual Scientific Meeting 2023 for winning the Legacy
and Impact award – sponsored by Manchester Central.
- Danielle Bounds for winning the Outstanding Contribution
award – sponsored by Mice Concierge Ltd.
