Certainly, when you go out on a limb by experimenting with fresh yet untested marketing tactics, both your job and your program are at risk. That's one reason many marketers take the safe route, and as a result, most programs stagnate to one degree or another. However, the 2019 Corporate Event Award winners forged ahead despite the risks – and generated remarkable dividends in the process.

Consider the project for BMW AG. To launch its new concept car to the media, the automaker eschewed traditional venues for a Boeing 777F. Circumnavigating the world in five days with four stopovers on three continents, the aircraft turned the traditional media event on its head. Rather than luring the global press to a stationary event, BMW brought the event to media reps via an unforgettable encounter and ultimately scored almost 42 million social-media impressions.

So please join us in congratulating the 2019 Corporate Event Award winners. Hailed by our panel of judges as "bold," "plucky," and "definitely daring," they prove that sometimes the newest and most experimental ideas are also the most successful – not to mention award-worthy.

THE WINNERS CRUISE CONTROL Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Opal Apples' Fruitful Endeavor FirstFruits Marketing LLC IBM's New Way of Thinking IBM Corp. BMW Takes Off BMW AG A Giving Legend Charity Global Inc. 2019 JUDGES Stephanie Arone, president and general manager, Activity Planners Inc., Las Vegas Marc Crosier, trade show manager, Heidelberg Engineering Inc., Franklin, MA Scott Cullather, CEO, Invnt, New York Marcia Deem, CTSM, events marketing manager, Relias Inc., Cary, NC Michelle Hernandez, global event strategist, Cisco Systems Inc., San Jose, CA Rob Stout, vice president of production, Encore Event Technologies, Las Vegas Victor Torregroza, brand experiences program manager, global event marketing, Intel Corp., Santa Clara, CA