"If necessity is the mother of invention, urgency is the uncle of change." — Nell Scovell

Even though these words from television writer and producer Nell Scovell ring true for most people, they're practically the daily mantra of exhibit and event managers. Today's faster-is-better mindset means they need to formulate and execute their plans in record-breaking time – a gauntlet that separates the mere marketing "doers" from the achievers.

This was certainly the case in the 2019 iteration of EXHIBITOR Magazine's All-Star Awards. The winners of the 21st annual competition each faced both a need to change and an urgency to do so. Even so, every one of them employed creative concepts, strategic visions, and nose-to-the-grindstone hard work to solve their problems.

Take Marcia Deem, CTSM, marketing events manager at Perq LLC. Deem was tasked with launching an existing product to a new market and aiding the sales team in reaching a $3 million sales goal within 12 months. She devised a three-part event strategy that lured in the industry's whales, earned their trust, and prompted them to sing Perq's praises to the masses. In the end, her four-month push produced more than $400,000 in revenue and an average return of $7 for every dollar spent.

So please join us in congratulating our five newly crowned All-Star Awards winners. Their success proves that while the best solutions are sometimes born of urgency and chaos, they're often best solved via stellar strategies and imaginative ideas.

WINNERS Tracy Collins Huber Engineered Woods Kelly Briley Cisco Systems Inc. Rachelle Thibert Deere & Co. Marcia Deem Perq LLC Kassidy Gala Carpenter World Fuel Services Corp.   JUDGES Katharine Chestnut CTSM, co-founder and chief community officer, Alkaloid Networks, Atlanta Chris Laroy senior manager, industry events and trade shows, Cox Automotive Inc., Atlanta Steven Marchese, CTSM, manager, corporate events, Fujifilm Medical Systems USA Inc., Stamford, CT Susan Shuttleworth, exhibit-marketing consultant, McKinney, TX Melanie Swanson, CTSM, CMP, senior event specialist, Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., Waltham, MA Dana Tilghman, CTSM, CMP, senior trade show and events planner, Minitab Inc., State College, PA