EXHIBITOR Magazine's 2012 Corporate Event Awards

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n life and in event management, it pays to go "all in" once in a while. Granted, most marketers opt to play it safe a majority of the time, with tried-and-true tactics and sure-bet strategies that will bank roll their bottom line. But every now and then, you have to put all your chips on the table and try something unexpected - or at least a little over the top - if you want to cash out with high-roller returns.

The four winners of EXHIBITOR Magazine's Ninth Annual Corporate Event Awards let it all ride on their one-of-a-kind events - all of which were the sort of high-stakes soirees that could make their respective industries stand up and applaud if successful,or point and snicker if not. While more skittish event marketers might fold at the thought of these one-off affairs (the failure of which could put their companies and their careers in the proverbial gutter), this year's winners dared to design results-driven programs with a "go big or go home" mentality.

In fact, the 2012 jury, a panel of six event-marketing experts from a variety of fields, lauded our winners' ability to take risks while still implementing killer strategies. Holed up in a Las Vegas boardroom for nine hours, the judging panel eventually settled on four winners, which they touted as "unprecedented," "inventive," and "on a whole new playing field."

Take our Judges' Choice Award Winner, John Deere Agriculture and Turf (a division of Deere & Co.) whose extraordinary extravaganza launched a new line of products featuring "telematics" technology. While the company had hosted dealer events in the past, the 2011 event was the mother of all product launches, with John Deere promising its revolutionary wireless data-transfer and communication technologywould not only enhance agricultural productivity, but also transform production. The all-or-nothing, $10-million experience, which the company hopes will spur sales for years to come, included four separate waves of attendees spread over a two-week period and featured everything from a whiz-bang multimedia product reveal to ride-and-drive events in which dealers could test gargantuan agricultural equipment on a 55-acre plot of land.

Hongkong Land Ltd. also turned out a high-visibility event, dubbed the Central Rat Race, which if not executed properly, could have easily been downright cheesy. To draw attention to its commercial properties in the heart of Hong Kong's prestigious business district - available under its brand called Central - the company created a giant relay race through its office buildings, footbridges, and public spaces. Designed as a recreation of a typical white-collar worker's climb up the corporate ladder, the relay race featured cartoon-like props such as giant faux cheese slices and backpacks made to look like TNT bombs. A far cry from typical commercial-property affairs, the event generated international media coverage and city- wide awareness for Hongkong Land properties.

So please join us in congratulating the 2012 Corporate Event Awards winners. Featuring stellar strategies paired with ace-in-the-hole execution, these all-in events teeter on the cutting edge of their respective industries. May they encourage you to raise the stakes on your own programs, and aim for that ever-elusive royal flush of success. E

And the Winners Are ...
EXHIBITOR Magazine's Ninth Annual Corporate Event Awards honor innovative events that generate hard-core results.

John Deere Agriculture and Turf	Puma SE	Hongkong Land Ltd.	X.Commerce, an eBay Inc. company