For more than 37 years Meetings & Events Australia has recognised and celebrated the outstanding achievements and expertise of individuals and organisations in the events sector - rewarding excellence, creativity and professionalism in the design, management, delivery, servicing and advancement of the events industry in Australia.
The MEA 2019 National Awards event has been completely reimagined and will be broadcast online from The Studio at ICC Sydney on Friday 29 May, between 6-8pm AEST.
This year, the state and national awards will be combined with the one ticket price* of $45 for members and $55 for non-members, per person (incl. GST) including state and national award winners, representing great value.
The awards span four broad categories - Events of the Year, Company, Individual including Outstanding Contribution Award plus three industry awards, being Education & Training, Event Legacy and Innovation. These culminate with Platinum Awards that recognise three national winners who achieved the highest point scores in the Event Company of the Year, Event of the Year and Event Professional of the Year categories.
Kate Smith, MEA Chairperson commented, “Given the challenging year we have had to date, it is fantastic to take a moment to celebrate the innovation, creativity, commitment and passion our industry members are renowned for in creating outstanding events. It is time to celebrate these attributes that will assist in the recovery of our industry sector too. I’m pleased we are able to provide the recognition of our members in this exciting forum.”
This new format will bring a fun, meaningful and connected live experience to the industry, engaging the senses with live entertainment, an in-studio MC, red carpet including a best-dressed competition plus MEA’s very own MEALIVE 2019 Awards Spotify playlist.
MEA and ICC Sydney are set to deliver an exceptional virtual awards experience, seamlessly produced and streamed live, using the best studio technology and setting a new benchmark for virtual events and the industry.
The event will utilise ICC Sydney’s in-house facilities, which include complete multiple custom-built studios featuring: 10m wide x 3.5m high LED screen backdrops, Barco E2 vision processing, 4k broadcast cameras, overhead PTZ cameras for stage aerial view, broadcast-quality lighting with a combination of static and moving lights and studio set furniture. The studio is designed to interface multiple platforms, from standard web streaming, such as Vimeo and Facebook Live, to video conferencing, including Zoom and Cisco’s Webex - providing ultimate flexibility. This has enabled the venue to host everything from company briefings, live-streamed media interviews and school educational programmes and now, award ceremonies.
MEA’s CEO, Robyn Johnson said “This week we would have been in the wonderful Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley attending Evolve 2020 and we would be celebrating the Australian event industry’s night of nights - the 2019 MEA Awards. Given the circumstances, this year MEA has arranged an online alternative so that we can celebrate the spectacular achievements of 2019. Hosted by Shelly Horton, the Awards will be broadcast from The Studio at ICC Sydney and it will deliver a much-needed boost of positivity for the industry.”
Geoff Donaghy, CEO of ICC Sydney, commented, “ICC Sydney is delighted to support MEA in transforming their National Awards into a virtual event this year. Over the last few months, we have hosted numerous live-streamed events from our studios, but this will certainly be one of our biggest challenges. Using our world-class facilities and skilled team, we are confident that together with MEA we will creatively re-imagining one of our industry’s most looked forward to events, ensuring it is as engaging and enjoyable as ever”.
Ian Stuart, Chair of Judges for the MEA Awards added “The standard and the quantity of Awards submissions grows each year, to the point where MEA now has over 70 highly qualified and respected judges from around the country prepared to devote countless hours to the process of assessing, commenting and scoring examples of the brilliant work for which Australia’s business events industry is so highly regarded. Join MEALIVE and salute the 2019 winners!”.
MEALIVE 2019 Awards broadcast times:
- NSW, Queensland, Victoria, ACT and Tasmania: 6:00pm-8:00pm
- South Australia and Northern Territory: 5:30pm-7:30pm
- Western Australia: 4:00pm-6:00pm
For those who had already purchased tickets to the state or national awards, that payment can be credited towards the awards ceremony broadcast. Any balance remaining may be used for additional tickets or credited against MEA’s other professional development events including EVOLVE in the next 3 years.
MEA thanks ICC Sydney for their generous support as the Major Sponsor of the MEA State and National Awards. It also thanks Awards Category Sponsor MCEC, its members for their support during this turbulent time and the ongoing support of its Principal Partners AON, Destination NSW and ICC Sydney.
Bookmark 29 May. Tickets to MEALIVE 2019 Awards live broadcast are available from MEA’s new website now, with more details on what to expect to be announced next week. Being apart does not mean we can’t be together, so book a seat in our virtual venue, invite your colleagues and friends and share the excitement of the industry’s big night of nights.
Tickets can be purchased online at https://www.meetingsevents.com.au/events/mealive-2019-awards