Halifax Convention Centre Wins Prestigious Global Industry Marketing Award
The Halifax Convention Centre’s Imagine Your Event Here marketing campaign has received the prestigious International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) Best Marketing Award at the 2015 ICCA Congress, presented Wednesday, November 4th in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The remarkable achievement was based on the Centre's unique brand and marketing campaign that has been engaging international event planners in helping shape the new facility from the ground up. The campaign features interactive elements in the planning, design and actual experience of hosting an event in Halifax, with tactics that range from hyper-targeted direct mail and guerilla marketing to weekly blog posts involving local partners and a range of complementary digital elements.
“We couldn’t be more proud that our bold, simple and fun marketing efforts are helping to strengthen the global reputation of our new Centre, the city of Halifax and the province of Nova Scotia,” said Scott Ferguson, president and CEO of Trade Centre Limited, the Crown corporation tasked with marketing and selling the Halifax Convention Centre. “We are being recognized as leaders in the global industry and have set an example of what marketing excellence looks like as we continue to build anticipation, excitement and confidence with event planners.”
The Halifax Convention Centre was the sole North American organization shortlisted, competing against marketing campaigns from destination and convention bureaus in Istanbul, Colombia and Denmark. This marks the first time in over a decade that a convention centre has won the award, and only the second time that it has been presented to a Canadian organization.
“Halifax had a very creative solution to a very real challenge: How to promote and sell a product that did not exist?” said Best Marketing Award Chairman of the judging panel, Patrick Delaney. “They did so in a very novel and creative way, engaging with their customers and achieving significant results. They communicated their project in a simple and clear manner, with coherent messages.”
Halifax Convention Centre’s partner agency, NATIONAL Public Relations, worked with the team to develop a concept that would be both recognizable and adaptable across a series of platforms upon which the Halifax story could be told.
"The Halifax Convention Centre team has shown tremendous dedication to setting a high bar for innovation and outcomes for their brand and clients," adds Sarah Young, Managing Partner, Atlantic Canada of Halifax Convention Centre’s marketing agency, NATIONAL Public Relations. "We're extremely proud of our partnership and the work we've created with their team. They truly are a fearless client and exceptional partners, and we look forward to building even more success."
Opening in 2017, the new Centre has booked over 30 national and international conferences to date, with more than 24,500 delegates already waiting to experience what Nova Scotia has to offer.
About ICCA Best Marketing Award:
The award was established in 1997 and recognizes excellence and outstanding achievements of organizations marketing their destination. Judging criteria consist of: innovation and creativity, research and rationale, return on investment, success in meeting the objectives and communication. Finalists presented their campaigns among hundreds of their industry counterparts, and the winner was chosen by judges and the hundreds of delegates in attendance on a 50:50 basis.
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Media Contacts:
Erin Esiyok-Prime
Trade Centre Limited
902-421-1302 ext. 2791
Email: erin@tclns.com