There were 1,300 event professionals in attendance at Battersea Evolution to celebrate the great and good of the industry.
The industry turned out in force for a glittering night at the 2019 M&IT Awards – and the record-breaking event has been hailed as the best ever.
There were 1,300 event professionals in attendance at Battersea Evolution to celebrate the great and good of the industry. Glasgow Convention Bureau picked up the Best UK Convention Bureau gong for the 13th year running, Conference Care landed Best Intermediary Agency (more than 40 employees) for a third time and Delegate Wranglers founder Neil Thompson proved a very popular winner of the Personality of the Year award.
Martin Lewis, managing editor of CAT Media, said: “We were really grateful for the support of the entire industry to deliver a record-breaking attendance of 1,300! But in particular, we want to thank all our sponsors – in particular our headline sponsor, the ICC Wales, who contributed so much to the success of the event. It was, without doubt, our best event ever – it set the bar a long way higher than ever before."
Headline sponsor ICC Wales staged a ‘Welsh takeover’ of the awards with an exciting and action-packed programme of entertainment on St David’s Day. Attendees were welcomed at Battersea Evolution by Welsh boys choir Only Boys Aloud, while the evening was compered by Welsh television presenter Gethin Jones and also saw a stunning performance from Welsh singer Sian Evans.
Neil Thompson said: “To say I’m absolutely thrilled to have won the M&IT Personality of the Year award is the understatement of the year! Words can’t express how much it means to me as it’s an award not just for me but for every single one of us in this group.”
Glasgow Convention Bureau said: “Wow! We are delighted to have won Best UK Convention Bureau for the 13th consecutive year! Thanks to everyone who voted and congratulations to all the finalists!”
First Choice Conference and Events said it was “delighted” to pick up the gold award for Best Intermediary Agency (fewer than 40 employees), adding: “We would like to massively thank all of our incredible clients who voted for us. Here’s to another year of working together to achieve incredible things.”
Conference Care director Andrew Deakin celebrated winning Best Intermediary Agency (more than 40 employees) for a third time with an impromptu version backstage of Lionel Richie’s Three Times a Lady.
The winners were as follows:
Best Airline
- Gold – British Airways
- Silver – Emirates
- Bronze – Virgin Atlantic
Best UK Convention Bureau
- Gold – Glasgow Convention Bureau
- Silver – NewcastleGateshead Convention Bureau
- Bronze – London & Partners
Best Overseas Convention Bureau
- Gold – Monaco Tourist Authority
- Silver – The Hague Convention Bureau
- Bronze – Dubai Business Events
Best Academic Venue
- Gold – Imago Venues – Burleigh Court
- Silver – Warwick Conferences
- Bronze – Technology & Innovation Centre, University of Strathclyde
Best UK Unusual Venue
- Gold – Coombe Abbey Hotel
- Silver – Natural History Museum
- Bronze – Cliveden
Best Venue Group Meeting Product
- Gold – Hilton Worldwide
- Silver – Marriott International
- Bronze – QHotels
Best Food & Beverage Supplier
- Gold – Imago Venues
- Silver – Kudos
- Bronze – rhubarb
Best Event Provider
- Gold – KDM Events
- Silver – Shocklogic
- Bronze – Firebird Events
Best Destination Management Company
- Gold – Vista Events DMC Greece
- Silver – Factor 3 Events
- Bronze – Kuoni Destination Management
Best Intermediary Agency [fewer than 40 employees]
- Gold – First Choice Conference & Events
- Silver – Venues and Events International
- Bronze – Principal. Global Events
Best Intermediary Agency [more than 40 employees]
- Gold – Conference Care
- Silver – Banks Sadler
- Bronze – Capita Travel and Events/NYS
Best UK Conference Centre
- Gold – Scottish Event Campus
- Silver – ACC Liverpool
- Bronze – Imago Venues – Burleigh Court
Best Overseas Conference Centre
- Gold – The Convention Centre Dublin (The CCD)
- Silver – RAI Amsterdam
- Bronze – Fira Barcelona
Best Overseas Hotel
- Gold – Sandals Grande Antigua
- Silver – Four Seasons Resort Marrakech
- Bronze – W Barcelona
Best UK Hotel
- Gold – Celtic Manor Resort
- Silver – The Belfry Hotel & Resort
- Bronze – Chewton Glen
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales.
She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
