The International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) has announced the finalists for its 2019 Best Marketing Award. The awards ceremony will take place at the 2019 ICCA Congress in Houston, with the three finalists to compete live on Tuesday, October 29, for the chance to be named the 22nd winner of the award. 

The finalists are: 

Estonian Convention Bureau: “Go Wild, Choose Estonia!”

A creative storytelling destination marketing campaign from a small convention bureau, Estonia aimed with their campaign to create a national brand image and maximize return-on-investment with a limited marketing budget. The main challenge Estonia had to solve is that, as a country, they are still relatively unfamiliar to international audiences. To build an image for themselves, most convention bureaus take advantage of brand identities created by their national tourist boards; however, Estonia does not have a relevant national brand image with which it could work.

To overcome this and raise awareness and visibility of the destination and generate business requests for the convention bureau and its members, the Estonia Convention Bureau created its own brand image on a very limited marketing budget. By proactively communicating authentic and unique experiences that can be enjoyed in Estonia, they focused on creating and curating engaging content.

International Convention Centre Sydney (ICC Sydney): “It’s Showtime!”

Designed to communicate their launch as a new venue, ICC Sydney’s integrated, multi-channel campaign announced to the world: “We are open for business!”. Introducing Australia’s new convention, exhibition and live entertainment venue, with a pipeline of over 500 events secured, the launch was successful and strong. Delivered via multiple communication platforms, the campaign aided in supercharging brand awareness, building the venue’s reputation and attracting critical event bookings across a variety of market segments and geographical areas.

Underpinning the campaign’s success was the creation of a network of local and global advocates – from ministers and heads of business to senior community members — which enabled ICC Sydney to quickly build trust and demonstrate its positive impact on both the industry and its stakeholders.

Convention Bureau Italia: “Italy at Hand”

Spearheaded by Convention Bureau Italia, the Italy at Hand project aimed to involve the entire Italian meetings industry. The first Italian campaign entirely dedicated to the meetings industry, Italy at Hand started with a communication campaign and video and extended to a live B2B event, bringing together the major players in the Italian meetings industry.

The International Congress and Convention Association’s 58th annual gathering is on schedule to be the biggest edition ever held in North America, with over 800 participants already registered to attend.

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