The Agency of the Year is designed to recognise the leading agency in professional sports and entertainment.
You will be expected to demonstrate how you consistently created outstanding work across the sports and entertainment industry as an agency. That work will have delivered tangible ROI over the time period.
Judges will be looking for performance in the year which was extraordinary – above and beyond the day-to-day running of agency life. This might be a particularly strong year of growth, a groundbreaking development in the agency’s capability or a spectacularly successful project or campaign… but Agency of the Year won’t be awarded for just another good year doing the job you always do.
You should be able to demonstrate:
- The use of an innovative and creative approach to working with partners to develop stand out integrated marketing and sponsorship campaigns that deliver tangible results
- You have worked effectively with partners to deliver results across a range of campaigns
- Delivered results for your partners, audiences or customers
- You had a positive impact on the social and economic landscape of the sports industry
- Measurement of the success of your organisation’s efforts effectively with tangible results
The Collaboration Award is designed to recognise the organisations that have partnered to redefine the approach to traditional partnerships and delivered enhanced impact and results as a result of innovative ways of working.
You will be expected to demonstrate how this collaboration/partnership redefined traditional approaches to sponsorships and resulted in excellent benefits for both organisations.
You should be able to demonstrate:
- The use of creative collaborations in terms of approaching partnership objectives in line with business goals
- Excellent execution and cut-through with demonstrable results
- Increased reach and engagement by clearly identifying and targeting audiences
- You enhanced all aspects of the customer experience and partner activations by building a collaborative relationship
- Measuring the success of both of your organisation’s efforts effectively
The Entertainment Experience Award is designed to recognise the organisation that has created memorable entertainment experiences with sports at its core.
You will be expected to demonstrate how you consistently created a standout entertainment experience (in-person live event and/or digital), which resulted in excellent benefits for fans and brand partners.
You should be able to demonstrate:
- The use of creative collaborations and tactics to make your entertainment experiences unique and ability to provide a holistic enhanced digital and/ or live experience for fans and partners.
- Increased reach and engagement by clearly identifying and targeting audiences.
- You enhanced all aspects of the customer experience and partner activations by building on the sports experience to deliver a truly holistic entertainment experience.
- Measuring the success of your organisation’s efforts effectively with tangible results
The Fan Solution Award is designed to recognise an organisation that has changed the game for sports fans by producing an innovative platform, technology or unique approach that enabled greater access and opportunities for fans to engage with the sports they love.
You will be expected to demonstrate how and why your organisation has solved a challenge within the global professional sports industry with a new solution, enabling rights holders and properties to gain greater engagement with their fanbase.
You should be able to demonstrate:
- The fan problem that you solved by implementing this fan solution
- The use of creative processes and data-driven market research to shape an innovative solution unseen before in the global sports industry
- Increased engagement by implementing the solution across multiple projects (a minimum of two) either internally at your organisation or via a number of your clients
- Measuring the success of your project effectively with tangible results
The Media/ Broadcast Award is designed to recognize the leading media or broadcast organization in global professional sport.
You will be expected to demonstrate how you consistently created a stand out viewing experience and media/ broadcast product, which resulted in enhanced benefits for viewers and property partners.
You should be able to demonstrate:
- The use of an innovative and creative approach to working with partners to develop stand-out media/ broadcast products that delight your target audience/ viewer
- You have worked effectively with partners to develop your portfolio
- Delivered results for your partners and viewers/ audience
- You had a positive impact on the social and economic landscape of the sports industry
- Measurement of the success of your organization’s efforts effectively with tangible results
The Storyteller Award is for the leading organisation in content creation demonstrating the ability to connect with audiences via the power of consistent creative storytelling.
You will be expected to demonstrate how your approach to content creation connects with your desired audiences, and how you achieve creative cut-through resulting in increased reach and engagement.
You should be able to demonstrate:
- A compelling approach to storytelling across the time period, which resonated with your desired target audiences consistently
- Executed consistently strong content creation and distribution across multiple formats
- An in-depth understanding of who you are targeting, how to engage your target audiences and how insight and/or data has been used to influence your decision-making, creative approach or content strategy
- *Indication or evidence of societal / cultural impact
- Achieved business results, delivered against brand objectives and elevated cut-through
*Cultural impact isn’t always immediate hence use of indication of / evidence
The Tech Breakthrough Award is for the leading small organization (<5 years in existence or <50 employees) who has created a piece of tech or is enabling organizations to embrace technology with a disruptive approach.
The innovative approach will have filled a gap in the market, changed how people view/ utilize technology and/or shifted how the industry operates because of it.
You should be able to demonstrate:
- A clear point of difference for solving a problem in the industry via technology, either a platform or approach to tech deployment
- How the organization has impacted the industry’s and any clients’ approach to the use of technology
- How data and research enabled the process of developing and deploying the technology or approach to the use of technology
- Tangible results – How your innovative approach to fill a gap in the market has resulted in tangible business results for you and any clients / the broader industry
This award is for the individual who is forcing change, breaking barriers, treading new ground and exerting influence in global professional sport.
Who should enter this award?
Individuals who are making change, exerting influence, treading new ground and breaking barriers.
- EDI experts
- Sustainability experts
- Individual Consultants
- Purposeful leaders at organisations with demonstrable results
This award is for the behind-the-scenes operator and influencer who is helping to shape an organisation and the industry, away from the limelight and headlines.
Who should enter this award?
Individuals operating in human resources, IT, legal, production, client services, business intelligence, ticketing or other back-of-house departments.