LAS VEGAS (CelebrityAccess) The 39th annual Event & Arena Marketing Conference June 13-16 included the fourth EAMC Awards ceremony at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas June 14.
Venue marketers, promoters, and publicists from across North America submitted entries for Marketing and Publicity Campaigns of the Year, as well as Best Artist Gift and Best Artist Welcome of the Year. Industry experts judged the campaigns, and then the top entries per category were voted on by EAMC attendees. The 2018 winners are:
• Marketing Campaign of the Year – Count Basie Center for the Arts in New Jersey, Jonathan Vena, Kayla Prendergast, Caileigh Nerney and Andrew Musser for their GIVING TUESDAY, VETERANS AT THE BASIE campaign.
• Publicity Campaign of the Year – Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids by SMG, Hilarie Szarowicz, Alison Goodyke, Mike Klompstra and Rebecca Chesnut for their THANK YOU CARDS FOR THE TROOPS campaign.
• Best Artist Gift of the Year – Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Adam Armit for The Weeknd’s Starboy Game.
• Best Artist Welcome of the Year – STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, Cara Vanderhook, Samantha Marker, Patrick Whitehill, Marina Paul, Evan Gole and Kasey Ferrin for Ed Sheeran’s Very Own British Pub.
EAMC also recognized several entertainment execs. The Gigi Award of Excellence, named after Gigi Philhofer, one of the event founders, honored Joe Flanagan. Flanagan has worked in many companies over the past 20 years including WWE, Global Spectrum, Madison Square Garden and Ogden Entertainment. He is currently director of booking and creative services for LAZ Parking, the second largest parking company in the country.
Also honored was Ike Richman, president of Ike Richman Communication, who was inducted into the EAMC Hall of Fame. Richman spent nearly 29 years with Comcast-Spectacor, specializing in PR and media relations.
“Hall of Fame means one of two things: You’re really good or they haven’t seen you in a long time and want you to come back,” Richman said in acceptance. “Yeah. It’s been a long time since I attended this conference and darn it’s good to be back.”
Richman provided CelebrityAccess with his entire speech. Here’s one of our favorite excerpts: “If I were to attempt to thank those who helped me get here, it would take forever, and I’m afraid I would forget someone, so please let me try it this way:
“If you ever answered the phone when i called, returned one of my calls, opened one of my letters, ripped one of my faxes off the machine, opened one of my emails, purchased a ticket, helped me get a ticket, attended one of my events, asked for help on an event, friended me on Facebook, liked one of my Facebook posts, accepted a request on twitter or linkedin, tagged me in a photo, published one of my photos, deleted one of my emails without responding, thought about calling me back but didn’t, shared a beer with me at the arena marketing conference, sat with me on one of the bus rides to one of the events during this conference, participated in the scavenger hunt on my team, let me simply say ‘thank you.’”
