For immediate release:
Through the past years, we have been deeply impressed by how you, our members, have become smarter, more innovative, and have shown excellence in the most diverse fields - overcoming one of the most difficult periods our industry has faced. IAAPA awards have long served as our method of acknowledging and celebrating this success.
Launched in the 1980s, IAAPA awards have remained a constant in IAAPA’s activities. We evolved them, we developed them, and added new awards and stand-alone recognition events but we never took a wider view of what these awards represent, and how impactful they are to the global attractions entire attractions industry - having more than 90 annual award winners selected by a group of peers using an objective set of criteria over a diverse set of categories.
Modern times however don’t allow us to ignore change, and IAAPA Board and Team have embraced the idea that we must try new things to adapt and stay relevant as the global leader in our industry. This is why in 2022, the IAAPA Board of Directors approved the formation of a member-led task force to perform a global, strategic review of the award programs and form recommendations for the future of IAAPA Awards.
The task force formulated the following recommendations and presented them to the board earlier this year:
Establish one Global IAAPA Awards Committee to oversee the governance aspects of the IAAPA awards program. (Previously, there were 10 separate committees overseeing various awards.)
Work to increase global participation and make the process more accessible for all members around the world.
Develop a year-round, evergreen, robust communication and marketing plan for awards programming that positions IAAPA awards as the pinnacle professional awards in our industry.
Introduce new awards to be bestowed at the regional level including Regional Inspiration Awards and Regional Young Professional of the Year Awards, plus implement IAAPA Brass Ring Exhibitor Awards in all three IAAPA Expos.
Launch new awards related to safety, sustainability, and inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility (IDEA) initiatives.
Create a new, global annual awards ceremony that will rotate every year to a different region around the world and take place in conjunction with an existing IAAPA event.
Following the board discussions, the IAAPA Team and task force members began developing and executing these recommendations on the newly designed IAAPA awards program: IAAPA Honors. We believe it will be the most inspirational annual events in the in attractions industry, and on behalf of the board and the Global IAAPA Awards committee, we want to share some of exciting details!
The new award ceremony will be a distinctive showcase of award winners and finalists including: the IAAPA Hall of Fame, IAAPA Service Awards, IAAPA Young Professional of the Year Awards, and the IAAPA Brass Ring Awards. Additionally, IAAPA Honors 2024 will include the unveiling of the Liseberg Applause Award winner – awarded every two years to the amusement park whose management, operations, and creative accomplishments have inspired the industry with their foresight, originality, and sound business development.
IAAPA Honors will celebrate innovation, creativity, and excellence in the global attractions industry offering:
Exclusive VIP experiences for award winners
Curated programming highlighting the creativity of our winners and finalists
Networking time with the top innovators in our industry
The opportunity to combine your attendance with the IAAPA North America Summit and propel your business even further with a packed agenda of education and behind-the-scenes tours
…all hosted in “The Entertainment Capital of the World!” on March 3, 2024, at the Venetian Resort Las Vegas, Nevada! And while you can’t sign up just yet, we expect to have registration open in just a few short weeks.
This will change our IAAPA Expo 2023 programming, as we will only announce the Brass Ring exhibitor awards for best new products and best exhibits, plus share the list of Brass Ring Excellence finalists. We understand change may be difficult, but we’re certain this will be the starting point for something new and exciting that provides our industry a new and special opportunity to celebrate our winners and to be inspired by what they’ve done to receive these laureates.
Thank you to all IAAPA members who have taken part in these efforts to make the IAAPA Honors program a reality! We look forward to seeing you at IAAPA Honors 2024 in Las Vegas to recognize and celebrate excellence in a new and exciting way.
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