Presented by EventMarketer

Welcome to the world’s largest recognition program for experiential marketing.

For 22 years, the Ex Awards has shined a global spotlight on the power of brand experiences and the best use of face-to-face marketing. The biggest brands and agencies in the world compete each year and the program is judged entirely by brand-side marketers. Enter your events, your experiences, your integrated live campaigns and more into the only recognition program of its kind.

REGULAR ENTRY DEADLINE: FEBRUARY 23

LATE ENTRY DEADLINE: MARCH 8

RULES AND REGULATIONS

ELIGIBILITY RULES

The Ex Awards are open to brand marketers, agencies, partners, properties, and suppliers involved in event and experiential marketing campaigns.

  • Categories span both b-to-c and b-to-b experiential marketing.
  • International entries are welcome.
  • Campaigns must have launched or debuted between March 1, 2023 – February 16, 2024.
  • Entrants may submit as many campaigns into as many categories as they want (easy copy and paste options available!)

JUDGING CRITERIA

The Ex Awards is the only marketing recognition program scored entirely by brand-side marketers. In each category, a gold winner, silver and bronze finalists will be selected.

Judges will score all entries on:
  • Creative and relevant idea
  • Succinct and deployable strategy
  • Flawless execution
  • Tangible results

Winners will be honored at the 22nd annual Ex Awards Gala at the Experiential Marketing Summit, on Wednesday, April 24, at MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Purchase your tickets today!

CATEGORIES

Review the full category list below. Our ‘copy and paste’ entry system allows you to easily enter your campaigns into multiple categories.

  • Activation

      Best Entertainment Event

      Awarded to the most innovative brand-driven experiential program connected to a movie, celebrity, music or television partnership/sponsorship.

      Best Cause/Community Program

      The best philanthropic or community event campaign. A tie to a charity or community cause must be at the heart of the program. Judges will look for integration of causes into the experiential program and the benefits that the campaign brought to both sides (the brand and the cause).

      Best Festival/Fanfest Activation

      From food and wine festivals to music festivals to fanfests and beyond, we honor the brand experiences that solved attendee pain points or offered a vital service or commanded attention in a crowded landscape with the design and functionality.

      Best Sampling Campaign

      Awarded to the best trial-based campaign that used a live engagement to get a consumer to try a product. 

      Best Single-Market Event (B-to-C)

      Awarded to the most strategic, most creative, best-performing single-market event program. Did you make it memorable? Will the attendee ever forget?

      Best Sports Activation

      Awarded to the most innovative event program leveraging a sports sponsorship. Judges will rate the activations (of all sizes and length) on creativity, results, message, and method of activation. Esports submissions welcome. 

      Best Outdoor Activation

      Recognizes activations that best leveraged the great outdoors to create magic with attendees. Judges will weigh how the outdoors was central to the effectiveness of the campaign with creative installations and engagement.  

      Best Pop-Up Store

      Awarded to the temporary storefront, in-retail, lobby, indoor or outdoor experience that turned a client’s objective into a must-attend, limited-time engagement. Judges will be looking for a clever concept, new approaches and unconventional ideas.

      Best P.R. Stunt

      Awarded to the most creative p.r. event that generated hits and buzz, increased public awareness, overcame damage control, and uncovered measurable results.  

  • Strategy & Execution

      Best Multi-Market Event Program (Consumer)

      Awarded to b-to-c event programs that involved multiple, targeted events across different markets, within a region, or as a series within a single market. (For programs that took place on a mobile vehicle, where the vehicle was central to the experience, refer to the Best Mobile Marketing Tour category.)

      Best B-to-B Conference or Event

      Awarded to the event that best took the message out of the board room. Includes sales meetings, user groups, annual shareholder events, proprietary events, multi-day meetings, conferences, internal meetings, road shows, conferences, summits, proprietary events, new product introductions, media tours, client visit tours.

      Best Production of an Event (B-to-B)

      This category’s Ex will go to the most creative, extensive, outrageous, ambitious and delicious production of a b-to-b event. The lighting, the music, the script, the entire ensemble. Judges will look for you to take them through the actual production with insights into the long process between idea and execution.

      Best Press or Launch Event

      Recognizes the press event that used creative tactics to invite the press, get them to show up, and then delivered on solid messaging, thematics and an A+ presentation. Note: Journalists must be the primary target, and virtual experiences will be accepted.

      Best Multi-Market Event Program (B-to-B)

      Awarded to the multi-market b-to-b event program that connecting with audiences in different markets and venues. Think: Multiple, targeted events across different markets, within a region, or as a series within a single market. 

      Best Event on a Budget ($500,000 or Less)

      Awarded to the campaign that achieves all stated objectives while adhering to a budget under $500,000. Judges will consider innovation, creativity, execution and results. 

      Best Influencer Program

      Awarded to the best integrated influencer partnership that leveraged the reach and power of an influencer (or influencers) via a live and in-person or virtual event to drive interest in a brand or product.

      Best Mobile Marketing Tour

      Awarded to the best mobile marketing campaign, where a vehicle is at the heart of the program—not the fact that a tour moves around. Judges will look at the marketing vehicle and its design, and the overall strategy, footprint, and experience. Open to b-to-c or b-to-b campaigns. 

      Best Multicultural Event Campaign

      The best event-powered campaign hatched to reach a diverse audience. Judges will focus on the idea and execution, but also the attention to detail, messaging, and ethnicity-specific elements.

      Best Production of an Event (Consumer)

      This category’s Ex will go to the most creative, extensive, outrageous, ambitious and delicious production of a consumer event. Judges will look for you to take them through the actual production with insights into the long process between idea and execution.

      Best Use of Live Events for Content

      A category created to shine the spotlight on the powerful use of events as content generators. Awarded to the best event campaign that served as a platform for content creation. From events used for YouTube videos to events used for TV spots to events used for social media content… and beyond. Open to both b-to-c and b-to-b programs.

      Best Use of Event Technology

      From holography to touchscreens to virtual platforms, some of the most innovative technologies, and uses of technologies, are coming out of the event industry. Awarded to the consumer event, b-to-b show or trade show program that effectively leveraged technologies and/or social media to take the experience to the next level.

  • Trade Show

      Best Overall Trade Show Exhibit Portfolio

      Awarded to the best full exhibit portfolio—of dozens or even hundreds of trade shows—encompassing a brand’s full strategic, comprehensive and innovative exhibit program running throughout the year. Entries will explore the overall strategy, the ways exhibits are activated at different shows, and the decision-making behind the design, functionality and performance of the exhibit portfolio. 

      Best Trade Show Exhibit Under 50x50

      Small is the new big. Handed to the footprint that went beyond stoic space and used the show floor as a canvas to paint an experience. Judges will look at the overall immersion, visitor experience, functionality, creativity, materials, and use of media.

      Best Trade Show Exhibit Over 50x50

      The best big exhibit. Handed to the footprint that went beyond stoic space and used the show floor as a canvas to paint an experience. Judges will look at the overall immersion, visitor experience, functionality, creativity, materials, and use of media.

      Best Outdoor Trade Show Exhibit

      Awarded to an outdoor exhibit at a trade show that delivered spectacular design, functionality and content at scale. Judges will consider logistical feats, journey-mapping, engagement strategies and overall design.

      Best In-Booth Trade Show Activation/Experience

      Recognizes the experiential activations, installations, eye-catching engagements, photo-sharing moments and more that take place within a trade show or a trade show exhibit environment. This category focuses on the interaction with attendees rather than the design/look of the exhibit.

  • ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

    ENTRY DEADLINES & FEES

    Early Deadline: February 23 — entries received before midnight ET on February 23 are $460 per entry.

    Late Deadline: March 8 — entries received after February 23 will incur an additional $135 fee per entry.

    PREPARE YOUR ENTRIES

    Entering the Ex Awards is easier than ever when you prepare your submission items in advance. Here’s what you’ll need to include with each entry:
    1. Submitter company information (the entering company’s name, address, etc.)
    2. Primary entry contact (the point person for all entry details)
    3. Brand-side client reference contact: name, title, phone, email (clients may be contacted by judges to confirm a specific detail or answer a question)
    4. Hi-res brand logo (for the brand associated with the campaign. Only .ai or .eps file types accepted)
    5. Three photos (15 MB file size limit each)
    6. Optional (but highly recommended!): Campaign recap/overview video