The Special Event Conference concluded with the Gala Awards Ceremony and Celebration on Friday night. This annual event brings together the best of the best! And while we (Total Entertainment) were not official winners of a Gala Award, we felt like the biggest winners just be nominated for Best Fund-raising event amongst other amazing event professionals! There were some phenomenal acceptance speeches made. Some award winners touched on the current economic state, emphasizing the importance of customer service and strong relationships with our clients and industry partners while others focused on the talents that make our industry amazing - passion, hard work, creativity and innovation. It was wonderful to hear how much heart and soul these professionals poured into their winning events, I was almost brought to tears witnessing these people achieve such success! Congrats to all....truly well deserved and I am excited to see what these event companies accomplish next!
And the winners are...
BEST FAIR/FESTIVAL
The Lundquist, Sacramento, CA
BEST INVITATION
ASE Group, Overland Park, KA
BEST DINING TABLE DESIGN
Janet Flowers Wedding and Event Design, Rockville, MD
BEST OFF-PREMISE CATERED EVENT
Someone's in the Kitchen, Tarzana CA
BEST CATERED EVENT BY HOTEL BANQUET DEPT
Harith Productions, Willow Grove PA and Copacabana Palace, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
BEST FUNDRAISING EVENT
Alison Silcoff Events, Montreal, Canada
BEST EVENT PRODUCED FOR A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION
E-MC2 Event Management, Calgary, Alberta
BEST WEDDING: BUDGET UNDER $1,000 PER GUEST
Future Affairs Productions, East Providence, RI
BEST WEDDING: BUDGET $1,000 AND ABOVE PER GUEST
Honeysweet Productions, Los Angeles, CA
BEST MULTIPLE-DAY INCENTIVE EVENT
Jobe & Associates, Dublin OH
BEST MULTIPLE-DAY EVENT PROGRAM FOR A CORPORATION/ASSOCIATION
Total Event Resources, Schaumburg, IL
BESET EVENT STAGE IN MULTIPLE LOCATIONS
Affinity Sports Marketing, Southlake, TX
BEST FLORAL DESIGN
The Precious Moment, Beijing, China
BEST TENT INSTALLATION
Classica Party Rentals and Ducky-Bob's, Carrollton, TX
BEST USE OF LIGHTING
Global Events, Madrid, Spain
BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN TECHNICAL SUPPORT
Brite Ideas by Greg Christy, Foothill Ranch, CA
BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN LOGISTICS
Venetian Resort Hotel Casion, Las Vegas, NV and Luminous, Hong Kong
BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN EVENT RENTAL SUPPORT
Top Productions, Richmond, CA
BEST NEW, INNOVATIVE EVENT PRODUCT/TECHNOLOGY
Velon Designs, San Francisco, CA
BEST EVENT ENTERTAINMENT CONCEPT & EXECUTION: BUDGET UNDER $25,000
Designs by Sean, Dania, FL and Andy Kushner Entertainment, Rockville, MD
BEST EVENT ENTERTAINMENT CONCEPT & EXECUTION: BUDGET $25,000-$100,000
Experiential Events, Calgary, Alberta and Bravo! Entertainment, Dallas, TX
BEST EVENT ENTERTAINMENT CONCEPT & EXECUTION: BUDGET ABOVE $100,000
Tom Bercu Presents, Los Angeles, CA and Extraordinary Events, Sherman Oaks, CA
MOST OUTSTANDING SPECTACLE
The Full Effect, Bedford, England
BEST EVENT FOR A PRIVATE INDIVIDUAL: BUDGET UNDER $1,000 PER GUEST
Events of Distinction, San Francisco, CA
BEST EVENT FOR A PRIVATE INDIVIDUAL: BUDGET $1,000 AND ABOVE PER GUEST
Venetian Resort Hotel Casino, Las Vegas, NV and Luminous, Hong Kong
BEST EVENT MARKETING CAMPAIGN
Vok Dams Group, Wuppertal, Germany
BEST THEATRICAL ENTERTAINMENT PRODUCTION
Global Events, Madrid, Spain
BEST DECOR: TOTAL DECOR BUDGET UNDER $20,000
Designs by Sean, Dania, FL
BEST DECOR: TOTAL DECOR BUDGET $20,000 - $49,000
The Precious Moment, Beijing, China
BEST DECOR: TOTAL DECOR BUDGET $50,000 - $150,000
The Precious Moment, Beijing, China
BEST DECOR: TOTAL BUDGET ABOVE $150,00
The Catering Co. Decor, Chapel Hill, NC
BEST EVENT FOR A CORPORATION/ASSOCIATION: BUDGET UNDER $100,000
Total Event Resources, Schaumburg, IL
BEST EVENT FOR A CORPORATION/ASSOCIATION: BUDGET $100,000 - $249,999
Total Event Resources, Schaumburg, IL
BEST EVENT FOR A CORPORATION/ASSOCIATION: BUDGET $250,000 - $500,000
Welcome Event Marketing, Copenhagen, Denmark
BEST EVENT FOR A CORPORATION/ASSOCIATION: BUDGET ABOVE $500,000
Global Events, Madrid, Spain
GALA AWARD FOR LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT
Janet Elkins, EventWorks, Los Angeles, CA
For more information on these amazing winners, please visit The Special Event Magazine
THE ENTIRE TEAM AT TOTAL ENTERTAINMENT CONGRATULATES ALL OF THE OUTSTANDING WINNERS OF THE TSE GALA AWARDS!

Pictured left to right: Jeff Siber, Suzie Choy, Jaclyn Ownes, me! and Michael Cerbelli