Commitment to the Community Award
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The 2012 Application Form
The deadline to apply for this award is Friday 24 February 2012.
Who can apply? Nominations are welcome from anyone involved in meetings, incentive programmes, conferences, associations or business projects which took place in 2010 or 2011 that have demonstrated innovative efforts to benefit a charitable initiative of choice.
What is considered? Projects nominated are evaluated on the basis of the following four criteria: suitability, creativity, sustainability, and the power of one. In addition to demonstrating these aspects, applicants are requested to respond to specific questions regarding their project.
What is awarded? The winner of the Commitment to Community Award will be recognised at the IMEX Gala Dinner Awards Ceremony, in the IMEX Daily Paper, the IMEX Briefing newsletter and on the IMEX website.
Please contact Dale Hudson, dale.hudson@imexexhibitions.com for more information.
Previous Winners
Connect Travel Services DMC from the Dominican Republic was the winner of the IMEX Commitment to the Community Award 2011 for its ‘Mission Possible!’ initiative. ‘Mission Possible!’ proved to be a stand-out winner this year as judges praised its detailed and sensitive delivery, and the lasting legacy it had created. The ultimate objective was to transform a neglected rural school – Viste Alegre Primary - into a stimulating new learning centre for up to 85 children from this underprivileged community. 200 volunteers set about creating a facility with fully functioning sanitation, electricity and a secure and comfortable environment suitable for work and play. A combination of landscaping, decorating, cleaning, gardening, building and hard work created a lasting legacy that transformed the lives of the community and helped inspire team-work and collaboration.
Watch an interview with Benoit Sauvage from Connect Travel Services DMC
Download a case study of the 2011 winner
The IMEX Commitment to the Community Award 2010 was presented to Tourism Toronto in recognition of their Relax, Recharge & Renew (RRR) programme. The RRR programme provides the parents of children with special needs much-needed luxury weekend getaways, including limousine pick-up, two nights in a hotel, tickets to shows, museums and other attractions, meals at local restaurants and a gift, benefiting two families a week, every single week.
Download a case study of the 2010 winner
For the second year running, UK-based events company, World Events™, has won the globally recognised IMEX Commitment to the Community Award 2009. This year the award was made in recognition of World Event Group’s work for pharmaceutical company Allergan in managing its EMEA Conference held in Malta last year. The Conference audience comprised 760 sales and marketing staff from three divisions in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. World Events were tasked with developing a simple and engaging event theme, recognising that many delegates did not have English as a first language. The over-riding aim of the Conference was to motivate staff to achieve growth, inspire leadership, embrace and enact Allergan’s CSR ethos and provide a commercial benefit to the company with clear return on investment.
Download a case study of the 2009 winner
The winner of the prestigious and highly regarded IMEX Commitment to the Community Award 2008 was The Norgine Centenary Conference in Sun City, South Africa, organised for Norgine Pharmaceuticals by World Events™. Norgine is a global pharmaceutical company based in the UK with offices across Europe, Australia and South Africa. The present CEO is the grandson of the founder and the company has a strong tradition of family values and a desire to make a difference to the lives of its patients, employees and the broader community. The company’s brief to World Events for this landmark conference was that it "should combine business with motivation and teambuilding; be highly memorable with strong cultural appeal and, most importantly, that it should reflect the company’s longstanding family values."
Download a case study of the 2008 winner
A community park refurbishment project in Georgia, USA, won Marriott Internationals' Global Incentives and Gift Card marketing team the Commitment to the Community Award 2007. Integrity Incentives were tasked to find a community in need of a helping hand and where a measurable difference could be made. Marriott set clear criteria for the project, which had to create a unique team-building experience while incorporating pride, local culture and character. The decision was made to refurbish Buckhead Park as this would have a lasting impact on a large number of people. In one day, with the support of local residents, the City Council and the Mayor's office, the Marriott team set about replacing broken fixtures such as sinks, lights and ceiling fans, rebuilding picnic tables and park benches and also creating a barbecue area.
Download a case study of the 2007 winner
The Commitment to the Community Award 2006 was won by a British entrant, Computacenter Distribution (CCD). Each year CCD invites its top performing business partners to join its staff for a short high-energy overseas trip. David Hackett, Chairman of the company's incentive travel organisers, BI, suggested a visit and donation to Mukuni village in Zambia as part of the trip. This soon turned into an offer to raise money to build a new teacher's house once the village Chief explained the difficulty of attracting good teachers to the area due to poor accommodation. With a generous offer of matched funding from the group's hotel, the Zambezi Sun, the CCD group eventually raised a total of US$10,000. Local villagers undertook the construction of the house, thereby keeping resources and skills in the community.
Download a case study of the 2006 winner
A Mexican bee-keeping initiative was the winner of the Programmes of Purpose Award 2005 which aims to highlight the benefits and raise the profile of corporate social responsibility programmes within the MICE industry. The award winner was the San Diego-based Los Ninos in recognition of the ongoing success of its Beehive Assembly Scheme. The initiative was launched in 1999 when Los Ninos, a non-profit making organisation, was approached by a Mexican women's co-operative which wanted to find new ways of contributing to the health and proper nutrition of children while at the same time creating income for the local community.
Download a case study of the 2005 winner
The 2004 Award went to Lucy Eisile of Creative Memories for devising a socially responsible project in the village of La Cruz de Quelitan, Mexico. The aim of this ‘Day of Giving’ incentive event for the company’s top 150 sales achievers was to build a sense of accomplishment, teamwork and connection. A tightly organised series of activities centred on helping the children of the village and the end result was a totally refurbished school and landscaped playground. The ‘Day of Giving’ concept has now become an annual event.
Download a case study of the 2004 winner
The inaugural 2003 Programmes of Purpose Award for Social Responsibility went to the ‘Give Instead of Take’ programme in Malta put together by Easy Event. The orphanage refurbishment programme was exceptional in that it gained support from two competing publications as well as the Maltese Minister for Tourism, Mr Michael Refalo.
For more information on other IMEX Green Awards visit the Awards page.
