Commitment to the Community Award
About the Award
Click here to download the 2009 application form
Who can apply? Nominations are welcome from anyone involved in meetings, incentive programmes, conferences, associations or business projects which took place in 2007 or 2008 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 and on the IMEX website.
Please contact Dale Hudson, dale@imex-frankfurt.com for more information.
Previous Winners
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 BV. 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."
Click here to 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.
Click here to 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.
Click here to 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.
Click here to 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.
Click here to 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.
To find out more about this or any of the other IMEX awards visit the IMEX Awards Page
