ISES Minneapolis - St. Paul - Minnesota Star Awards

» General Information

What are the ISES Minnesota Star Awards?
The ISES Minnesota Star Awards began in 2004 as a way to provide event professionals in Minnesota with an opportunity to gain recognition for the fabulous events they create, plan, manage, and execute each year.

Who can enter the awards?
Anyone who has produced events (or components of events) within the state of Minnesota OR that works in Minnesota, but produces events in other locations. You do not have to be an ISES member to enter most of the award categories!

Why should I enter the ISES Minnesota Star Award?
By entering the ISES Minnesota Star Awards, you are able to demonstrate the amazing things that you and your company are doing! This is your opportunity to show people what you can do and what makes you stand apart from your competition. Imagine being able to tell your clients that your company is “award winning!”

Who judges the awards?
B In order to maintain fairness in the judging, the ISES Minnesota Star Award submissions are entirely anonymous and are judged by event professionals from another region of the United States. All entries are delivered to a third-party law firm for pre-judging. Once the law firm has determined that the rules are met, all qualifying entries are sent to another ISES chapter in the United States for judging. The results of the judging are returned directly to the third-party law firm, which supplies the information about the winning entries to the awards company. All of the entries must be anonymous (no mention of names or company names are allowed in the entries). No local ISES members or event professionals are involved in the judging process or knows the winners prior to the ceremony.

What if I have questions?
If you have questions about the process, or run into problems, please send an email to starawards@ises-msp.org and someone will follow up with you.

Congratulations to the 2011 MN Star Awards Recipients! To see complete details of all winners, click here to download the information

BEST CATERED EVENT
“Cheers! To Edible Beverages”
Mintahoe Catering & Events - Lisa Brenna
This event was an educational gathering for professional caterers, showcasing ‘twists’ on beverages and presentations. We took the twist to a new level creating an entire menu of “Edible Beverages!”

BEST EVENT DESIGN & DÉCOR (budget under $25,000)
Advent Vespers
Augsburg College – Jodi Collen, CSEP
Apres Party & Tent Rental – Sheree Bochenek
This invite-only dinner honors donors to our institution and follows an annual holiday concert that is widely known. This year’s design focused on circles, which represented the relationship between the organization and the donor.

BEST EVENT DESIGN & DÉCOR (budget $25,000 and over)
MN CRV Employee Experience
BeEvents - Ryan Hanson, CSEP
How do you capture the imagination of a disengaged workforce? How do you launch a brand to unite them? How do you build commitment for the future, today? By creating innovative solutions for engagement.

BEST WEDDING
Clark Cohen Wedding
Rocket Science Wedding & Events – Gretchen Culver
A globally inspired wedding featuring a completely customized ceremony, gourmet vegetarian food, and dancing. The spirit of the wedding was summed up by the couple’s first dance song, “In an Aeroplane Over the Sea.”

BEST SOCIAL EVENT (Non Wedding)
3rd Annual Summer Spectacular
Jigsaw Unlimited – Susan Diamond, CSEP
Not your ordinary backyard bar-b-que! We helped the hosts of this party make sure that each of their 400+ guests was treated to fabulous food, toe tapping tunes and a dazzling
display of pyrotechnics.

BEST CORPORATE EVENT (budget $75,000 and over
MN CRV Employee Experience
Creative Events by Kranz – Cheryl Kranz
“5000 Events for 5000 People” Once the CEO positioned the CRV vision in the opening session, employees were treated to a 200,000 sq. ft. experience that brought that brand to life.

BEST NON-PROFIT EVENT
Wish Ball 2010
Thompson Hunt Floral and Event Design –
Marsha Hunt
Showcore – John Bulver
Freeman – Mark Brantley
The theme “Take Me Out To The Wish Ball,” hit a home run with gala attendees at the new ballpark, where meticulous planning ensured success in a venue still under construction weeks before the event.

BEST USE OF FLORAL
Hispanic National Bar Association
Thompson Hunt Floral and Event Design –
Marsha Hunt
BC Events - Bridget Connell
This major national conference required different themes, vibrant and colorful floral décor, and unique venues for each night of the four-day event, including “Latin Fusion”, “Neon Glow”, “Ball Park”, and “Crystal Fire and Ice”.

BEST PUBLIC EVENT
Cities 97 Basilica Block Party
The Basilica of Saint Mary – Meghan Gustafson
The 2010 Block Party marked its 16th year as “Your Ticket to Musical Redemption”. The event entertained 25,000 fans with 18 acts to benefit the renovation of the 100-year-old church building and its outreach programs.

BEST EVENT SUPPORT SERVICES
Ronald McDonald Fam Glam
Event Lab – Jennifer Warner/Scott DeLage
Using marketing materials as an inspiration, our design team embarked on a journey to make this vision come alive. The end result showcased a bright, energetic palette with
whimsical accents.

BEST ENTERTAINMENT PRODUCTION
Unwrapped
Festivities
The “unwrapped” event entertainment uniquely targeted the clients’ goals of surprise and conversation. This was accomplished by living statues and fire dancers unwrapping. The guests were continually surprised as the costumes transformed.

BEST TECHNICAL PRODUCTION
MN CRV Employee Experience
Interactive Meeting Technology – Samuel J. Smith
Threading digital experiences into an all-employee meeting, the interactive team created layered engagement opportunities that allowed employees at all levels to have a voice in the future of Boston Scientific.

BEST USE OF MARKETING/GRAPHIC DESIGN
Cities 97 Basilica Block Party
The Basilica of Saint Mary – Meghan Gustafson
The Block Party was a concert to benefit a Church. The challenge was to create a campaign that was edgy enough to sell 25,000 tickets. A concept was born that married rock and religion.

BEST EVENT PHOTOGRAPHY
Tour de Cure
Coppersmith Photography – Amy Coppersmith
We volunteered to document a charity bike tour that helps raise money for diabetes research. We provided photography coverage for our client allowing them the ability to show future fundraisers, all possibilities of the event.

BEST ISES TEAM EFFORT
MN CRV Employee Experience
Creative Events by Kranz – Cheryl Kranz
BeEvents – Ryan Hanson, CSEP
The Wedding Guys®
Interactive Meeting Technology – Samuel J. Smith
Jigsaw Unlimited – Susan Diamond, CSEP
Avant Décor
AVEX – Tim McVean
CORT Event Furnishings – Laura Jolcover
Ice Occasions – Chris Swarbrick
Sassafras
“5000 Events for 5000 People” Once the CEO positioned the CRV vision in the opening session, employees were treated to a 200,000 sq. ft. experience that brought that brand to life.

BEST CREATIVE SOLUTION
MN CRV Employee Experience
BeEvents – Ryan Hanson, CSEP
Creative Events by Kranz – Cheryl Kranz
The Wedding Guys®
Our client asked us to create an experience to empower its employees to be inspired and committed to its CEO’s vision, defined by a merger of two previously independent organizations combined under a new divisional brand.

» 2010 Minnesota STAR Awards Recipients

Best Use of Food/Beverage
Sultry Supper Club Soiree
Lindsay Piram, give my regards to...
A local nightclub was transformed for an evening into a sultry supper club with food and libations reminiscent of the fabulous forties. Authenticity of the era was adhered to from soup to nuts, literally.

Best Use of Floral
Wish Ball 2009
Marsha Hunt, Thompson Hunt Floral and Event Design
The gala theme “Noche Para Los Niños,” enticed guests to experience an evening in a hot, jazzy, Latin American night club, surrounded by lush tropical blooms, palm trees, and architectural elements draped in abundant fresh flowers.

Best Event Design & Décor (Budget under $25,000)
Elegant, Whimsical Tea Party
Eve Deikel Wendel, EVE Events
Even Alice envied this one! A little girl’s first birthday party, filled with elegance and whimsy. Handmade invitations, vintage linens and china, fabric-wrapped tea amenities, and fanciful, vintage-inspired cakes. No detail was left untouched.

Best Event Design & Décor (Budget $25,000 and over)
Moroccan Fall Festival
Pete Nelson, Event Lab
The colorful and exciting landscape of Morocco was the destination of this annual client appreciation event. The ballroom was completely transformed using silk fabrics, hanging floral arrangements and dramatic lighting, transporting guests into another world.

Best Use of Marketing/Graphic Design
The Unveiled Wedding Event
The Wedding Guys®
For the launch of our national tour we were challenged to destroy the mold of traditional bridal tradeshow marketing. With cutting edge graphic design we promoted our ultimate wedding planning experience to Dallas Brides.

Best Event Photography/Videography
Wedding Trade Show
Amy Coppersmith, Coppersmith Photography
We were asked to document a wedding tradeshow. We provided event photography to my client allowing them to demonstrate the details of the event and showcase why this wedding tradeshow is the best in the country.

Best Event Support Services
New Year’s Event 2009
Kevin Nelson, Ultimate Events
Recipe for a great event: Wedge a tent into a parking lot during the middle of a freezing cold winter. Add a few thousand patrons, great music and get it all done in 3 days!

Best Use of Entertainment
That’s Life!
Char Mason, Coleman Mason Events
Cookie Coleman, Coleman Mason Events
Pat Frederick, Pat Frederick Productions
The classic nightclub era was back for one unforgettable evening gala with a swinging’ Rat Pack floor show by the purveyors of cool...Frank, Sammie and Dean. Coat and tie was required: black tie of course.

Best Social Event (Budget under $25,000)
Wonderland Wedding
Jennifer Warner, Event Lab
Scott DeLage, Event Lab
One military groom surprised his bride with the perfect celebration inspired by “Alice in Wonderland.” Vibrant tables, toppling teapot centerpieces, curious critters, oversized furniture, a croquet court and a quirky Caterpillar bar created the fantasy.

Best Social Event (Budget $25,000 and over)
Modern Victorian Wedding
Kathy Bakeberg, Festivities
This wedding celebrated the uniqueness of the couple. It materialized the concept of a city girl and country boy coming together. The reception was held at a historic farm site with elegant Victorian inspired décor.

Best Corporate Event (Budget under $75,000)
Building Community Bridges
WOW! Events by Kraus-Anderson
Thrivent wanted its first member gala to be elegant, memorable and fun. “Building Community Bridges” delivered European-inspired elements, including a flowing fountain, bridge photo-op, rich linens and florals, “French” caricaturists and a lively singing topiary.

Best Corporate Event (Budget $75,000 and over)
PowerTrack 2009 Conference
Nancy Jacobs, edgProductions
PowerTrack Supply Chain Conference – A weeklong conference of their most valuable customers brought to Minneapolis to be entertained and to learn about the PowerTrack products. Highlighted by a blowout final night dinner and party.

Best Non-Profit Event
Youth Charity Fundraiser
Nancy Jacobs, edgProductions
Inspired by the image of two children pulling a wagon laden with packages down the street, this elegant yet playful fundraiser for a children’s charity embraced the warmth of a summer day.

Best Public Event
The Unveiled Wedding Event
The Wedding Guys®
For the launch of our national tour we were challenged to destroy the mold of traditional bridal tradeshow marketing. With cutting edge graphic design we promoted our ultimate wedding planning experience to Dallas Brides.

Best ISES Team Effort
Annual SOAR Celebration
Lisa Marie Borchert, Allianz Life
Pete Nelson, Event Lab
Leonard Neil, Leonard Neil Productions
Diana Rohlfsen, Biffs, Inc.
Noah Wolf, Noah Wolf Photography
Apres Party & Tent Rental
Ultimate Events
Sculptware
The Annual SOAR Celebration is the culminating event of the Company’s month-long employee recognition drive. The event was held on campus, built on the successes of past, yet created an identity uniquely its own.

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» 2009 ISES Minnesota STAR Awards Recipients

Check out the video from the 2009 MN Star Awards

» Testimonials

"A world-class presentation by a world-class ISES chapter. Clearly the
display, staging and presentation elements combined to demonstrate the
difference between events and SPECIAL EVENTS."
Dave Herman, Big EventProductions, LLC

"What a phenomenal demonstration of the tremendous success that can be
achieved by collaboration. I am proud to be a part of such a talented
group of minds!"
Jessica Woodward, Event Program Manager, metroConnecitons

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