2009 ISES Minnesota Star Awards

Each fall, the International Special Events Society’s (ISES) Minneapolis-St. Paul Chapter solicits entries for its Minnesota Star Awards in 16 categories. With the exception of the ISES Team Effort category, ISES membership is not a requirement for entry; submissions are accepted from anyone who plans, produces, or supplies to the Minnesota special events industry.

For 2009, all entries conforming to the ISES rules were submitted to the law firm of Hoversten Johnson Beckman & Hovey, which ensured that basic entry requirements were met. The firm sent qualifying entries to the Denver and Dallas ISES Chapters for judging. The three entries that received the highest total point score in a category were nominated, and the nominee that received the top score was declared the winner.

Twin Cities Business highlights ISES’s winning events—and the ISES awards celebration—in the following pages. Read on to see which local companies and events were judged the best!

—Mary Connor

This article was published originally in the June 2009 issue of Twin Cities Business.

Best Catered Event

Joy Baker, Mintahoe Hospitality Group, for The Container Store

Best Event Design and Decor: Budget Under $25,000

Jodi Collen, Augsburg College; Sheree Bochenek, Aprés Party and Tent Rental, for Advent Vespers Donor Dinner.

Best Event Design and Decor: Budget $25,000+, Best Corporate Event Planning: Budget $75,000+, and Best ISES Team Effort

BeEvents, Aprés Party and Tent Rental, Ice Occasions, Atmosphere Events/Equinox Creative, and The Wedding Guys for the Medtronic RNC Delegate Event

Best Use of Marketing/Graphic Design

Mary Anne London, Wow! Events by Kraus-Anderson, for KA Road Trip

Best Public Event Planning and Best Event Photography/Videography

Matthew Trettel, The Wedding Guys; Amy Coppersmith, Coppersmith Photography, for The Wedding Fair

Best Event Support Services

Nancy Jacobs, EDG Productions, for an 8,000-guest International Conference

Best Technical Production

Chris Tahti, Freestyle Productions, Inc., for Ag-Nite

Best Use of Floral

Heather Farrier, Festivities, Inc., for Shades of Blue Wedding

Best Corporate Event Planning: Budget Under $75,000 and Best Event for Nonprofit Organization (tie)

Missy Francisco Carlson, SMDC Health System, for An Evening of Phantom

Best Event for Nonprofit Organization (tie)

Mary Anne London, Wow! Evens by Kraus-Anderson, for Passage to India

Best Social Event Planning: Budget Under $25,000

Pete Nelson, Event Lab, for Becker Wedding

Best Use of Entertainment and Best Social Event Planning: Budget $25,000+

Melanie Vejdani, Hire a Host, Inc., for Nasty Naughty Boy Club