The National Outdoor Expo 2022, organised by Raccoon Media Group and held at the NEC Birmingham, is the winner of the first BELA Award 2023.
BELA – Best Exhibition Launch Award – was created by the European Major Exhibition Centres Association (EMECA) marking its 30th Anniversary last year. The association says the aim is to draw attention to new organisers, show themes and formats to highlight innovation and the attractiveness of the exhibition industry. At the same time, EMECA says it intends to foster the resilience of the sector by showcasing examples of innovative approaches, active creation of new exhibitions and outstanding entrepreneurship.
The BELA Award is given to the best first edition of an exhibition, B2B or B2C, held at the EMECA venues in 2022.
Thirteen submissions eight venues in five countries were received and EMECA president Roland Bleinroth said: “The EMECA jury was impressed by how the community was built in a creative, inclusive and diverse way. The interactive activities implemented both inside the halls and outdoor went well beyond other similar industry events.
“We also appreciated the comprehensive sustainability measures, carbon footprint measuring and ambitious goal to be a net zero carbon event in 2025. All in all, this a role model for organiser-venue collaboration, we congratulate Raccoon Media Group as well as the NEC Birmingham.”
Raccoon Media Group picked up its award during the EMECA General Assembly in Basel 16–17 May 2023.
