The 11th annual Stevie® Awards for Sales & Customer Service - the world's top honors for customer service, contact center, business development and sales professionals - will be staged this Friday, February 24 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.  More than 650 professionals from around the world will attend, making it one of the largest Stevie Awards events ever staged.  

The awards presentations will be broadcast live - look here for the details.  

Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Awards in the business development, new product and service and solution provider categories will be presented at 5:15 pm Pacific Time.  After a reception and dinner, awards in the sales and customer service categories will be presented beginning at 7:40 pm PT.

Here's the list of organizations that have already confirmed their attendance this Friday.

Access One Inc Chicago IL
Achievers Toronto ON Canada
Acquia Inc. Boston MA
Adestra New York NY
Adobe Systems San Jose CA
Aflac Columbus GA
Albridge Lawrenceville NJ
Allianz Global Assistance Richmond VA
Ally Bank Detroit MI
Arcelik Istanbul-Turkey
ArmadaGlobal Hunt Valley MD
Auspac Business Advantage Maroochydore QLD Australia
AWeber - Email Marketing Chalfont PA
BCM One New York NY
BiggerPockets Denver CO
Billhighway Troy MI
Black Knight Financial Services Jacksonville FL
Blue Ocean Contact Centers Halifax NS Canada
Board of Certification/Accreditation Owings Mill MD
Bombardier Commercial Aircraft Customer Services Toronto ON & Montreal and Mirabel PQ
Borusan Otomotiv Istanbul Turkey
Box Inc. Redwood City CA
Brainier Solutions Inc. Minneapolis MN
CAC 2000 Kingston Jamaica
Camp Bow Wow Broomfield CO
Carbonite Inc. Lewiston ME
CareerArc Burbank CA
CareerBuilder Chicago IL
Casper New York NY
Chewy Dania Beach FL
Choozle Denver CO
Cisco Systems Diegem Belgium
Cisco Systems Inc. San Jose CA
CLEAResult Tempe AZ
ClearSlide San Francisco CA
ClearVision Optical Company Hauppauge NY
Clio - Practice Management Software Vancouver BC Canada
Comcast Philadelphia PA
Concentrix Fremont CA
Conectys Bucharest Romania
Convergys Corporation Cincinnati OH
Cricket Wireless Atlanta GA
CrunchTime! Information Systems Boston MA
CubeSmart Malvern PA
DataCore Software Fort Lauderdale FL
Daxko Birmingham AL
Dell Technologies Bangalore Karnataka India
Delmarva Trailer Sales and Rentals Inc. Elkridge MD
Delta Air Lines Atlanta GA
Delta Defense West Bend WI
Delta Vacations Minot ND
DHL Express Plantation FL & Tempe AZ
DHL Global Forwarding U.S.
Dicom Transportation Group Dorval QC Canada
Digital Native Agency Prague Czech Republic
Donan Louisville KY
Dow Jones & Co. Princeton NJ
Druva Inc. Sunnyvale CA
Dun & Bradstreet Malibu CA
EFG Companies Irving TX
Elite Wealth Group San Jose CA
EMKAY Inc Itasca IL
eMoney Advisor LLC Radnor PA
EventMobi Toronto ON Canada
EXTRA Loyalty Solutions Istanbul Turkey
ezCater Boston MA
Festival Walk Hong Kong
First American Database Solutions Santa Ana CA
FirstEnergy Akron OH
FIS Global New York NY
FIS Jacksonville FL USA
Forrest Performance Group and The Pacific Institute Fort Worth TX USA:
FreshBooks Toronto ON Canada
Garanti Emeklilik ve Hayat A.S. Istanbul Turkey
Globoforce Southborough MA and Dublin Ireland
GMC Software Boston MA
GoDaddy Scottsdale AZ
Google Fiber Mountain View CA
GPS Insight Scottsdale AZ
Grovo New York NY
GuideWell Connect Jacksonville FL
HomeAway Inc. Austin TX
HomeServe USA Norwalk CT
Humana Inc. Louisville KY
IBM Armonk NY
ICICI Lombard GIC Ltd Mumbai India
IHG Salt Lake City UT
Imparta Inc. Austin TX
Inci Akü GS Yuasa Manisa Turkey
Infinity Cedar Rapids IA
Invenio Solutions Austin TX
ISN Dallas TX
j2 Global Inc. Ottawa ON Canada
Janek Performance Group Las Vegas NV
John Hancock Financial Services Boston MA
Kohl's Credit and Customer Service Menomonee Falls WI
KT Seoul South Korea
L A Mortgage Team, Mortgage Intelligence Burlington ON Canada
Lennox Industries Richardson TX
Lhasa OMS Weymouth MA
ListenTrust Portland ME
LiveOps Inc. Scottsdale AZ
Lucernex Plano TX
MarkitTrack Chicago IL
Marriott Intermediary Partner Care Omaha NE
Marriott Vacation Club International Orlando FL
MediaRadar New York NY
Mercer Consumer Des Moines IA
MetTel New York NY
Migros Istanbul Turkey
Mixpanel San Francisco CA
ModusLink Waltham MA
Moody's Analytics New York NY
Mozy by DELL Draper UT
MTM Lake St. Louis MO
NCR Atlanta GA
Netchex Covington LA
Network Alliance Reston VA
Nuance Communications Burlington MA
Oi Rio de Janeiro Brazil
OmniUpdate Camarillo CA
OpenLink Financial Uniondale NY
Optum Eden Prairie MN
Optum Consumer Sales and Services Horsham PA
Ortho Clinical Diagnostics Raritan NJ
PGi Atlanta GA
PlanGrid San Francisco CA
Prov International Inc Tampa FL
Pushpay Holdings Limited Redmond WA
QNB Finansbank Istanbul Turkey
Qstream Burlington MA
Qualtrics Salt Lake City UT
Response Lindon UT
Revana a TeleTech Company Tempe AZ
Richardson Philadelphia PA
Rimini Street Las Vegas NV
Riva International Inc. Edmonton AB Canada
RizePoint Salt Lake City UT
Runzheimer Waterford WI
Salary.com Waltham MA
Sales Partnerships Broomfield CO
Sandler Sales Institute Overland Park KS
SAP Newtown Square PA
SAVO Group Chicago IL
Scribendi Inc Chatham ON Canada
Securus Technologies Dallas TX
Selling Energy Burlingame CA
SGEi Las Vegas NV
Sharegate Montreal QC Canada
ShopKeep New York NY
Signs.com Salt Lake City UT
SMTP2GO Christchurch New Zealand
SoftPro Raleigh NC
Sonnet Toronto ON Canada
Standard For Success Indianpolis IN
Statewide Intake Austin TX
Sun Basket San Jose CA
Symantec Ltd Dublin Ireland
Tarion Warranty Corporation Toronto ON Canada
TCL Corona CA
Telogis Inc. Aliso Viejo CA
The Horton Group Chicago IL
Transitions in Progress LLC Winchester VA
Travelzoo New York NY
Ultimate Software Weston FL
United States Equestrian Federation Lexington KY
University of Oregon Eugene OR
Unox, Inc. Belmont NC
UPMC Health Plan Pittsburgh PA
UserTesting Mountain View CA
USHEALTH Advisors LLC Forth Worth TX
ValueSelling Associates Rancho Santa Fe CA
Velocity Advisory Group Philadelphia PA
VENZA Roswell GA
VIPRE (ThreatTrack Security) Clearwater FL
Visualize, Inc. Birmingham MI
Vivint Smart Home Provo UT
VIZIO Inc. Irvine CA
VMWare Palo Alto CA
Warshaw Group Inc. New York NY
Wayfair Boston MA
Webhelp Istanbul Turkey
Webroot Broomfield CO
Wells Fargo Treasury Management Client Delivery San Francisco CA
WePay Inc Redwood City CA
WP Engine Austin TX
Wyndham Vacation Ownership Orlando FL
Young Living Lehi UT
Zebra Technologies Lincolnshire IL
Zelis Payments Clearwater FL

Entries for the 2018 edition of the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service will open in July.  Interested?

Votes Determined Public's Favorites for Customer Service Excellence

Winners of the 2017 People's Choice Stevie® Awards for Favorite Customer Service, a worldwide public vote, were announced today. Voting was conducted from January 20 through February 10, with the highest number of votes deciding the winners in 12 industry categories.

All organizations honored in the Customer Service Department of the Year categories of this year’s Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service were eligible to be included in voting for the people’s choice awards. The Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service, now in their 11th year, are the world’s top honors for customer service, contact center, business development and sales professionals.

This year’s people’s choice winners, who will each receive the coveted crystal People’s Choice Stevie Award, are:

        Airlines, Distribution, Transportation: Bombardier Aerospace                            
        Computer Hardware: Unitrends
        Computer Services: Ultimate Software
        Financial, Less Than 100 Employees: CommonBond
        Financial, More Than 100 Employees: Distinguished Programs
        Healthcare/Pharma: Zelis Payments
        Leisure & Tourism: Marriott Vacation Club Owner Services                
        Retail: Chewy
        Software, Less Than 100 Employees: FieldEdge
        Software, More Than 100 Employees: GPS Insight
        Telecommunications: j2 Global, Inc.
        Other Industries: CubeSmart

More than 149,000 votes were cast this year.

Nicknamed the Stevie® for the Greek word “crowned,” the awards will be presented to winners at the 11th annual Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service awards banquet on Friday, February 24 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada. Tickets for the event are now on sale. More than 600 executives from around the world are expected to attend. The presentations will be broadcast live via Livestream.

About The Stevie Awards
Stevie Awards are conferred in seven programs: the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, the German Stevie Awards, The American Business Awards, The International Business Awards, the Stevie Awards for Great Employers, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. Stevie Awards competitions receive more than 10,000 entries each year from organizations in more than 60 nations. Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide. Learn more about the Stevie Awards at http://www.StevieAwards.com.

Sponsors of the 11th annual Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service include Sales Partnerships and ValueSelling Associates.

We're pleased to share with you the first photographs of the Silver and Bronze Stevie® medals that will be presented to Silver and Bronze Stevie winners in all of our 2017 competitions.

Evocative of the crystal pyramid held aloft by the Stevie trophy, the medals are triangular, as were the 2016 medals.  The awards are distinguished from the 2016 versions by the shades of blue and green used, respectively, on the Silver and Bronze medal boxes.

The medals will first be presented to Silver and Bronze Stevie winners at the 11th annual Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service in Las Vegas on Friday, February 24.

As in the past, Silver and Bronze Stevie winners will automatically receive one medal.  They'll have the option to purchase additional medals, or corresponding Silver or Bronze Stevie Award trophies, through the Stevie Awards Store.

Insights from a Gold Stevie ® Winner at Lennox Industries, Inc.

We wanted to learn a bit more on how Rich Ford, the Sales Director for Lennox Industries in Richardson, Texas  grew to win the Gold Stevie® for Sales Director of the Year in the 2016 Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. So, we reached out to the Lennox Industries team and got a few different perspectives. Quan Nguyen,  the VP of Marketing helped us coordinate the conversation and expressed, “We are very excited and proud of Rich.“ Quan pulled in Gary Bedard, the Vice President and General Manager of Lennox Industries as well as the winner himself, Rich Ford.

The 2017 Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service is accepting nominations through January 11. REVIEW THE ENTRY KIT HERE.

To get started we asked Gary to give us a bit of background on what solutions Lennox provides.

“Lennox Industries is a leading manufacturer and distributor of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems and products for residential and commercial markets. We have leveraged our expertise to become an industry leader known for innovation, quality and reliability,” said Gary.

Gary also shared the Vision behind Lennox. “Within the home comfort industry, we want to leverage our one step distribution model to provide our professional contractors with the most innovative and highest quality products and services for them to best serve our end customers.” Bedard continued, “Our core values of integrity, respect, and excellence has built a culture of performance and accountability to execute on our vision.”

When asked about the story behind the nomination, Gary got excited. “We have an outstanding team of sales professionals, a group honored by the Stevies for the Best Field Sales Force!  Within that team, we have a leader of leaders and that was Rich Ford. He’s elevated himself in both action and performance to become a complete sales professional. The three year sales performance and growth we’ve seen out of the Western Region is simply incredible for this industry. His leadership has been instrumental in our results. He continually coaches and mentors his team and his peers. He is a thoughtful advisor to the entire management team. He consistently finds innovative solutions to customer challenges and he maintains the highest levels of standards and integrity. When we saw this award category, we were absolutely delighted to nominate Rich. His contributions have been tremendous and he really embodies all of our values of integrity, respect, and excellence.”

Gary provided interesting background on how Lennox first became acquainted with the Stevie® Awards . “We had started undergoing a transformation in 2010. Coming out of the recession in 2012, we started winning. Not just growing,  but winning by taking market share!  It was largely driven by transformational changes in our sales team and supply chain logistics. I understood that the efforts and success we were making were not just industry leading but world class so we sought to compete on a global level. We came upon the Stevie Awards that way and that’s been one of our inspirations ever since.  And we still continue to win in the market.”

Enter Rich Ford himself who described the actual experience of winning the award. Rich began with,

“When you win something you’re not expecting, or even know you’re being considered, it’s a very humbling experience. We have some amazing leaders in our organization – others deserving of the award and recognition. Then, to find out the organization recognized me as their nominee, made me happy to be a part of the team; the organization as well as our industry.”

We were interested in learninghow the award has affected RIch’s business to which Mr. Ford replied, “I can’t say that the award has affected my business dealings. I’m not a better director or leader as a result of the award. I still strive to contribute to a culture of excellence in everything we do. I still try to bring the highest level of service to our customers and to be a champion and advocate for my team. I’m probably more acutely aware of my day to day interactions and will strive to live up to the expectations that come with the recognition.”

Rich also shared his insights on the future of his industry, ”The key drivers in our industry have always been regulatory. Either the environmental impact at the federal level or on the local level with utility companies. I find it interesting that the regulations can have a greater impact on our industry going forward beyond the typical SEER/EER ratings standards. Secondary regulations in local markets could impact the way our product is installed. And, as an applied product, this could have either a negative impact or change fundamentally how our product is designed and distributed in the future. Closely watching the actions of our competitors as well as different channels (Residential New Construction for example) will keep it interesting and require staying diligent in our own innovative development of products going forward.”

Rich showed his mettle with some inspiration we can all appreciate, “As I think about where I started professionally and where I ultimately wound up – it’s definitely not a straight line. Often times, Sales Leaders start in sales and through consecutive successes over their careers become who they are – Sales Leaders. I started with Lennox, as an IT Specialist. My background had been technology focused and it was through technology I joined Lennox. It wasn’t long before I noticed a culture of sales excellence within the company through working with the Sales Managers.

It became my purpose and goal to become a Sales Director before I had my first sales position. It was not a clear road.  It took three attempts before I was finally given the opportunity to join the sales team as a Territory Manager. With each rejection I worked harder to get better. I looked for opportunities for improvement by spending time with those who were great in the role to which I wanted to rise. From Territory Manager to District Manager – I learned from great DMs.  From DM to director – I listened to and spoke with great sales directors.  

I’m not a ‘natural salesperson’ as many believe is true for most salespeople. My point is – regardless of your dream – be it a sales leader, a great IT professional or even a great parent – don’t quit getting better at what you want to do. More importantly, find others who do it great and do what they do.”

Shown from left to right: Mark Yonai winner of the Stevie Gold for Best Use of Technology, Leigh Ann Vernon winner of the Stevie Gold for Best Sales Meeting, Rich Ford winner of the Stevie Gold for Sales Director, Bill Carlson winner of the Stevie Gold for Business Development.

You can learn more about Lennox Industries at http://www.lennox.com/

The 15th annual American Business Awards, the premier business awards competition in the U.S.A. which attracts more than 3,000 nominations from organizations nationwide each year, is accepting nominations for the 2017 program. 

The American Business Awards recognize achievement in every facet of the workplace. Entry details are available at http://www.stevieawards.com/aba. 

REVIEW THE ENTRY KIT.

All organizations operating in the U.S.A. are eligible to submit nominations -- public and private, for-profit and non-profit, large and small. The last early-bird entry deadline is December 14 – with discounted entry fees. The final entry deadline is February 16 and late entries will be accepted through March 15. 

One of the larger category groups in The 2017 American Business Awards is the Marketing Awards categories. 

The Marketing Awards categories are divided into three groups:

• Marketing Campaign: Industry Categories
• Marketing Campaign: Specialty Categories
• Marketing Professional Categories

Categories Include:

Marketing Campaign of the Year - Industry Categories

E01. Agricultural / Industrial / Building: for all related products, materials, tools and services.
E02. Automotive - Aftermarket: gasoline, motor oil, tires, batteries, paint, quick-lube, oil change, muffler, transmission, windshield wipers, enhancements, etc.
E03. Automotive - Vehicles: cars, trucks, motorcycles, both brand and model advertising.
E04. Beauty: cosmetics, fragrances, hair products, nail products, beauty services such as salons, spas, etc.
E05. Beverages - Alcohol: beer, champagne, liquor, wine, wine coolers, after dinner drinks, etc.
E06. Beverages - Non-Alcohol: diet and non-diet soda, coffee, tea, juices, milk, milk substitutes, bottled water, sparkling water, etc.
E07. Breakfast Foods: cereals and other foods intended primarily for breakfast consumption.
E08. Corporate Reputation/Professional Services: includes sponsorships, image & identity, communications to promote corporations, not exclusively their products. Includes business/professional services such as consulting, accounting, legal, employments, etc.
E09. Culture & The Arts: plays, museums, music organizations, concert series, cultural festivals, theater festivals, etc.
E10. Electronics: audio and/or video devices such as TVs, radios, mobile devices, home entertainment (DVD/Blu-ray players), cameras, computer hardware, game consoles, laptops, tablets, sound systems, etc.
E11. Energy/Nutrition Products & Services: products and services aimed at the energy, sports, wellness lifestyle. Vitamins, energy bars, drinks, etc.; weight loss and fitness programs/camps, training camps and facilities, etc.
E12. Entertainment & Sports: includes entertainment and sporting events. Sporting events such as the Super Bowl, sports teams, etc. All forms of entertainment including specific films, books, DVDs, videogames, games (online, mobile, social, board, card, etc.), entertainment apps, greeting cards, online, radio and TV programming, etc.
E13. Fashion & Style: brands of clothing, eyewear, footwear, hosiery, jewelry, accessories, etc.
E14. Financial Cards: credit, charge, debit, reward, phone and other cards.
E15. Financial Products & Services: communications promoting overall image and capabilities of a financial institution and specific products or services including home banking, loans, mortgage, mutual funds, traveler's checks, etc.
E16. Government / Institutional / Recruitment: municipal or state economic development, lotteries, utilities (i.e. electricity conservation messages), membership drives, armed forces marketing communications. Includes political messages and special interest/trade group communications.
E17. Healthcare - Disease Education & Awareness: communications to educate and/or spread awareness about a certain disease or health issue, whether to healthcare professionals, patients, and/or consumers.
E18. Healthcare - OTC: communications efforts for products that may be purchased without a subscription that address a specific illness, disease, or health issue, whether to healthcare professionals, patients, and/or consumers.
E19. Healthcare - Rx: communications efforts for products that may be purchased with a subscription that address a specific illness, disease, or health issue, whether to healthcare professionals, patients, and/or consumers.
E20. Healthcare - Services: marketing communications efforts that were developed for hospitals, HMOs, referral services, dental and medical care services, or chronic care facilities, whether to healthcare professionals, patients, and/or consumers.
E21. Home Furnishings & Appliances: kitchen appliances, air conditioners, carpeting, furniture, decorator's supplies, paint, wallpaper, etc.
E22. Home Supplies & Services: cleaning products, waxes, detergents, floor-care products, fabric softeners, paper products, domestic services, mowers, fertilizers, lawn care, gardening services, etc.
E23. Insurance: communications promoting specific products or services related to insurance and the capabilities of financial institutions offering these services. All types of insurance are eligible (home, auto, financial, health, life, travel, business, etc.).
E24. Internet / Telecom: wireless/cellular providers, high speed Internet access services, online services, portals, search engines and related Internet products & services (including SaaS/IaaS and Cloud-based services), bundled communications (Internet, telephone, and cable TV).
E25. Leisure Products & Services: recreational, sporting, and camping goods/services and other items/services intended for leisure activity.
E26. Media & Entertainment Companies: broadcasters, magazines, newspapers, web sites, consumer or trade media, radio and television stations, including networks.
E27. Office & Delivery Products & Services: delivery - overnight delivery, packagetracking, international service, etc. Office - printers, physical servers, fax machines, copiers, supplies, office furniture, etc.
E28. Packaged Food: packaged and frozen foods both regular and diet/light.
E29. Personal Care: soap, dental products, face & body lotions and cleansers, cotton swabs, deodorants, feminine hygiene products, razors, shaving cream, etc.
E30. Pet Care: animal care products and services of all types, including food, toys, veterinary and boarding services, training, and breeders.
E31. Real Estate: homes, real estate brokers, malls, etc.
E32. Restaurants: quick service, casual dining, mid-scale, white table cloth and other restaurants.
E33. Retail: general -- stores and/or web sites that provides a multiple range of non-related or generally related merchandise, which include department stores, food retailers, and discount/bulk retailers, craft stores, etc. Specialized -- stores and/or web sites that specialize in one particular line of products (e.g. clothing, fashion, jewelry, health food, shoes, pet care, toys, greeting cards, etc.).
E34. Snacks / Desserts / Confections: ice cream, candy, chips, cookies, bakery items, nut, fruit & vegetable snacks, popcorn, etc.
E35. Software & Apps: software, groupware, operating systems, or software stored locally on a computer, tablet, or mobile device. (See category E24 for Saas/IaaS or Cloud-based services, and category E12 for online and mobile games.)
E36. Transportation: air, train, bus/trolley, taxi, subway systems, bike shares, car rentals, leasing not including automobile sales/leasing, ferries, etc.
E37. Travel / Tourism / Destination: cruises, hotels, resorts, amusement parks, travel websites and booking services, travel tours, tourism campaigns, etc.

Marketing Campaign of the Year - Specialty Categories

E40. Brand Experience of the Year - Business-to-Business: recognizing work that reaches out to business audiences to establish meaningful relationships, memorable, engaging experiences, and unique connections with their brands.
E41. Brand Experience of the Year - Consumer: recognizing work that reaches out to consumer audiences to establish meaningful relationships, memorable, engaging experiences, and unique connections with their brands.
E42. Branded Utility of the Year: recognizing products and services created to address a marketing or business challenge, not to be sold, as part of a marketing program itself.  Entrants must explain the product or service created in response to the challenge, its roles and objectives, and how it was communicated to its audience, and the results achieved.  (New category for 2017)
E43. Mobile Marketing Campaign of the Year: for campaigns targeted to consumers' mobile devices.
E44. Branded Content Campaign of the Year: recognizing work that has used branded content - original or sponsored - to reach out to audiences to establish meaningful relationships, memorable, engaging experiences, and unique connections with their brands.
E45. Online Marketing Campaign of the Year: for campaigns that were conducted in their entirety online.
E46. New Product or Service Introduction of the Year: for campaigns conducted to introduce a new product or service to the U.S. market.
E47. Small-Budget Marketing Campaign of the Year (<$3 million)
E48. Viral Marketing Campaign of the Year: for campaigns that used word-of-mouth, video stunts, and other viral tactics as their primary means of communication.
E49. Youth Marketing Campaign of the Year: for campaigns that targeted the youth market (up to age 24).

Marketing Professional Categories

E50. Marketing or Advertising Agency of the Year
E51. Marketing Department of the Year
E52. Marketing Team of the Year
E53. Marketing Executive of the Year
E54. Marketer of the Year: recognizing non-executive marketing professionals.  There is no entry fee for this category

The 15th annual American Business Awards, the premier business awards competition in the U.S.A. which attracts more than 3,000 nominations from organizations nationwide each year, is now accepting nominations for the 2017 program. 

The American Business Awards recognize achievement in every facet of the workplace. Entry details are available at http://www.stevieawards.com/aba. 

REVIEW THE ENTRY KIT.

All organizations operating in the U.S.A. are eligible to submit nominations -- public and private, for-profit and non-profit, large and small. There are two early-bird entry deadlines this year – November 17 and December 14 – with discounted entry fees. 

A category group that has been greatly expanded for 2017 is Mobile Site & App Awards. 

These categories recognize excellence in mobile websites and apps.

Information to be submitted online for entries in these categories for the 2017 ABAs will include

a. An essay of up to 200 words describing the mobile site or app's purpose and results to date.

b. The mobile site or app itself, in the form of a demonstration video of up to three (3) minutes in length.  You must attach the video to your entry through our attachment/link uploading tool. 

c. Optionally, you may list creative and production credits for your site or app - a list of the people and organizations that contribute to its development

F55. Business/Government
F56. Education & Reference
F57. Entertainment
F58. Events
F59. Experimental & Innovation
F60. Family & Kids (new category for 2017)
F61. Fashion & Beauty (new category for 2017)
F62. Financial Services / Banking (new category for 2017)
F63. Fitness & Recreation (new category for 2017)
F64. Food & Drink (new category for 2017)
F65. Games
F66. Guides/Ratings/Reviews
F67. Health (new category for 2017)
F68. Integrated Mobile Experience
F69. Lifestyle
F70. Magazine / Editorial (new category for 2017)
F71. Marketing
F72. Messaging (new category for 2017)
F73. Music
F74. News
F75. Productivity (new category for 2017)
F76. Professional Education
F77. Professional Services (new category for 2017)
F78. Public Service & Activism (new category for 2017)
F79. Real Estate (new category for 2017)
F80. School / University (new category for 2017)
F81. Shopping
F82. Social
F83. Sports
F84. Training
F85. Travel
F86. Utilities & Services

Gold Stevie winners in the Mobile Site & App Awards categories in 2016 include:

Business/Government - Advertising, Marketing, Public Relations and Business Services Industries
GOLD STEVIE WINNER:
EffectiveUI, Denver, CO: City and County of Denver’s PocketGov Web App Allows Citizens to Interact with Government from Anywhere

Business/Government – All Other Industries
GOLD STEVIE WINNER:
Applied Systems, University Park, IL: Applied Mobile

Education & Reference
GOLD STEVIE WINNER:
Neocate, Rockville, MD: Neocate Footsteps App

Events
GOLD STEVIE WINNER:
BMO Capital Markets, Chicago, IL: Global Metals and Mining Conference App

Experimental & Innovation
GOLD STEVIE WINNER:
Sharecare.com, Atlanta, GA: Sharecare Voice App

Integrated Mobile Experience
GOLD STEVIE WINNER:
LogMeIn, Boston, MA: join.me

Lifestyle
GOLD STEVIE WINNER:
ACTIVE Network, Dallas, TX: Couch to 5K: Running App, Training Coach and GPS Tracker

Marketing
GOLD STEVIE WINNER:
LABOV Marketing Communications and Training, Fort Wayne, IN: Audi of America Audi exclusive App

Shopping
GOLD STEVIE WINNER:
Peapod, Skokie, IL: Smart Shopping Gets Smarter: Peapod's New Mobile App
App

Finalists were announced today in the 13th annual Stevie® Awards for Women in Business, the world’s top honors for women entrepreneurs, executives, employees, and the organizations they run.

The Stevie Awards for Women in Business are produced by the creators of the prestigious American Business Awards and International Business Awards. The Stevies are widely considered to be the world’s premier business awards.

This year’s Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Award winners will be announced at an awards dinner at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City on Friday, November 18. More than 400 women and their guests from around the world are expected to attend the presentations, which will be broadcast live on LiveStream. The red carpet pre-show will air on the Stevie Awards’ Facebook Live.

More than 1,400 entries were submitted this year by organizations and individuals around the world for consideration in more than 90 categories including Executive of the Year, Entrepreneur of the Year, Startup of the Year, Women Helping Women, and Women-Run Workplace of the Year.

Organizations with multiple Finalists in a variety of categories include Accenture (Chicago, IL), Aflac (Columbus, GA), Cirkled in (Redmond, WA), Creative Lodging Solutions (Lexington, KY), DCR Workforce (Boca Raton, FL), EvolveMKD (New York, NY), Jeunesse Global (Lake Mary, FL), Linqia (San Francisco, CA), Stratus Interactive (West Chester,PA), TAPfit (Queensland, Australia) and World Financial Group (San Jose, CA), among others.

Nominations were submitted by organizations in 22 nations including Argentina, Australia, Canada, China, Croatia, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, and the USA.

Visit http://www.StevieAwards.com/Women for a complete list of Finalists by category.

Finalists were chosen by more than 110 business professionals worldwide during preliminary judging. Members of five specialized judging committees will determine the Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Award placements from among the Finalists during final judging that begins on October 17.

About The Stevie Awards
Stevie Awards are conferred in seven programs: the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, the German Stevie Awards, The American Business Awards, The International Business Awards, the Stevie Awards for Great Employers, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. Stevie Awards competitions receive more than 10,000 entries each year from organizations in more than 60 nations. Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide. Learn more about the Stevie Awards at http://www.StevieAwards.com.

The 11th Annual Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service recognize the achievements of contact center, customer service, business development and sales professionals worldwide. Entries for the 2017 competition are now being accepted.

October 19 is the early-bird entry deadline with discounted entry fees. The entry deadline is November 16, but late entries will be accepted through January 11 with payment of a late fee. Winners of the eleventh annual competition will be announced at a gala awards banquet on February 24 at Caesars Palace Hotel in Las Vegas.

REVIEW THE ENTRY KIT HERE.

Today we will highlight the Customer Service and Contact Center Individual awards categories.

The customer service and contact center individual categories recognize individual contact center and customer service professionals.

Information required for entries in these categories include:
(a) An essay of up to 650 words describing the nominee’s accomplishments since July 1, 2015. 
(b) Optional (but highly recommended), a collection of supporting files and web addresses that you may upload to our server to support your entry and provide more background information to the judges. At the very least you should provide a link to the organization's website.

55. Front-Line Customer Service Professional of the Year
    Recognizing the achievements of customer service professionals who directly engage customers. This category is split into five separate categories:
    a. Business Services Industries: recognizes achievements of professionals in business services industries such as advertising, consulting, marketing, public relations, recruiting, etc.
    b. Financial Services Industries: recognizes the achievements of professionals in the accounting, banking, financial services, insurance, etc. industries.
       c. Other Service Industries: recognizes achievements of professionals in services industries such as financial services, healthcare, hospitality & leisure, legal, media & entertainment, real estate, retail, etc.
       d. Technology Industries: recognizes achievements of professionals in technology industries such as computer software, computer services, computer hardware, internet/new media, and telecommunications.
       e. All Other Industries: recognizes achievements of professionals in all industries not covered by the other Front-Line Customer Service Professional of the Year categories.
56. Back-Office Customer Service Professional of the Year
    Recognizing the achievements of customer service professionals who work behind the front lines of customer service organizations for their achievements since the beginning of July 2015.
    
    57. Young Customer Service Professional of the Year
    Recognizing the achievements of customer service professionals under the age of 30.
    
    58. Customer Service Manager of the Year
    Recognizing the achievements of customer service managers and service professionals with a managerial role at organizations of any size, of any type.
    
    59. Customer Service Leader of the Year
    Recognizing the achievements of senior customer service and call center executives.
    
    60. Contact Center Professional of the Year
    Recognizing the achievements of non-executive professionals who work in a call or contact center.
57. Contact Center Manager of the Year
    Recognizing the achievements of contact or call center managers for their achievements since the beginning of July 2015.
58. Contact Center Leader of the Year
    Recognizing the achievements of senior contact or call center executives for their achievements since the beginning of July 2015.

Customer Service and Contact Center Individual Stevie winners in 2016 include:

Front-Line Customer Service Professional of the Year - Financial Services Industries 
GOLD STEVIE WINNERS:
eMoney Advisor, LLC, Conshohocken, PA USA: Jennifer Collins, Success Coach
eMoney Advisor, LLC, Conshohocken, PA USA: Joseph Pearson, Client Support Specialist
SILVER STEVIE WINNER:
AllClear ID, Austin, TX USA: Benjamin Miller, Senior Licensed Investigator
BRONZE STEVIE WINNER:
Paycor, Inc.; Cincinnati, OH USA: Jon Southern, Implementation Solutions Manager

Front-Line Customer Service Professional of the Year - Other Service Industries 
GOLD STEVIE WINNER:
DHL Express United Arab Emirates, Dubai, United Arab Emirates: Juanita Santos, Contact Center Advisor
SILVER STEVIE WINNER:
DHL Express Bulgaria LTD, Sofia, Bulgaria: Radoslava Pavlova, Key Account Desk Advisor

...and more. See all Stevie winners here.

The 11th Annual Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service recognize the achievements of contact center, customer service, business development and sales professionals worldwide. Entries for the 2017 competition are now being accepted.

October 19 is the early-bird entry deadline with discounted entry fees. The entry deadline is November 16, but late entries will be accepted through January 11 with payment of a late fee. Winners of the eleventh annual competition will be announced at a gala awards banquet on February 24 at Caesars Palace Hotel in Las Vegas.

REVIEW THE ENTRY KIT HERE.

Today we will highlight the Business Development Categories. These categories recognize the achievements of individual business development professionals, and singular business development achievements in a variety of industries.

Information required for entries in these categories include:
(a) An essay of up to 650 words describing the nominated organization's accomplishments since July 1, 2015.
(b) Optional (but highly recommended), a collection of supporting files and web addresses that you may upload to our server to support your entry and provide more background information to the judges. At the very least you should provide a link to the organization's website.

130. Business Development Executive of the Year
     Recognizing the achievements of business development executives since July 1, 2015. (Professionals at the VP level or higher.)
131. Business Development Professional of the Year
     Recognizing the achievements of non-executive business development professionals since July 1, 2015. (Professionals at a Director level or lower.)
132. Business Development Achievement of the Year - Financial Services Industries
     Recognizing singular business development achievements - agreements, deals, implementations, and/or performance results - in any of the financial services industries since July 1, 2015.
133. Business Development Achievement of the Year - Hospitality & Leisure Industries
     Recognizing singular business development achievements - agreements, deals, implementations, and/or performance results - in any of the hospitality and leisure industries since July 1, 2015.
134. Business Development Achievement of the Year - Media & Entertainment Industries
     Recognizing singular business development achievements - agreements, deals, implementations, and/or performance results - in any of the media and entertainment industries since July 1, 2015.
135. Business Development Achievement of the Year - Services Industries
     Recognizing singular business development achievements - agreements, deals, implementations, and/or performance results - in any of the services industries (business or consumer) since July 1, 2015.
136. Business Development Achievement of the Year - Technology Industries
     Recognizing singular business development achievements - agreements, deals, implementations, and/or performance results - in any of the technology industries since July 1, 2015.
137. Business Development Achievement of the Year - Transportation Industries
     Recognizing singular business development achievements - agreements, deals, implementations, and/or performance results - in any of the transportation industries since July 1, 2015.
138. Business Development Achievement of the Year - All Other Industries
     Recognizing singular business development achievements - agreements, deals, implementations, and/or performance results - since July 1, 2015 in any industry not addressed by categories 132 - 137.

Past Stevie Awards winners in the Business Development categories include:

Business Development Executive of the Year 
GOLD STEVIE WINNER:
Thought Bubble, Brisbane, Australia: Nyree McKenzie, Managing Director and Principal Consultant

Business Development Professional of the Year 
GOLD STEVIE WINNER:
Lennox Industries, Inc., Richardson, TX USA: Bill Carlson, Director of Retail National Accounts

Business Development Achievement of the Year - Technology Industries 
GOLD STEVIE WINNER:
B&L Information Systems, Bridgman, MI USA: B&L Information Systems Bus. Dev. Achievements

Business Development Achievement of the Year - All Other Industries 
GOLD STEVIE WINNER:
EFG Companies, Irving, TX USA: Quality Service Leads to Quality Growth

The 13th Annual International Business Awards, the world's premier business awards competition, which attracts nominations from organizations in more than 60 nations and territories each year, is currently accepting entries through the extended final entry deadline of July 13.

All individuals and organizations worldwide -- public and private, for-profit and non-profit, large and small -- may submit nominations to The International Business Awards. An international judging panel of more than 200 executives will determine the Stevie Award winners. Results will be announced in mid-August. Stevie Award winners will be presented their awards at a gala banquet in Rome, Italy on October 21.

REVIEW THE ENTRY KIT HERE.

Today we will highlight the Marketing Award Categories.

Information to be submitted online for entries in these categories in 2016 include:

a. An essay of up to 650 words describing the nominee's accomplishments since 1 January 2015.  In the marketing campaign categories, this will be a description of the campaign: its genesis, development, execution, and results to date

b. In bullet-list form, a brief summary of up to ten (10) of the chief accomplishments of the nominee since 1 January 2015.  In the marketing campaign categories, this will be a list of the chief features and results of the nominated campaign

c. Optional (but highly recommended), a collection of supporting files and web addresses that you may upload to our server to support your entry and provide more background information to the judges
 

Marketing Organization / Professional Categories

G01. Marketing Department of the Year

Enter this category if you wish to recognize everyone who works in marketing functions in your organization, regardless of function, location, seniority or position.

G02. Marketing Team of the Year

Enter this category if you wish to recognize some subset of your entire marketing organization, such as a specific product marketing, brand marketing, social media or creative team, for example.  The team may be multidisciplinary, may stretch across multiple organizations (your own organization, client organizations, and agency or vendor organizations, for example), and may be a permanent team or a temporary team that was assembled only for a specific task or assignment.

G03. Marketing Executive of the Year

Enter this category to recognize the achievements of individual marketing executives at the VP level or above.
 

Marketing Campaign of the Year - Industry Categories.

G04. Agricultural / Industrial / Building: for all related products, materials, tools and services.
G05. Automotive - Aftermarket: gasoline, motor oil, tires, batteries, paint, quick-lube, oil change, muffler, transmission, windshield wipers, enhancements, etc.
G06. Automotive - Vehicles: cars, trucks, motorcycles, both brand and model advertising.
G07. Beauty: cosmetics, fragrances, hair products, nail products, beauty services such as salons, spas, etc.
G08. Beverages - Alcohol: beer, champagne, liquor, wine, wine coolers, after dinner drinks, etc.
G09. Beverages - Non-Alcohol: diet and non-diet soda, coffee, tea, juices, milk, milk substitutes, bottled water, sparkling water, etc.
G10. Breakfast Foods: cereals and other foods intended primarily for breakfast consumption.
G11 . Corporate Reputation/Professional Services: includes sponsorships, image & identity, communications to promote corporations, not exclusively their products. Includes business/professional services such as consulting, accounting, legal, employments, etc.
G12. Culture & The Arts: plays, museums, music organizations, concert series, cultural festivals, theater festivals, etc.
G13. Electronics: audio and/or video devices such as TVs, radios, mobile devices, home entertainment (DVD/Blu-ray players), cameras, computer hardware, game consoles, laptops, tablets, sound systems, etc.
G14. Energy/Nutrition Products & Services: products and services aimed at the energy, sports, wellness lifestyle. Vitamins, energy bars, drinks, etc.; weight loss and fitness programs/camps, training camps and facilities, etc.
G15. Entertainment & Sports: includes entertainment and sporting events. Sporting events such as the Super Bowl, sports teams, etc. All forms of entertainment including specific films, books, DVDs, videogames, games (online, mobile, social, board, card, etc.), entertainment apps, greeting cards, online, radio and TV programming, etc.
G16. Fashion & Style: brands of clothing, eyewear, footwear, hosiery, jewelry, accessories, etc.
G17. Financial Cards: credit, charge, debit, reward, phone and other cards.
G18. Financial Products & Services: communications promoting overall image and capabilities of a financial institution and specific products or services including home banking, loans, mortgage, mutual funds, traveler's checks, etc.
G19. Government / Institutional / Recruitment: municipal or state economic development, lotteries, utilities (i.e. electricity conservation messages), membership drives, armed forces marketing communications. Includes political messages and special interest/trade group communications.
G20. Healthcare - Disease Education & Awareness: communications to educate and/or spread awareness about a certain disease or health issue, whether to healthcare professionals, patients, and/or consumers.
G21. Healthcare - OTC: communications efforts for products that may be purchased without a subscription that address a specific illness, disease, or health issue, whether to healthcare professionals, patients, and/or consumers.
G22. Healthcare - Rx: communications efforts for products that may be purchased with a subscription that address a specific illness, disease, or health issue, whether to healthcare professionals, patients, and/or consumers.
G23. Healthcare - Services: marketing communications efforts that were developed for hospitals, HMOs, referral services, dental and medical care services, or chronic care facilities, whether to healthcare professionals, patients, and/or consumers.
G24. Home Furnishings & Appliances: kitchen appliances, air conditioners, carpeting, furniture, decorator's supplies, paint, wallpaper, etc.
G25. Home Supplies & Services: cleaning products, waxes, detergents, floor-care products, fabric softeners, paper products, domestic services, mowers, fertilizers, lawn care, gardening services, etc.
G26. Insurance: communications promoting specific products or services related to insurance and the capabilities of financial institutions offering these services. All types of insurance are eligible (home, auto, financial, health, life, travel, business, etc.).
G27. Internet / Telecom: wireless/cellular providers, high speed Internet access services, online services, portals, search engines and related Internet products & services (including SaaS/IaaS and Cloud-based services), bundled communications (Internet, telephone, and cable TV).
G28. Leisure Products & Services: recreational, sporting, and camping goods/services and other items/services intended for leisure activity.
G29. Media Companies: broadcasters, magazines, newspapers, web sites, consumer or trade media, radio and television stations, including networks.
G30. Office & Delivery Products & Services: delivery - overnight delivery, packagetracking, international service, etc. Office - printers, physical servers, fax machines, copiers, supplies, office furniture, etc.
G31. Packaged Food: packaged and frozen foods both regular and diet/light.
G32. Personal Care: soap, dental products, face & body lotions and cleansers, cotton swabs, deodorants, feminine hygiene products, razors, shaving cream, etc.
G33. Pet Care: animal care products and services of all types, including food, toys, veterinary and boarding services, training, and breeders.
G34. Real Estate: homes, real estate brokers, malls, etc.
G35. Restaurants: quick service, casual dining, mid-scale, white table cloth and other restaurants.
G36. Retail: general -- stores and/or web sites that provides a multiple range of non-related or generally related merchandise, which include department stores, food retailers, and discount/bulk retailers, craft stores, etc. Specialized -- stores and/or web sites that specialize in one particular line of products (e.g. clothing, fashion, jewelry, health food, shoes, pet care, toys, greeting cards, etc.).
G37. Snacks / Desserts / Confections: ice cream, candy, chips, cookies, bakery items, nut, fruit & vegetable snacks, popcorn, etc.
G38. Software: software, groupware, operating systems, or software stored locally on a computer, tablet, or mobile device. (See category E24 for Saas/IaaS or Cloud-based services, and category E12 for online and mobile games.)
G39. Transportation: air, train, bus/trolley, taxi, subway systems, bike shares, car rentals, leasing not including automobile sales/leasing, ferries, etc.
G40. Travel / Tourism / Destination: cruises, hotels, resorts, amusement parks, travel websites and booking services, travel tours, tourism campaigns, etc.
 

Marketing Campaign of the Year - Specialty Categories

G45. Brand Experience of the Year - Business-to-Business: recognizing work that reaches out to business audiences to establish meaningful relationships, memorable, engaging experiences, and unique connections with their brands.
G46. Brand Experience of the Year - Consumer: experiences, and unique connections with their brands.
G47. Branded Content Campaign of the Year: recognizing work that has used branded content - original or sponsored - to reach out to audiences to establish meaningful relationships, memorable, engaging experiences, and unique connections with their brands.
G48. Mobile Marketing Campaign of the Year: for campaigns targeted to consumers' mobile devices.
G49. Online Marketing Campaign of the Year: for campaigns conducted entirely online.
G50. New Product or Service Introduction of the Year: for campaigns conducted to introduce a new product or service to the U.S. market.
G51. Re-Branding / Brand Renovation of the Year: for campaigns that recreated or repositioned an existing brand.  A new category for 2016.
G52. Small-Budget Marketing Campaign of the Year (< €3 m / $3 million)
G53. Viral Marketing Campaign of the Year: for campaigns that used word-of-mouth, video stunts, and other viral tactics as their primary means of communication.
G54. Youth Marketing Campaign of the Year: for campaigns that targeted the youth market (up to age 24).

There are a number of other IBA categories that should be of interest to marketing professionals, including many of the publication awards categories, website awards categories, app awards categories, video awards categories, and live event awards categories.

Past Stevie Award winners of Marketing Awards include:

• Su Hee Jo, Photographer, Seoul, South Korea: Su Hee Jo, Photographer- Marketing Executive of the Year
• VEET Turkey, Istanbul, Turkey: VEET's 'Defeating the Seasons'- Marketing Campaign of the Year - Beauty & Personal Care
• WebTalk, Warsaw, Poland: One HELL of a GDN campaign for Register of Debtors ERIF BIG S.A.- Marketing Campaign of the Year - Financial Products & Services
• Seegene Medical Foundation, Seoul, South Korea: One-Day Test System to Change the Korean Medical System- Marketing Campaign of the Year - Healthcare - Disease Education & Awareness and Services
• Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates: Visit Abu Dhabi Online Campaign- Marketing Campaign of the Year - Transportation & Travel / Tourism / Destination
• Hyundai Greenfood, Yongin, South Korea: “Smart Ordering System” through Omni-Channel Strategy- Marketing Campaign of the Year - All Other Industries
• Thai Life Insurance Plc, Bangkok, Thailand: Thai Life Insurance - Unsung Hero- Viral Marketing Campaign of the Year
• …and many more!