How have modern conveniences changed business and leisure travel in 2019? What are the most desirable destinations? How do travelers prefer booking flights and hotels?

Anyone who searches for travel deals now is met with an onslaught of recommendations about where to visit, where to stay, and exactly what to do.

As the mobile experience becomes more personalized, it’s easier than ever to book exactly what you want. Travel research, however, shows travel agents are doing more than just surviving. The overall US travel agency market is projected to reach $127 billion by 2021, which is up from $112.8 billion in 2017.

Despite having access to their next vacation right from their pockets, it seems customers are still eager to pay someone to take care of all their needs.

Stevie-winner Northstar Travel Group, based in Secaucus, New Jersey, United States, is one of the leading B2B marketing solutions companies serving all segments of the travel industry. Despite the tech boom in travel, Northstar continues to flourish as a connector of buyers and sellers in global travel and hospitality products.

It’s All about Building Relationships

Northstar firmly believes in the importance of helping professionals in the travel industry meet face to face at exciting events. 

“We’re dedicated to connecting the next generation of travel buyers and sellers. We want to get to know each other through unique, collaborative content sessions; outdoor activities, such as hiking, biking, and yoga; and social events full of local flavor.”

That’s Victoria Halpin, a marketing associate at Northstar. She asserts that having everyone come together helps professionals gain insight on how the current generation will influence the future of the travel industry. Halpin says this is also a great way to help everyone build relationships for life.

Competitors, such as Questex, WATT, and Adara, also make an effort to include career-building programs and social activities during retreats, but Northstar likes to differentiate itself by providing additional value through data and benchmarks.

“In addition to over eighty-four face-to-face events in more than eleven countries related to retail travel, hospitality and hotel investment, corporate travel, travel technology, and sports travel, we also provide research and business intelligence to serve the fastest-growing segment of the travel industry: online travel distribution.”

All these efforts result in engaging more than 1.4 million monthly website visitors and over 2.7 million content customers. No other content and marketing services provider serving the travel and meetings industry approaches this scale, reach, or market share.

Although the industry is strong, several challenges still lie ahead.

Digital innovation continues to create entirely new opportunities for the market. Companies are competing for your dollars and offering alternative “off-the-beaten-path” experiences. Airbnb has become a popular way to stay in foreign countries because of the authentic cultural experiences afforded by staying with locals.

This is forcing travel brands to ramp up cost-cutting strategies and to devise more efficient ways of doing business in order to improve revenue and to sustain market leadership.

Time will tell how this evolving workforce will attract tomorrow’s talent and dollars, but Northstar and similar companies look poised to continue to refine business practices and to support their customers.

Northstar Travel Group won three Stevie® Awards at the 2019 American Business Awards®: a Gold Stevie in the Brand & Experiences - Launch Event category, a Bronze Stevie in the Brand & Experiences - Interactive Outdoor Event category, and another Bronze Stevie in the Corporate & Community - B2B Event category.

Interested in winning a Stevie Award in 2020?

Women from around the world gathered for a two-day women's conference in New York City

The second-annual Women|Future Conference wrapped last week at the Marriott Marquis in New York City and brought women professionals from various industries together for two days of structured networking, panels, and case studies before the 16th Annual Stevie Awards for Women in Business ceremony. 

Click here to view photos and find out what you missed at the 2019 Women|Future Conference.

“I wasn’t born with the gift of foresight but I would tell you that all of you are Futurists too. Each and everyone one of you try to predict the future, for your personal life and for your company strategy.” 

The conference kicked off with Keynote Address by Sheryl Connelly, Futurist at Ford Motor Company: Confessions of a Corporate Futurist: Coming Trends That Will Revolutionize Your Business. 

Sheryl shared her background, choosing a degree in finance to be financially secure when she really wanted to study art, then going on to law school and never ended up practicing law. She started at an entry level job at Ford, even with a law degree, and was able to work her way up to the unique job of “Futurist.” She then shared what insights made her career goals come true and how she is able to help Ford predict what trends are coming next, and how we can too.

See what WomenFuture Conference attendees took away from the conference.

This conference empowers you to be your best self, to be in a space with like minded individuals, and to discover best practices being used around the world for different, relevant topics. I would happily recommend this to any person wanting to improve themselves and learn in the process. - Jessica Ney, Income Access

Women in business are creating an extraordinary impact on the world and the Future Women conference is an incredible opportunity to meet leading-edge game-changers and to discover what you could be achieving in your own role. - Lauren Clemett - Audacious Agency 

“Be strategic. Lead easier. Because you’re always leading.”

One of the first panels on Day One was The Significance and Simplification of Being Strategic, moderated by Erin Joy, CEO of Black Dress Circle. The panelists included Debra Kunz, Founder of the Center for Deliberate Growth, Julie Ockerby, CEO of Meli Studio Australia, Chessa Eskandanian-Yee, CEO & Co-Founder of LeaderEQ, and Andrea Arco-Mastromichalis, CEO and Founder of Arco + Associates. Each speaker offered their approach to thinking more strategically in the workplace. Tips about prioritizing, anticipating problems, and simplifying the steps to get from point A to B were brought to light, which encouraged some thought-provoking questions at the end of the session.

“61% of women look at the gender diversity of a leadership team when deciding where to work.”

After a lunch break that featured tables for structured networking sessions with other goal-oriented professional women discussing issues in today’s business environment, the day continued with The Art of Inclusion: How to Craft Your Company’s Diversity Mosaic. Tara Wilson, SVP and General Manager of Income Access, A Paysafe Group, moderated the panel. Joining her were speakers Ashley Brundage, Vice President of Diversity & Inclusion at PNC, Tonia Morris, HR Executive of The Generational Connector, Ashira Prossack, Founder and CEO of The Generational Factor, and Vanessa Subramaniam, Manager of Sales and Support for TourRadar. Their session revolved around the comparisons between different generations in the workplace, the advantages of age diversity, and how to embrace diversity and develop a generational inclusive workforce.

“A paradox of opportunity & unintended consequences.”

Day one of the conference wrapped with the panel, How AI Is Transforming Industries, led by Brigitta Rubin, Chief Innovation Officer of Dragonfish, Inc. Attendees learned how AI will affect our everyday lives, the world of business, and job prospects. Speakers Jagathi Gururajan, Director of the Financial Services Advisory for PwC, Shimona Chadha, Associate Vice President of Marketing for HCL, and Louvere Walker-Hannon, Application Engineer for Mathworks, Inc. provided their expertise and advice regarding how marketers can unlock the potential of AI and adapt to discover new opportunities.

“When it comes to creating a future that’s gender-equal…there are things our society needs to do. There are things our country needs to do.”

The second day of sessions began with a morning Keynote by Selena Rezvani, Author of Pushback. In her talk, The Future of Work Is Female, she discussed creating a future that is gender equal. Attendees learned about the clues that reveal a company’s culture and how they could be proactive in advocating for a “women-forward culture.” Rezvani provided examples of gender bias within companies like Nike and suggested how women can strengthen their participation in decisions that affect them.

Rezvani’s Keynote was followed shortly by several breakout sessions, which covered topics such as The Power of Influence, Customer Experience, Building Communities, and Cross-Cultural Communication. 

“I wanted to help impact people’s lives the way mine was impacted.”

The conference concluded with a closing panel of three case studies conducted by Sherry Smith, VP, Media, Mobile & Marketing, of Clarity PR. Each case study featured a finalist from the 2019 Stevie Awards for Women in Business. The awards honoring women in the workplace was to be held later that evening. Finalists and speakers included Gail Becker, Founder and CEO of CAULIPOWER, Alex Coren, Co-Founder & CINO of Wambi, and Rosemary Lokhorst, Executive Director and Producer of The Digging Deep Project. Each of them gave attendees a microscopic view of how these women leaders started their companies and grew to influence the larger community.

The Women|Future Conference was a jam-packed two days of networking with incredible insight from just a fraction of leading women in the professional sphere. We look forward to an even bigger and more exciting event next year during the third annual conference, which will be held November 12-13, 2020 in Las Vegas presented in conjunction with the Stevie Awards for Women in Business. For more information visit www.womenfutureconference.com 

With every passing year, it seems more and more people spend an increasing amount of time staring at screens. From cell phones to tablets to smart watches, there’s no shortage of screened devices to amuse, to delight, and to distract people.

Given that, it would stand to reason that marketing agencies should ramp up their online campaigns. Find people where they live, right? According to the research, though, not necessarily.

Photo by Richard Clyborne of Music Strive

With instant access to a nearly unlimited amount of information and a glut of available content, one major sacrifice in the consuming population has been attention span. It’s harder than ever not only to grab but to maintain the interest of consumers. This makes it incredibly challenging for marketing agencies to devise ways to stand out. Enter the rise of live brand storytelling.

What Is Live Brand Storytelling?

Live brand storytelling is a marketing technique wherein a company crafts a compelling story related to its brand or product and then delivers that story via a live experiential event.

Because consumers aren’t distanced from the brand through a screen or a printed page, they are able to connect with that brand and to truly immerse in the crafted brand lifestyle. Depending on the event, consumers can learn about the brand or the company ethos through the senses, seeing, hearing, or even tasting the kinds of real-world experiences the brand wants to associate themselves.

Live Brand Storytelling—By the Numbers

For any sceptics who believe live brand storytelling is a fad or a trend, the numbers paint a very different picture. Event Marketer released a 2018 report stating 85 percent of consumers were likely to make a purchase from a brand after attending one of their live events, and an impressive 91 percent asserted they felt more favorably about the brand after engagement in a company-sponsored live experience.

It’s not just consumers who appreciate the tactic either. C-suite executives are fully on board as well. According to a Bizzabo report, 87 percent of C-level executives believe these kinds of live experiential marketing events will become increasingly important to their brands.

Why Is Live Brand Storytelling Effective Today?

The idea of conveying a brand’s message or promoting a product through storytelling is nothing new in the marketing world, but the increasing popularity of live brand storytelling speaks to the changing demographics and buying mentality of today’s consuming population.

“In recent years, we’ve seen the strategic relevance of live events increase dramatically. Marketers are reaping the rewards of engaging with their audiences in face-to-face environments,” says Scott Cullather, CEO of INVNT, a global live brand storytelling agency based in New York, New York, United States. “Marketers have also realized that Millennials and Gen Zs, who favor experiences over material objects, are gaining greater spending power as they enter the workforce and move their way up corporate ladders.”

For marketing agencies to continue to enjoy success, however, it’s important they think of live brand marketing not as the final solution to connecting with an audience but simply as the next step in an always-progressing chain of marketing evolution.

“The marketing industry is constantly changing, and we’ve found that truly integrated marketing campaigns are now key,” says Cullather. “We look to create holistic campaigns that encompass both live events and branded content and ensure a brand remains top of mind long after an event ends.”

INVNT recently won a Silver Stevie Awards at the 2019 Stevie Awards for Women in Business for Female Entrepreneur of the Year in the Business Services category (11 to 2,500 Employees) on behalf of Kristina McCoobery, Co-Founder and COO.

They also won two Gold Stevies at the 2019 American Business Awards: One for Company of the Year in the Advertising, Marketing & Public Relations category and one for Founding Team of the Year - Business Services Industries. Other awards include a Silver Stevie for Marketing or Advertising Agency of the Year in the Advertising, Marketing, and Public Relations category.

Interested in winning a Stevie Award in 2020?

World's Top Honors for Women Entrepreneurs, Executives, Employees, and the Organizations They Run Were Presented in New York

Shining a spotlight on women executives, entrepreneurs, and organizations run by women, winners in the 2019 Stevie® Awards for Women in Business were announced on Friday, November 15.

With more than 500 businesswomen and their guests in attendance, the awards were announced at a gala dinner at the New York Marriott Marquis. Nations represented at the event included Australia, Canada, Finland, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Switzerland, Singapore, Taiwan, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and the U.S.A., among others.

The presentations were broadcast live worldwide. Photos from the event are available here.

More than 1,500 nominations from organizations and individuals around the world were submitted to the awards this year for consideration in categories including Entrepreneur of the Year, Executive of the Year, Most Innovative Company of the Year, and Startup of the Year, among others. More than 160 business professionals working in eight specialized judging committees determined the Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Award winners.

Grand Stevie Award trophies were presented to six organizations that submitted the best body of entries to the competition, in their own names or in the names of one or more clients. Winners were determined by the number of Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Awards won in the competition. The Grand Stevie Award winners are:

• The Audacious Agency, Coombabah, QLD, Australia (#1)
• Melissa Sones Consulting, New York, NY, U.S.A. (#2)
• DP DHL, worldwide (#3)
• WDS Marketing & Public Relations, Overland Parks, KS, U.S.A. (#4)
• Harman International, Stamford, CT, U.S.A. (#5 TIE)
• Jeunesse Global, Lake Mary, FL, U.S.A. (#5 TIE)

The 2019 Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Award winners reflect a diverse group of large and small organizations from around the globe. Notable Gold Stevie Award winners in this year’s competition include:

• Berna Tan, COO, Arvato CRM Turkey, Istanbul, Turkey — Female Executive of the Year in Europe, the Middle East & Africa
• Brenda Dennis, Vice President, Cisco Systems, Inc., San Jose, CA, U.S.A.— Female Executive of the Year – Business Products – More Than 2,500 Employees
• Oanh Phuong, Regional Head of Customer Support, Asia Pacific and Japan, HP Inc., Singapore — Female Executive of the Year in Asia, Australia, or New Zealand
• Carolyn Tisch Blodgett, Senior Vice President and Head of Global Brand Marketing Peloton, New York, NY, U.S.A. — Most Innovative Woman of the Year – Technology
• Siti Choiriana, Consumer Service Director, PT. Telkom Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia — Female Executive of the Year – Consumer Services – More Than 2,500 Employees
• Sarah Konowal, Co-Founder and CEO, Ripshot Enterprises, Toronto, ON, Canada — Female Entrepreneur of the Year in Canada
• Ann DeAngelo, Associate Director, Women’s Business Development Center (WBDC), Fairway, KS, U.S.A. — Women Helping Women – Government or Non-Profit
• Ritu Narayan, Founder and CEO, Zum, Redwood City, CA, U.S.A. — Female Entrepreneur of the Year – Consumer Services – 11 to 2,500 Employees
• Rachael Ferguson, CEO/Podiatrist, Synxsole, Brisbane, QLD, Australia — Female Entrepreneur of the Year in Asia, Australia or New Zealand
• National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO), Washington, D.C., U.S.A. — Event of the Year
• Solv by Concentrix, Belfast, United Kingdom — Best New Product or Service of the Year – Business Services; Most Innovative Company of the Year – More Than 10 Employees
• Thomson Reuters, New York, NY, U.S.A. — Communications or PR Campaign of the Year – Multicultural

Organizations that won more than one Gold Stevie Award include CAULIPOWER, Dubai Health Authority, Harman International, INKAS® Armored Vehicle Manufacturing, Jeunesse Global, LabTwin, Oceans 2 Earth Volunteers, Pennsylvania’s Department of Banking and Securities, Solv by Concentrix, The Audacious Agency, and Turkish Airlines.

HCL Technologies, the multinational information technology service and consulting company, sponsored awards in six Red Ladder Women in Technology categories. Among other notable Stevie winners in those categories are

• Jo Abernathy, Chief Information Officer, Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina — Leader in Operational Excellence
• Rachel Barber, SVP & CTO, Gaming and Lottery, IGT — Transformational Sourcing Relations Leader
• Kirsten Davies, SVP and Chief Information Security Advisor, Estee Lauder Companies Inc. — Leader in Operational Excellence
• Kimberly Green-Kerr, Senior Vice President, Sprint Business, Sprint — Leader in Transforming Customer Engagement
• Laura Miller, Chief Information Officer, InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) — Leadership in NexGen Technology
• Shalaka Prabhune, Head of Corporate IT, TiVo — Digital Transformer of the Year
• Carol Rohl, Executive Director, Global Research IT, Merck & Co. Inc. — Excellence in Transforming Business

For a complete list of Stevie Award winners and more information, visit http://www.StevieAwards.com/Women.

The Stevie Awards staged the second edition of its Women|Future Conference in New York on November 14-15 in conjunction with the Stevie Awards for Women in Business. More than 150 women shared two days of programming highlighted by keynote speeches by Sheryl Connelly of the Ford Motor Company and Selena Rezvani of Be Leaderly.

Entries for the 2020 (17^th) edition of the awards will open in May. The 2020 awards ceremony will be at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada U.S.A. on Friday, November 13, with the Women|Future Conference sharing the same venue on November 12-13.

Entries for the 2020 edition of the Stevie Awards for Women in Business will open in May.

Im Mai 2019 gewann Xuan Tinh Herfort, Geschäftsführerin und Gründerin des Reiseveranstalters Indochina Travels bei den German Stevie Awards den Gold Award in der Kategorie Unternehmerin des Jahres im Bereich Freizeit- und Gaststättengewerbe. Für ihr Unternehmen, einem auf geführte Rundreisen in Asien, mit Schwerpunkt auf die Region Indochina, spezialisierten Reiseveranstalter, gab es zusätzlich einen Bronze Stevie.  

Doch was brachte die erfolgreiche Unternehmerin mit vietnamesischen Wurzeln nach Frankfurt am Main und wie lautet ihr Erfolgsrezept in der vom Wandel gezeichneten Reisebranche?

„Liebe auf den ersten Blick“

Ihre erste Begegnung mit Deutschland hatte Xuan Tinh Herfort im Jahr 2002. Nach Abschluss ihres Wirtschaftsstudiums an der Universität von Hanoi und ersten beruflichen Erfahrungen packte die junge Vietnamesin ihren Rucksack für eine Europatour, in deren Verlauf sie auch in Deutschland Station machte. Es war „Liebe auf den ersten Blick“ wie sie noch heute glaubhaft unterstreicht. 

Das Land der Dichter und Denker hatte ihr seinerzeit so imponiert, dass sie sich – gerade nach Hanoi zurückgekehrt – um ein Stipendium des Bundesministeriums für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit bewarb und schon wenig später die Zusage für ein 14-monatiges „Scholarship“ mit Stationen in München, Berlin und Frankfurt erhielt. 

Und ausgerechnet die Mainmetropole sollte sie gefangen halten. Hier gründete sie 2004 mit der Euvibus GmbH eine Consulting-Firma, die sich um den Wirtschaftsdialog zwischen deutschen und vietnamesischen Unternehmen kümmerte und im Auftrag der Regierung in Hanoi entsprechende Events auf deutschem Boden durchführte. Hierzu gehörte auch die Organisation der notwendigen Reisen, womit der Grundstein für das nächste Business-Konzept gelegt war: Indochina Travels. 

Seit 2008 erstellt und vertreibt Herfort von Frankfurts City aus Veranstalterreisen nach Südostasien und bringt so deutsche Urlauber in Kontakt mit ihrer Heimat. Inzwischen gehört der Veranstalter zu den führenden Anbietern in Deutschland, wenn es um Reisen nach Indochina geht.  

Reisebranche im Wandel

Der Reisemarkt ist von ständigen und teilweise rasanten Veränderungen geprägt. Um hier erfolgreich zu sein, müssen sich mittelständische Unternehmen wie Indochina Travels der Konkurrenz großer Online-Buchungsplattformen sowie den steigenden Ansprüchen der Reisenden stellen. In den vergangenen zwei Jahren hat Indochina Travels deshalb zahlreiche Innovationen entwickelt, um sowohl für Direktkunden aber auch im B2B-Bereich kundenfreundlicher zu werden.

„Das Verhalten und die Ansprüche der Reisenden verändern sich ständig und sind oft sehr heterogen. Wer heute beispielsweise einen Aktivurlaub in den Alpen bucht, unternimmt im kommenden Jahr vielleicht einen Luxusstrandurlaub in der Karibik,“ erklärt Herfort. Ein überaus wichtiger Trend sei jedoch die zunehmende Digitalisierung der Branche, der sich vor allem vor allem kleinere Reiseveranstalter stellen müssen, um im Wettbewerb mit den großen Veranstaltern bestehen zu können. „Diesen Trend sehen wir als Herausforderung aber auch als große Chance für unser Unternehmen und haben in den vergangenen zwei Jahren einige Anstrengungen unternommen. Dazu zählen unter anderem der Relaunch unserer Webseite und die Einführung eines Veranstaltersystems um den Buchungsprozess zu automatisieren und gerade im B2B-bereich kundenfreundlicher zu werden,“ führt Herfort aus.

Mit dem Relaunch des neuen Internetauftritts www.indochinatravels.com sei es gelungen, die vielfältigen Reiseangebote übersichtlich und attraktiv zu präsentieren und mit wenigen Klicks buchbar zu machen. So können Kunden die Verfügbarkeit und Preise der über 300 verschiedenen Rundreisen abrufen und in wenigen Schritten buchen. Die innovative Konzeption und Darstellung der Internetseite wurde im September 2018 vom Hessischen Website Award mit dem 2. Platz ausgezeichnet.

Authentische Reisen mit besonderem Service

„Uns ist sehr wichtig, dass die Reisen in einem besonders authentischen Rahmen ablaufen,“ sagt Herfort. Deshalb wähle das Unternehmen alle Unterkünfte persönlich aus und arbeite akribisch an den Reiserouten.

Unterstützt wird der Reiseveranstalter von Indochina Pearl, eine im Jahr 2010 eigens von Herfort gegründete Incoming-Agentur in Hanoi mit Büros in Kambodscha, Myanmar und Laos. Auch das zeichne Indochina Travels aus: „Als einer der wenigen Veranstalter in Deutschland hat Indochina Travels seine Wurzeln in der Region und arbeitet für Einkauf und Durchführung der Reisen mit eigenen örtlichen Tochterfirmen zusammen.“

Darüber hinaus ist der Unternehmerin der persönliche Bezug ihrer Mitarbeiterinnen und Mitarbeiter zu den angebotenen Reiseregionen besonders wichtig. „Jeder von unseren ausgebildeten Beratern hat Indochina bereits mehrfach bereist oder dort gelebt!“ so Herfort weiter.

Dass das unternehmerische Konzept Herforts aufgeht, zeigt das anhaltende Wachstum des Unternehmens. Im November 2018 bezog Indochina Travels seine neuen größeren Büroräume direkt gegenüber des berühmten Goethehauses; ein notwendig gewordener Schritt nachdem das Unternehmen in den vergangenen Jahren kontinuierlich auf aktuell 17 Mitarbeiter gewachsen ist und in den kommenden Jahren weiter wachsen möchte. 

Unternehmerin mit Herz

Über ihre Arbeit für die eigene Reisemarke hinaus engagiert sich Herfort als Director Indochina im Diplomatic Council, eine von der UN anerkannte NGO, die sich durch den Einsatz erfolgreicher Wirtschaftsdiplomatie für die internationale Völkerverständigung einsetzt. 

In dieser Funktion setzt sich Herfort für eine bessere Bildung benachteiligter Kinder in Vietnam ein. Ihr Unternehmen spendet regelmäßig für caritative Zwecke in der Region Indochina. „Wir verstehen uns als Förderer der Region: Wir engagieren uns für einkommensschwache Familien und machen uns stark für die Weiterbildung von Kindern in ärmeren Ländern. Wir sind ständig auf der Suche nach Partnern, die mit uns gemeinsam diese Ziele verwirklichen. Zudem setzen wir uns intensiv für den Schutz und Erhalt der Halong Bucht ein.“

2016 wurde Herfort von der Stadt Frankfurt als „Herausragende Persönlichkeit mit Migrationshintergrund“ ausgezeichnet. Branchenintern war die 40-jährige u.a. als Ausschussvorsitzende für Reiseveranstalter beim asr (Allianz selbständiger Reiseunternehmen) tätig und wirkt heute als Beiratsmitglied des Branchenverbandes Travel Industry Club (TIC) mit.

Nominations are open for honors to be presented in Las Vegas on February 28

Nominations for the 2020 (14^th annual) Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service, considered the world’s top honors for customer service, business development, and sales professionals, will be accepted through January 9 at StevieAwards.com/Sales. Late fees will apply for nominations, but no entry fees or late fees will apply for nominations to a new category to recognize ethical sales practices, sponsored by Sales Partnerships.

The Sales Partnerships Award for Ethics in Sales will recognize outstanding examples of ethical sales practices since July 1, 2018. As in all other categories in the competition, nominees may submit a written essay or case study of up to 650 words describing their ethical sales practices and achievements or a video of up to five minutes in length, illustrating the same.

Sales Partnerships, Inc., which provides turnkey, outsourced selling solutions, is a sponsor of the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service program for the fourth consecutive year. Founder and CEO Fred Kessler says, “The Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service has grown to be the premier honor for sales professionals worldwide, and it’s proven to be an outstanding platform on which Sales Partnerships can interact with sales leaders in a wide variety of industries. When we were approached about sponsoring an award for ethics in sales, we immediately accepted. The Sales Partnerships’ Award for Ethics in Sales recognizes companies who, like us, understand that being the best performing sales force also means having an uncompromising focus on selling ethically.”

Interested in entering the 2020 Stevie Award for Sales & Customer Service?

Maggie Gallagher, president of the Stevie Awards, is looking forward to having the longtime Stevie Awards sponsor present this award. “We are thrilled that Sales Partnerships has decided to recognize those not only who succeed in sales at their organization, but who do so in a particularly ethical manner. The judges are eager to read through these Ethics in Sales nominations.”

Finalists in this and all other categories, based on the ratings of more than 150 professionals around the world in the judging process, will be announced on January 16. The Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Award placements from among the finalists will be revealed at a gala event at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas on Friday, February 28.

Complete details on the competition, including how to participate, are available at www.StevieAwards.com/Sales.

Every new business or product is launched with the hope it will eventually become a big brand. However, getting the amount of reach and recall that goes into building a recognizable brand is no easy feat. Barring a few exceptions, most brands are built over several years of persistent marketing and strategic public relations (PR). However, many businesses are so busy building and perfecting their offerings that they forget to dedicate time to think about marketing and PR.

How PR Can Help Build a Strong Brand

Some businesses associate PR with crisis management, and they think it’s only to be called in when a company’s reputation is at stake. Crisis management, however, is just one of the many aspects of public relations. PR, when done well, can lay the foundation for a strong brand presence and can help grow the business.

PR firms and professionals today use an ever-evolving mix of tools and strategies. These include standard approaches such as press releases, conferences, and trade shows, as well as new-age tactics such as social media, influencer outreach, and disruptive technology. These firms also tend to have authentic relationships with the media, influencers, and other partners that might be valuable for businesses.

All these channels, though, are really just facilitators for PR. The true power of PR lies in its ability to build an impactful story around your brand.

“At its core, the art and essence of PR come down to one thing: storytelling,” writes Craig Cincotta, senior director of marketing communications at SAP, in an article on Entrepreneur. “Every brand, technology, product, and person has a story to tell. Whether you are a business of five people or a Fortune 50 company, you need to know how to tell your story the right way, at the right time, to the right people.”

All these channel capabilities and the ability to create authentic stories allow PR firms to help businesses launch, build, and maintain their brands. Also, public relations is often an immersive and time-consuming task that requires consistent efforts. Therefore, it makes sense for many companies to bring in people with PR experience to help with brand building instead of just winging it.

How to Choose a PR Agency for Your Business

If you have employees with great communication and people skills and who are knowledgeable about how PR works, you may choose to do PR in-house. However, if you don’t have the resources or time to spare and want to work with external PR firms or consultants, it pays to do your research and carefully consider who you want to work with After all, you’ll be handing over your brand and image for them to mold.

Here are some pointers as you begin your search:

Look for passion. The firm should be excited about what your business does and should be invested in your growth. Look at their past successes and clients. If they’ve helped other businesses like yours scale and improve reach, that’s a point in their favor. Some firms are specialized and cater to specific business categories. Look for those with experience in your field. Proven expertise and knowledge of the latest innovations or trends in PR are important as well. When you zero in on an agency, ask around. Consider testimonials that speak toward results as well as negative reviews.

ChicExecs, a full-service branding agency based in San Marcos, California, United States, checks all these boxes for their clients. Their team of over 50 people helps companies with PR, marketing, and retail strategy.

“We're not an agency that started just to do PR and marketing. We started because we have such a passion for our brands,” says Amber Masciorini, a senior PR account executive at ChicExecs.

Prior to starting ChicExecs, the founders built ChicBuds, a product line that made it to Target, Nordstrom, Bed Bath & Beyond, Neiman Marcus, and several other retailers. They were also featured on The Today Show, in People and InStyle, and other media outlets.

“As entrepreneurs themselves, the founders know how difficult it can be to start a product line and build it into a successful brand,” says Masciorini. “By garnering exposure in the biggest media publications and placements in major retailers, they had a bird’s-eye view of what it takes to appeal to buyers and the media. They then duplicated their recipe for success and created ChicExecs.”

ChicExecs recently won a Bronze Stevie Award in the Corporate Communications, Investor Relations, & Public Relations Categories for Public Relations Agency of the Year at The 17th Annual American Business Awards®.

Interested in winning a Stevie Award in 2020?

Friday, November 15 brings the staging of the 16th edition of the Stevie® Awards for Women in Business, the world's top honors for achievement for female entrepreneurs, executives, employees, and the organizations they run.  

More than 550 nominees and their guests, judges, and others will convene in the Broadway Ballroom of New York's Marriott Marquis Hotel for the announcement and presentation of the Grand, Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Awards.  

More than 1,500 entries were submitted this year by organizations and individuals in 25 nations, 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.  Finalists in the competition were announced on October 3.

The presentations will be broadcast live via Livestream.

The Stevie Awards for Women in Business event will be complemented by the two-day educational and networking event, the Women|Future Conference, also at the Marriott Marquis Hotel on November 14-15. Tickets for both the conference and the awards dinner are still on sale.

Here is the list of organizations that will be represented at Friday's awards dinner.

5W Public Relations, New York, NY
Access One, Chicago, IL
Adrea Rubin Marketing, Inc., New York, NY
Alessia Falsarone, New York, NY
Angles & Insights, Newport, RI
AnswerConnect, Portland, OR
Arco + Associates, Ballwin, MO
Arctic Fox Hair Color, San Marcos, CA
Ashira Prossack - Multi-Generational Workplace Expert, New York, NY
Aspire, Phoenix, AZ
Assiduus Distribution Pvt Ltd, New York, NY
AT&T, El Segundo, CA
Award Winning Accelerator, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia
Bahwan CyberTek, Natick, MA
Bank Leumi, New York, NY
BCM One,New York, NY
Bitvore, Irvine, CA
Black Dress Circle, St. Louis, MO
BlackLine, Woodland Hills, CA
Bluewater Media, Clearwater, FL
Brainchild Studios, Milwaukee, WI
BTL Group Limited, Shipley, United Kingdom
C-4 Analytics, Wakefield, MA
Canadian Cancer Society, Toronto, ON, Canada
Candice Benson, Bedford, NH
Canine Comprehension Pty Ltd, Melbourne, Australia
Caroline Kennedy Group, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
Carson Group, Omaha, NE
Catalyst International, Waterford, Ireland
CAULIPOWER, Encino, CA
CBK Partners, New York, NY
Center for Deliberate Growth®, Mission, KS
CentralReach, Pompano Beach, FL
Children of Conservation, Atlanta, GA
Cisco Systems, Inc., San Jose, CA
Clerk & Comptroller, Palm Beach County, FL
Coast Professional, Inc., West Monroe, LA
CollegeFindMe, Cambridge, MA
Concentrix Corporation, Tempe, AZ
Curo Compensation, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
DarcMatter, New York, NY
DASTrader, Las Vegas, NV
Digging Deep, Cham, Switzerland
Diligent, New York, NY
Dream Catalyst Pte Ltd, Singapore
DRT Strategies, Inc., Arlington, VA
Dubai Health Authority, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
East of Ellie, an events co., Shelton, CT
Elite Tek Solutions, Overland Park, KS
Empire Eagle Food Co., Ltd, Taichung City, Taiwan
Entercom, New York, NY
Enthuse Marketing, New York, NY
Experian Marketing Services, Costa Mesa, CA
FACULTYNY LLC, Brooklyn, NY
First Advantage, Atlanta, GA
Florida Autism Center, Lake Mary, FL
FoundHer Community, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
Forest Hills Financial Group, New York, NY
Forrest Performance Group, Fort Worth, TX
Game On, Bradenton, FL
Global Press Institute, Washington, DC
GoHealth Urgent Care, Atlanta, GA
Graziano Associates, Fairfield, CT
Growth Acceleration Partners, Austin, TX
Harman International, Stamford, CT
HGS, Bangalore, India
Hired, San Francisco, CA
HP Inc., Singapore
Humana Insurance, Louisville, KY
Hunter Plastic Surgery, Charlestown, NSW, Australia
Huntington Learning Center, Oradell, NJ
iAmLife, San Diego, CA
IBM Manufacturing Solutions Pte Ltd, Singapore
IBM, Armonk, NY
Improving, Dallas, TX
INVNT, New York, NY
IRIS GLAM, Chennai, India
iTalent Digital, San Jose, CA
It's a 10, Coral Springs, FL
Jagathi Gururajan, Winchester, MA
Keto To Go, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Kiddicutter, Australia
Kurrajong Kitchen, Sydney, Australia
LBR Insight, Philadelphia, PA
Lendio, Lehi, UT
LexReception, Seattle, WA
Lockheed Martin, Iselin, NJ
Lora DiCarlo, Bend, OR
Luma Brighter Learning, Mount Pleasant, SC
MAD-learn LLC, Atlanta, GA
ManpowerGroup Solutions, Milwaukee, WI
Meli Studio, Sydney, Australia
Merritt Group, McLean, VA
MD Management Limited, Ottawa, ON, Canada
Microsoft, Redmond, WA
Mission Control Communications, San Francisco, CA
Motional Multimedia, Wildwood, MO
myWorth, New York, NY
National Association of Women Business Owners, Washington, DC
NationsHearing, Plantation, FL
Newday Media JSC, Hanoi, Vietnam
New Family Organization, Tel Aviv, Israel
Nicor Gas, Naperville,IL
Nuro, Mountain View, CA
PacStar, Portland, OR
Paysafe, Montreal, QC, Canada
Pennsylvania's Department of Banking and Securities, Harrisburg, PA
Picote Solutions, Porvoo, Finland
Plastic Specialties dba PSITops, Salt Lake City, UT
PNC, Tampa, FL
PointClickCare, Mississauga, ON, Canada
Portfolia Inc, Woodside, CA
Pride Cheerleading Association, Salt Lake City, UT
PT. TELKOM INDONESIA, Jakarta, Indonesia
Publicis Sapient, Miami, FL
Purpol Marketing Ltd, Chippenham, Wiltshire, United Kingdom
Quantum Leaps Inc., Arlington, VA
RedSeal, San Jose, CA
ReMAP Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
Ripshot Enterprises, Toronto, ON, Canada
Safal Partners, Houston, TX
Sage Restoration, Overland Park, KS
Scaling Retail, Los Angeles, CA
School District of Palm Beach County, West Palm Beach, FL
ScriptDrop, Columbus, OH
Selligent, San Jose, CA
SkyStem, New York, NY
Soar Aviation, Melbourne, Australia
Solv by Concentrix, Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
SOSi, Reston, VA
Spartan Invest, Birmingham, AL
Sportsdigita, Minneapolis, MN
SpotX, Broomfield, CO
Springbuk, Indianapolis, IN
Sprint, Overland Park, KS
Story Rock Star, Sydney, NSW, Australia
Susan G. Komen Chicago, Chicago, IL
Sutherland Coaching and Consulting, St Johns, Antigua
Swiss Post Solutions, New York, NY
Sydney and West Painting and Rope Access Pty Ltd, Winmalee, NSW, Australia
Tangible Words Ltd., Ottawa, ON, Canada
TBWA\Istanbul, Turkey
TetraVX, Chicago, IL
The Audacious Agency, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia
The Bespoke Collection Australia, Sydney, Australia
The Makeup Artist Guild Asia Pacific Pty Ltd, Sydney, NSW, Australia
The Malvern School, Glen Mills, PA
The Painefree Group, LLC, St. Louis, MO
The SheFactor, Denver, CO
The Whitney Reynolds Show, Chicago, IL
Thomson Reuters, New York, NY
Titus, Ottawa, ON, Canada
TourRadar, Vienna, Austria
Trace3, Irvine, CA
Unison, San Francisco, CA
UpSpring PR, New York, NY
Vaco Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
Valor Global Phoenix, AZ
Versant Health, Baltimore, MD
ViON Corporation, Herndon, VA
Vitalware, Yakima, WA
Vivid Spring Solutions, Noblesville, IN
Vydia, Holmdel, NJ
Wambi, LLC, Philadelphia, PA
Welfont, Tampa, FL
West Insurance & Financial Group, Kalamazoo, MI
WeUsThem Inc., Halifax, NS, Canada
Wolters Kluwer's ELM Solutions, Houston, TX
Women's Business Development Center (WBDC), Fairway, KS
Y Media Labs, Atlanta, GA

Entries for the 2020 edition of the Stevie Awards for Women in Business will open in May.

Die Stevie Awards starten ihr achtes internationales Wirtschaftspreisprogramm. Die neuen Middle East Stevie Awards zeichnen herausragende Leistungen am Arbeitsplatz in 17 Ländern des Mittleren Osten und Nordafrika aus. Teilnahmeberechtigt sind alle Unternehmen und Organisationen, die in Algerien, Ägypten, Bahrain, Irak, Jordanien, Kuwait, dem Libanon, Marokko, dem Oman, Palästina, Katar, Saudi Arabien, Syrien, Tunesien, der Türkei, den Vereinigten Arabischen Emiraten und dem Jemen tätig sind.

Zu gewinnen gibt es die Stevie Awards Trophäen in Gold, Silber und Bronze. Die Teilnehmer dürfen beliebig viele Nominierungen in den über 100 Kategorien einreichen. Wie bei den German Stevie Awards ist die Teilnahme an den Middle East Stevie Awards kostenfrei. Die Preisträger entrichten lediglich eine Preisträgergebühr je erfolgreicher Nominierung. Eingereicht werden dürfen die Nominierungen in arabischer und englischer Sprache.

Weitere Informationen, wie Sie sich bei den ersten Middle East Stevie Awards bewerben können, finden Sie unter https://stevieawards.com/mena.

Die Middle East Stevie Awards werden durch die Ras Al Khaimah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, kurz RAK Chamber, gesponsert und ausgerichtet. Ras Al Khaimah, einers der sieben Emirate der Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate, ist damit auch Veranstaltungsort der ersten Preisverleihung der Middle East Stevie Awards.

"Ich war äußerst erfreut, als die RAK Chamber auf uns zukam, um mit ihnen ein neues Stevie Awards-Programm für den Nahen Osten und Nordafrika auszuarbeiten", erklärte Michael Gallagher, Gründer und Executive Chairman der Stevie Awards. „Wir haben die Leistungen von Führungskräften, Unternehmern und Organisationen in der gesamten Region über viele Jahre in unseren anderen Programmen gewürdigt. Es ist an der Zeit, dass die Region ein eigenes Stevie-Programm bekommt. Wir freuen uns sehr, die Stevie Awards für den Nahen Osten zu lancieren und freuen uns auf die erste Preisverleihung in RAK im Februar. “

Die RAK Chamber betonte die Bedeutung von Ras Al Khaimah als Austragungsort der ersten Middle East Stevie Awards und erklärte, dies stehe im Einklang mit der kontinuierlichen konzertierten Initiative der Regierung von Ras Al Khaimah, das Emirat als Premium-Ziel für Unternehmen, Tourismus und Lifestyle zu präsentieren.

"Die RAK Chamber setzt sich dafür ein, die regionale Geschäftswelt zu unterstützen und sie zu befähigen, sich weltweit weiterzuentwickeln und herausragende Leistungen zu erbringen", berichtete Mohamed AliAl Nuaimi Vorstand der RAK Chamber. „In diesem Sinne haben wir mit den renommierten Stevie® Awards zusammengearbeitet, um ihr positives Programm in die Region zu bringen. Die Middle East Stevie Awards können Unternehmen in der gesamten Region als wirkungsvolles Instrument dienen, um ihre Leistung zu bewerten und zu verbessern, ihre Mitarbeiter zu stärken und den Wohlstand und Spitzenleistungen im Nahen Osten zu fördern. “

Die Teilnahmefrist läuft noch bis zum 4. Dezember 2019. Ab dann prüft und bewertet eine Jury aus über 100 internationalen Fachleuten die eingegangenen Bewerbungen. Am 8. Januar werden die Preisträger öffentlich bekanntgegeben und im Rahmen einer feierlichen Preisverleihung am 8. Februar in RAK geehrt.

Mehr über den Auftakt der Middle East Stevie Awards und die Kooperation mit der RAK Chamber finden Sie unter: https://stevieawards.com/mena/introducing-middle-east-stevie-awards.

Die Bewerbungsphase des speziellen Wirtschaftspreises für Kundenservice und Vertrieb läuft auf Hochtouren. Noch bis zum 13. November 2019 können Unternehmen aus der ganzen Welt sich mit ihren Leistungen bewerben.

Nominiert werden können Abteilungen, Teams und Fachkräfte aus den Bereichen Kundenservice, Kontaktzentrum, Unternehmensentwicklung und Vertrieb, sowie neue Produkte, Dienstleistungen und Lösungsanbieter, die Unternehmen in diesen Bereichen unterstützen. Zulässig sind Leistungen, die seit dem 1. Juli 2018 erbracht wurden.

Wem die Zeit bis zum 13. November zu knapp wird, hat die Möglichkeit mit der Zahlung einer Nachgebühr seine Nominierungen noch bis zum 9. Januar 2020 einzureichen. Die Finalisten werden dann Mitte Januar bekanntgegeben. Die Gold-, Silber- und Bronzeplatzierungen werden im Rahmen der feierlichen Preisverleihung am 28. Februar im Caesars Palace in Las Vegas verkündet.

Die Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service bieten über 150 Kategorienin den Bereichen Verkauf, Kundenservice, Unternehmensentwicklung, Produkte und Lösungsanbieter.

Darunter sind neben den etablierten Kategorien auch einige Neuheiten, wie beispielsweise Customer Service Training Professional of the Year, Customer Service Training Team of the Year: External, Customer Service Training Team of the Year: Internal, Best Customer Engagement Initiative, Customer Service Training or Coaching Program of the Year, Sales Enablement Program of the Year, Sales Incentive Program of the Year sowie White Paper or Research Paper of the Year.

In diesem Jahr werden auch wieder die People‘s Choice Stevie Awards for Favorite Customer Service, ein beliebter Bestandteil der Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service, vergeben. Bei diesen Awards wählt die Öffentlichkeit den beliebtesten Anbieter aus den Finalisten der Customer Service Department of the Year. Die öffentliche Abstimmung findet von 16. Januar bis zum 14. Februar statt. Der Link zur Abstimmung wird kurz vorher bekanntgegeben.

Im vergangenen Jahr konnten zwei Unternehmen aus Deutschland bei den Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service punkten. Der Softwareriese SAP SEaus Walldorf wurde mit zwei Silber Stevie Awards in den Kategorien Innovation in Customer Service - Computer Industriesund Best Use of Technology in Customer Service - Computer Industriesausgezeichnet. Der Berliner Chauffeur & Limousine Service Blacklanegewann einen Bronze Stevie Award in der Kategorie Front-Line Customer Service Team of the Year - Other Service Industries.

Wenn auch Sie bei den Preisträgern der 14. Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service dabei sein wollen, bewerben Sie sich unter www.StevieAwards.com/Sales.