The Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS) is pleased to announce the 2009 recipients of the 32nd Annual National Marketing Communications Awards (MCA). This annual competition is the longest-standing, most prestigious awards program recognizing excellence in marketing and communications by professional services firms in the design and building industry. Awards were announced at Build Business: “Strategy. Risk. Reward,” the SMPS National Conference held in Las Vegas in mid-July.
MCA Program Chair Kevin Hebblethwaite, CPSM, president of EDI, Ltd, stated that this year’s MCA program, one of SMPS’ premier events, “was exciting, even in light of current economic conditions. A/E/C firms are still producing incredible marketing communications material.” Spanning 18 categories, the awards competition this year drew nearly 240 entries.
More than 80 jurors from across the country gathered at offices of Newcomb & Boyd in downtown Atlanta in late March to evaluate the high-quality submittals. “Each year the bar is raised. It’s very rewarding to see the judges’ reactions to the increasingly high caliber of entries—especially from judges outside the A/E/C industry,” said Hebblethwaite. “The winning entries displayed at Build Business will be sent to various locations throughout the year to help educate SMPS members about the marketing trends and innovative tactics that firms are employing during these difficult economic times,” added Hebblethwaite. Holiday Piece, Special Event, Web Site, Target Marketing, and Corporate Identity continue to be the more competitive categories.
The first-place winners are as follows:
• Advertising, HNTB Corporation, Kansas City, MO; archimania, Memphis, TN (1st place, small firm)
• Annual Report, Arup, San Francisco, CA
• Book/Monogram, Perkins+Will, Chicago, IL
• Brochure, Walter P Moore, Houston, TX; DFDia, Tempe, AZ (1st small firm)
• Corporate Identity, Terracon Consultants, Inc., Olathe, KS; la terra studio, Dallas, TX (1st small firm)Â
• Direct-Mail Campaign, Antinozzi Associates & Bligh Graphics, Simsbury, CT
• Feature Writing, Cannon Design, Grand Island, NYSMPS MCA winners
• Holiday Piece, BLRB Architects, Tacoma, WA; Avila Design, Berkeley, CA (1st small firm)
• Internal Communications, BBG-BBGM, New York, NY
• Magazine, HNTB Corporation, Kansas City, MO
• Media Relations Campaign, GEI Consultants, Inc., Woburn, MA
• Newsletter-External, Golder Associates, Roseville, MN
• Newsletter-Internal, FOX Architects, McLean, VA
• Promotional Campaign, GAI Consultants, Inc., Homestead, PA
• Special Event, Turner Logistics, Hawthorne, NY; la terra studio, Dallas, TX (1st small firm)
• Specific Project Marketing, HGA Architects and Engineers, Minneapolis, MN
• Target Marketing, Linbeck Group, Houston, TX
• Web Site, McCownGordon Construction, Kansas City, MO
The Best of Show Award for a Large Firm, bestowed by a jury of national tradeÂ
magazine editors, was awarded to HGA Architects and Engineers. The jury bestowed the Best of Show Award for a Small Firm to Avila Design. The People’s Choice Award, voted on by conference attendees, was awarded to Antinozzi Associates & Bligh Graphics. A full list of award winners and their entries will be available soon at www.smps.org/mca.
The 2010 MCA program will get underway early next year, with the entry deadline in March 2010. Details will be available on the SMPS Web site in December (www.smps.org/mca). Judging will be held in Cincinnati and the awards gala will take place at Build Business: Reinvent. Retool. Rebound., the SMPS National Conference, July 14–16 in Boston, MA. Both SMPS members and nonmembers may enter the awards competition.
The Society for Marketing Professional Services (www.smps.org) represents a dynamic network of more than 7,000 marketing and business development professionals from architectural, engineering, planning, interior design, construction, and specialty construction firms located throughout the United States and Canada. The Society and its 50+ chapters benefit from the support of 3,250 design and building firms, encompassing 80% of the Engineering News-Record Top 500 Design Firms and Top 400 Contractors. SMPS’ mission is to advocate for, educate, and connect leaders in the building industry.
