7th Global Event Awards: Best Cultural Event Finalists

In the following weeks, we will introduce you to the Eventex finalists - those extraordinary eventprofs who are competing for a Global Event Award. You will meet them in person come January at the special gala ceremony at Croke park but first, we would like to offer you a brief preview of their projects and products that transform events into cutting-edge experiences.

Best Cultural Event Finalists

Guinness Cork Jazz Festival by Verve The Live Agency

28 October 2016 to 31st October 2016 | Cork City, Ireland

Watch videoGuinness Cork Jazz Festival took place from 28th – 31st October 2016 in over 60 pubs in Cork City and surrounding areas, the Cork Opera House, the Everyman Theatre, Triskel Arts Centre and the streets of Cork City itself. More than 40,000 people descended on Cork City for the weekend to enjoy the popular jazz festival with hundreds of music sessions.One of the main goals of the 2016 Cork Jazz festival was to enhance the profile of the festival by appealing to a wider demographic while still maintaining jazz at the core of the festival.Verve Live Agency created a unique and innovative design bringing Guinness Cork Jazz Festival livery back to life after several years, including POS Kit, Z-cards and website, tailoring the exciting new livery to individual venues and pubs to bring Cork publicans back behind Guinness Cork Jazz Festival. The Interactive Map which suggested hotspots based on the visitor’s date of birth was live from 15th October, right through to the end of the festival.The programme featured a series of events and activities over the course of the weekend, all aimed at extending the Festival experience for locals and visitors alike: Free Open Air Concert with Picture This & Ham Sandwich, Jazz Photo Exhibition, open top jazz bus touring the city centre, a jazz street parade and competitions.The key difference with this festival was that it included several different sizes and types of venues - from small local pubs, to large 1,400 capacity venues, to the open-air concert, to street marching bands and jazz parades. Verve also updated the festival social media strategy with an on-site social media manager who was capturing live content, Vox pops and promotional videos. The festival also featured some interesting campaigns - over 80 local taxi drivers became jazz ambassadors for the duration of the weekend and some of the major venues and emblematic buildings participated in “Turning the city red’ by lighting up red for the duration of the festival. The ‘Faces of Jazz’ initiative carried out on-street interviews with festival goers to get behind the real people attending Guinness Cork Jazz Festival.Failte Ireland reported over 5,000 overseas visitors, mainly from the UK, but also from Norway, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and the USA. Facebook ‘Likes’ increased by 2,491 from July to October, and the total organic Facebook reach of Guinness Cork Jazz during the festival was up 1,584% compared to the same period for the previous year.#GuinnessCorkJazz became No.1 trend on Twitter that weekend, above other unofficial festival hashtags. The estimated value of the festival was up to €18 million to the local economy.Read full entry here

Magical Lantern Festival by Weli creative Ltd

3 Feb 2016 - 6 March, 2016 | London, UK

Watch videoMagical Lantern Festival made its debut with a celebration of the Chinese New Year - a 75-minute cultural adventure walk-through experience which included 52 groups and 1000s of individual large lantern installations.The main objective of Magical Lantern Festival was to create a truly “east meet west” cultural experience showcasing the rich history and heritage of the Far East through the celebrated Lantern festival. Each group of lantern installations had a different meaning and reflected the contrast of the two different cultures - the symbolic Chinese dragon next to the iconic camellia flower of Chiswick House and Garden; the traditional Temple of Heaven lantern gazing at the Chiswick House, one of the finest examples of neo-Palladian design in England.The experience started with a Chinese New Year themed welcome lanterns followed by festival food and drink. The central lantern featured a pavilion for merchandise where kids could get a light sword, torch and lanterns.Passed the ticket point, visitor entered a lotus-shaped long corridor, with two 6-meter tall lotus blooms in the pond with the temple as a background. Overlooking the river, you could glimpse other installations as well. Over the bridge, visitors entered the animal kingdom with 100s of different animal recreations of the great migration in safari park. Overlooking the Temple of Heaven was the 66-meter long dragon with the glittering reflection on the water. Half way through, one could enjoy a cup of hot chocolate and toasted marshmallows to warm up in the cold winter.The grand finale wowed visitors with a close look at the dragon, the overhead lighting tunnel, the magnificent temple of heaven, world famous Terracotta Army and the giant camellia flower. On the way out, there was food, drinks and more festivities and fun.The event was covered by major media outlets, including BBC, ITV, ABC News, Reuters, The guardian, Buzzfeed, CCTV, Evening Standard, Metro, mail online, timeout and more. The media value estimated more than £6 million and the press reach in excess of 162,870,520 readers from across the planet within first week of opening its door.The Magical Lantern Festival has instantly become one of the most popular and top winter attractions in London and hopes to become an annual event year on year.Read full entry here

RTÉ Reflecting the Rising by Magnum Events

28 March, 2016 | Dublin, Ireland

Watch videoA respectful and ambitious commemoration of Ireland’s most profound moment which transformed the streets of Dublin with live music, dance and re-enactments, while some of Ireland’s most culturally prolific buildings hosted a range of workshops & lectures.Magnum Events were chartered by RTÉ, Ireland's national broadcaster, to bring their programme of events to life across the city of Dublin by creating an uplifting, reverential way for the general public to commemorate and understand the events of Easter 1916. Of crucial importance was the recognition of all those who fought and lost their lives during this period. With this in mind “Reflecting the Rising” was designed to be didactic in nature but also entertaining, celebratory and ultimately appealing to both young and old alike.Coupled with 5 large-scale outdoor locations spread throughout the City, over 75 iconic & diverse venues such as the Four Courts, City Hall, Gaiety, Freemasons & Smithfield Fruit Market hosted a range of activities. The event included workshops, lectures, live broadcasts, walking tours, classic car shows, film screenings, traditional and contemporary music, parades, street theatre and artistic installations.The event was both participatory and interactive involving a wide range of special interest groups such as historians, descendants of 1916 combatants & the Irish Republican Brotherhood who participated in parades & lectures. Further engaging with such an immersive spirit, the public was granted access to venues such as Dublin Castle, Freemasons & the Four Courts which are normally restricted.With over 4000 people taking part in tours, participants heard tales of the Rising, visited significant locations & witnessed first-hand the scars of the Rising left upon the Dublin’s architecture, while actors re-enacted key moments from the era. The estimated economic impact on Dublin City was €23 million which was undoubtedly an enormous return on investment over the course of the day. With over 700, 000 people in attendance, local business welcomed huge volumes of people, while publicans, hoteliers & restaurant owners reported how the event had impacted positively upon business throughout the city, as the public relished the opportunity to sample Dublin hospitality at its finest.“Reflecting the Rising” was a fully immersive experience which sought to incorporate the city of Dublin in its entirety as an interactive space utilising not only its many theaters and bars but also its streets, alleyways and thoroughfares, spanning both sides of the Liffey.Read full entry here

Viagem Medieval em Terra de Santa Maria – “Medieval Journey” by FEIRA VIVA - Cultura e Desporto e.m.

27 July - 7 August, 2016 | Santa Maria da Feira, Portugal

Watch videoFor 12 days, the historical centre of Santa Maria da Feira returns to the Middle Ages. Through the re-enactment of decisive episodes from Portuguese history, the Medieval Journey has established itself as an exceptional cultural and tourism product.Focusing on the re-enactment of pivotal episodes and events from local and national history, the Medieval Journey has now spread to the entire historical centre (about 33 hectares), harmoniously combining medieval entertainment with 25 theme areas, such as the Baths of S. Jorge, the Settlement, the Small Warriors, Squire Training, King’s Castle, Free Fair, Military Camp.The whole venue is teeming with travelling players and other artists, who interact with the public accompanied by music bands and jugglers. The event attracts around 50 thousand visitors every day, many of them from Spain and other foreign countries. The event is organised by a large team of over a thousand persons from various fields, and more than one quarter of them are volunteers.The event’s historical framework is revised every year, and since 2010 has followed the historical lineage of Portugal’s monarchs. Such changes imply constructing new content within the framework of what the organisers call anchor entertainment, which during the event’s twelve days will narrate episodes from the reign in question, namely those concerning Santa Maria da Feira, thus clearly binding the event to the region and its identity.Besides popular involvement, the event’s sustainability is ensured through strategies for local empowerment, such constructing entertainment projects, developing skills and harnessing the resident know-how and creative ability, to the extent that a significant part of the event’s performances and theme areas result from a process of co-creation/co-production with regional agents which generates experiences and moments that are exclusive to Santa Maria da Feira.The festival which is visited by 600 thousand people every year, generates 1 million website pageviews, 100 thousand Facebook followers and 200 news articles every year.Undoubtedly, this project has unique features and stands out for its historical accuracy, size and duration as well as the involvement of the local population and associations which boosts its identity and sense of belonging.Read full entry hereThe winners and runners-up will be revealed at the gala ceremony at Croke Park, 24 January 2017. Register now and join the league of extraordinary event professionals!