The World Pet Association’s SuperZoo won for overall fastest-growing net square footage and Nielsen Exposition’s GlobalShop nabbed overall fastest-growing attendance during the 3^rd Annual TSNN T-awards weekend celebration held Nov. 2-4 in Louisville, Ky.

“To receive an award like this is a great honor,” said Jim Boschee, WPA’s second vice chairperson. “Everyone here has pets I assume … and everyone loves their pets.”

The awards were presented as part of a three-day gala weekend Nov. 2-4 in Louisville at which winning show organizers, as well as their guests and sponsors, gathered to celebrate the 50 fastest-growing shows from the years 2009-2011 in attendance and net square footage.

Click HERE to see the 3rd Annual TSNN T-awards video highlights.

The Expo Group’s Show Manager of the Year awards, honoring five show organizers representing different-sized shows, also was a part of the awards gala held at the Louisville Marriott Downtown.

The Ontario Hospital Association’s HealthAchieve staved off stiff competition from four other nominated shows to win the TSNN T-awards for “Best of Show”, which was voted on by the trade show industry.

OHA Director Eva Bell accepted the award on behalf of the show, adding, “Our (entire) team would have loved to have been here, but they are opening for move-in Monday morning!”

Other awards given during the evening that was emceed by Adam Schaffer, president of Media Revenue Partners, included the TSNN T-awards Industry Icon award to Don Pazour, president and CEO of Access Intelligence.

“This is very humbling actually,” Pazour said. “This is a great industry, and to be called an icon of the industry is quite an honor.”

Other shows celebrated included Tarsus Group’s Offprice Show for fastest-growing for-profit show by net square footage and OFA – The Association for Horticulture Professionals’ OFA Short Course for fastest-growing association show by attendance.

SMOTY winners included Molly Mérez, executive director, Ticket Summit, Inc.; Margery Palonis, CEM, exhibits manager, Academy of General Dentistry; Nancy Johnson, event director, Brewers Association; Deborah Swift, owner and president, Swift Solutions; and Gene Sanders, senior vice president of Trade Shows and Conferences, SPI: The Plastics Industry Trade Association.

All of the SMOTY winners also were presented with an iconic SMOTY crystal obelisk trophy and a $500 check for their favorite charity.

The weekend celebration kicked off Friday night with an opening reception at the 21c Museum Hotel, a privately owned property that has been named three years in a row the top-ranked hotel in the U.S. by Conde Nast.

Attendees had the opportunity to meet Bill Samuels, long-time president of Maker’s Mark bourbon, hang out with Pat Day, one of the most famous jockeys of all time, and have their portraits painted.

The following morning, attendees headed over to the Kentucky International Convention Center for the executive conference that included a “State of the Industry” panel with Doreen Biela, chairperson of the International Exhibitions and Events, and David Audrain, incoming-chair of the Society of Independent Show Organizers, who discussed a broad range of relevant topics.

Another session, “Driving Attendance with Non-Traditional Tools”, was led by Michelle Bruno, president of Bruno Group Signature Events, with panelists Chris Dolnack, CMO for National Sport Shooting Foundation, and Roger Halligan, CEO of H+A International.

Dolnack, who works on NSSF’s SHOT Show, said the show has an extremely active social media presence, but what makes it successful is a detailed content marketing plan that is reviewed quarterly and involves making sure they are constantly engaging their audience.

Halligan encouraged attendees to use visuals – video, photos, infographics – to grab people’s attention.

“Forty-four percent of respondents to a recent survey said they are more likely to engage with brands if a picture is featured,” he added.

Dana Freker Doody, vice president of corporate communications for The Expo Group, led the last session of the day, “Creating a Fascinating Marketplace”.

“Remember when you were a child? What fascinated you? How can you translate that to the showfloor?” she asked attendees.

Doody called on audience members to describe what they have done at their events to ‘fascinate’ attendees.

IPC Senior Director of Tradeshows and Events’ Alicia Balonek said they had Apple Co-founder Steve Wozniak at one of their events, and, she added, “You think they had met God.”

Doody warned, “As soon as you are producing the same old show, you are already in decline.”

The luncheon keynote featured Rick Pitino, University of Louisville Cardinal’s Basketball head coach, who captured the attention of the crowd by detailing what he is passionate about and how he motivates his team and staff.

“I try to get the message across to every business (that) every single day is their game and how do they lead their people, motivate their people, get the most out of them each day?,” Pitino said. “If you treat it like when you come to work you are stepping between the lines and playing that game from eight to six or whatever your hours may be, then you’re probably going to have a winning venture.”

He also told attendees that being positive and passionate is a choice he makes every morning when he wakes up and to really communicate effectively people need to listen four times more than they talk.

The final day of the gala celebration weekend included a brunch at the home of the Kentucky Derby, Churchill Downs, followed by a day of racing at which the first race was named the “Trade Show News Network T-awards Classic.”

The event was made possible by the generous support of our sponsors:Founding Sponsor The Expo Group; City Sponsor Louisville Convention & Visitors Bureau; Venue Sponsor Kentucky International Convention Center, Smart City and Centerplate; Hotel Sponsor Louisville Marriott Downtown; Presenting Sponsors Wyndham Jade, Ungerboeck Software International and George Fern Exposition & Services; Gold Sponsors ASP, Experient, AXXIS, Map Your Show, Travel Planners and Production Transport; Silver Sponsors EPIC, Industry Connect, a2z Inc., OnPeak, Expocad and Freeman; Media Sponsor H+A International, CNTV – Convention News Television and The Photo Group.