Utah Shakespeare Festival Earns Prestigious International Publications Award

The Utah Shakespeare Festival continues to produce quality award-winning work both on and off the stage. This September, the International Festivals and Events Association (IFEA) paid tribute to the Utah Shakespeare Festival's marketing and publications at the 58th Annual Convention and Expo in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Festival earned two awards in the prestigious IFEA/Haas & Wilkerson Pinnacle Awards competition. The Festival earned a gold award for the best event program and a bronze for best promotional brochure.

Sponsored by industry leader Haas & Wilkerson Insurance, the professional competition draws entries from among the world's top festivals and events. Awards are given in honor of the highest degree of excellence for a variety of promotional publications, representing a multitude of national and international organizations. Awards were handed out in 69 different categories in total.

"We were competing with organizations from around the world," said Phil Hermansen, the Festival's art director. "That puts us in a mix of very large organizations with very expansive resources, so we feel honored to receive this award again."

Winning entries came from organizations as diverse as the Kentucky Derby Festival, Louisville, KY; Memphis in May International Festival, Memphis, TN; 500 Festival, Indianapolis, IN; Des Moines Arts Festival, Des Moines, IA; Cherry Creek Arts Festival, Denver, CO; Pasadena Tournament of Roses, Pasadena, CA and the Burlington Sound of Music Festival, Burlington, ON, Canada.

International contenders included such diverse event organizations as the Seoul Lantern Festival, Seoul, South Korea; World Gourmet Summit, Singapore; Grolsch Artboom Festival, Krakow, Poland; Stichting Rotterdam Festivals, The Netherlands; Festival Lent, Maribor, Slovenia and the Sentosa Leisure Management, Sentosa, Singapore.

The Festival communications department writes, designs, and produces over 100 publications each year, and also designs, produces, and maintains the Festival's website, as well as coordinating all media and public relations and marketing efforts. "We're very proud of our publications," said Bruce C. Lee, Festival communications director. "We feel that we represent the Festival very well and we have a great team here to accomplish that. This award tells us that we compare very favorably with many other organizations and the world."

"The IFEA/Haas & Wilkerson Pinnacle Awards Competition recognizes the outstanding accomplishments and top quality creative, promotional, operational and community outreach programs and materials produced by festivals and events around the world," said IFEA President & CEO, Steven Wood Schmader, CFEE. "Striving for the highest degree of excellence in festival and event promotions and operations in every budget level and every corner of the globe, this competition has not only raised the standards and quality of the festivals and events industry to new levels, but also shows how event producers can use innovation and creativity to achieve a higher level of success."

Headquartered in Boise, Idaho, the International Festivals & Events Association (IFEA) is The Premiere Association Supporting and Enabling Festival & Event Professionals Worldwide. In partnership with global affiliates under the umbrellas of IFEA Africa, IFEA Asia, IFEA Australia, IFEA Europe, IFEA Latin America, IFEA Middle East, and IFEA North America the organization's common vision is for "A Globally United Industry that Touches Lives in a Positive Way through Celebration," The Association offers the most complete source of ideas, resources, information, education and networking for festival and event professionals worldwide.

For a complete list of winners and more information on the IFEA, go to www.ifea.com.