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Awards 2025

Welcome to the Famtastic Awards 2025, celebrating agents and venues nationwide and recognising the rewarding relationships between buyers and suppliers with categories designed to allow everyone a chance to shine. Free to enter and with a fair and transparent judging process, the Famtastic Awards are a true celebration of our fabulous industry and we would love you to be involved.

The Timeline

2 March 2025 | Awards Open for Entry
4 July 2025 | Early Bird Closing Date
25 July 2025 | Final Closing Date
August 2025 | Judging
1 September 2025 | Finalists Announced
31 October 2025 | The Famtastic Awards (The Village Hotel Blackpool)

 

The Categories

The Famtastic

Academic Venue of the Year

Open to any Academic Venues or Places of Learning. Who has the best space, the most up to date tech and offers amazing value.

The Famtastic

Boardroom of the Year

Meetings space doesn't have to be huge to make an impact, so who has a boardroom or small meeting room that really stands out from the crowd? Is it the tech, the design or the most comfortable chairs imaginable.

The Famtastic

Caterer or Chef

Food remains a key element in the majority of events, so whether it's an In House Chef or External Catering Company, who is consistently serving up excellence when it comes to lunches or dinners? Who is cooking up a storm or doing things a little differently to wow diners and delegates?

The Famtastic

Freelancer of the Year

We all need a helping hand occasionally and freelancers are the very essence of great support when it comes to external resources? So who do you know, that can easily engage with your team, and can represent your brand professionally from the start? Who is a Famtastic Freelancer? 

The Famtastic

Independent Venue of the Year

A fantastic independent venue can be a life saver for event professionals, so who has some amazing space and delivers great service when it comes to hosting meetings and events?

The Famtastic

New Talent of the Year

There are two awards in this category, one for agents and one for suppliers, but in both cases we are looking at new comers to the industry - who demonstrate passion  and are eager to embrace new skills in the world of meetings and events.

The Famtastic

Sales Professional of the Year

Our industry is full of great people, but who is prolific, professional and always ready to go that extra mile when it comes to working relationships? Quite simply, who is famtastic?

The Famtastic

Unique Venue of the Year

Unique venues can deliver wonderful guest experiences and the wow factor, so what makes your venue extra special? When it comes to events is it your history, your setting or are you just very unique and unusual but making your mark?

The Famtastic

Agent of the Year

Who is prolific and demonstrates a passion for the industry whilst delivering great events for clients?

The Famtastic

Bedroom of the Year

We all have our favourites, but who has some truly memorable decor and those extra touches that makes any guests stay that extra special?

The Famtastic

Conference Centre/Hotel

There are some truly excellent conference centres and conference hotels in the UK, but what makes a venue stand out?  What do you have that is different and makes it a go to space for meetings and events?

The Famtastic

Hotel Brand of the Year

Which chain of hotels consistently delivers great service, irrespective of their portfolio size and who represents their brand well to both agents and to corporates?

The Famtastic

International Representation of the Year

From DMC's to international hotels, which organisation demonstrates great knowledge, strong communication, is great to work with a real conduit to connecting UK buyers to the world.

The Famtastic

Refurb/Rebrand of the Year

Hotels and venues are continually changing and rebranding, so who is doing a great job of communicating change and demonstrating investment in their properties?

The Famtastic

Sports Venue of the Year

Sport and sports related venues remain an important part of our industry landscape, but what makes your stadium or arena special when it comes to the MICE market? What are you doing to stand out from the crowd and attracting fans?!

The Famtastic

Use of AI or Tech in Events

Love it or hate it, we can't ignore that AI is here to stay, but who is using it to their benefit and what are the positive experiences that our industry has witnessed as a result of using AI to enhance events or event experiences? Or has new tech made an impact on your events?

The Famtastic

Agency of the Year

Which agency, large or small, has demonstrated a great success story? Whether it's a sharp increase in new business or a new initiative, who has really made their mark?

The Famtastic

Boardroom of the Year

Meetings space doesn't have to be huge to make an impact, so who has a boardroom or small meeting room that really stands out from the crowd? Is it the tech, the design or the most comfortable chairs imaginable.

The Famtastic

Green Initiative of the Year

Sustainability remains high on the agenda for event professionals, so what new initiative have you introduced that will be of benefit to both people and our planet? From small changes to large programmes, what are you doing to make a difference?

The Famtastic

Independent Hotel of the Year

Independent Hotels are vital to our industry, so which ones make their mark, are prolific and strive to deliver consistent excellence in meetings and events. Who shouts the loudest and has the service to back up their claims?

The Famtastic

Marketing Campaign of the Year

Which organisation has delivered a great marketing campaign to promote their organisation and to really deliver engagement in a fun and productive fashion - and show us your results! How Famtastic was your campaign?

The Famtastic

Representation of the Year

Which team does an amazing job of representing their portfolio of different venues and hotels and who is the stand out organisation in a crowded and noisy market?

The Famtastic

Team Building Company of the Year

There are two awards in this category, one for agents and one for suppliers, but in both cases we are looking at new comers to the industry - who demonstrate passion  and are eager to embrace new skills in the world of meetings and events.

The Judging

The Famtastic Judging is based a fair and transparent scoring system, where each category has points available depending on the category. As we only ask both agency judges and supplier judges to score those entrants of whom they have direct knowledge or those they have worked with, the more judges we get the better, so the overall score are representative of the industry at large.

 

Our agency judges score supplier entries and our supplier judges score entries, so there is no canvassing and no rallying for votes - it's just very fair and very simple. The overall scores are then based on a mean average of how many judges rated the entry and the overall scores – which is how we calculate the winners - and everything is adjudicated by the very formidable Carol Ann Whitehead from the Zebra Partnership.

The Judges To Date

Janet Scally | The Grand York

Rosie Ackerman | Wyboston Lakes

Lorraine Kerry | MTC Venues

Charlotte Booth | First4Venues

Magda Marsh | Best Western

Karen Guile | ToBook

Helen Vann | Hothorpe Venues

Aziza Yessi | Mercure Manchester Piccadilly Hotel

Emily Lockwood | Excelerate Consulting

Lisa Carpenter | Magnifisense

Emma Wigan | Diamond Cut Events

Mark Heywood | Village Hotels

Richard Brown | Chew Events

Laura Dudley | ArrangeMY

Wes Wilson | Manchester Marriott Piccadilly Hotel

Jennie Mort | Sovereign Conferences

Gail Crowe | Magnifisense

Rosie Meiklejohn-Cribdon | ClueGo

James Manford | Successful Events

Pauline Caldaralo | PAC Events

Nicky Brown | Arctic Fox

Donna Hodges | Inception Events

Ella Wilson | Ace Bookings

Sarah Shirley | BrightVision Events 

Kerry Edwards | Bien Venue

Henrik Court | HC Events

Jess Ford | Blackberry Events

Megan Earl | Hotel and Travel Solutions 

Kieron Bowen | Eventurous

Charlotte Carrier | QTP Events

Alison Francis | Travelperk

Lottie Stokes | Hotel and Travel Solutions

Leigh Bacon | We Are MEat

Stephen Caldaralo | PAC Events

Lauretthe McCellan | Pineapple Events

Sherine Whittle | Brand-Nu

Claire Lee | Venue Queen

Christine Ferris | Legacy Hotels

Kathy Nakra | No Ordinary Hospitality

Lewis Howe | Buxton Crescent

Ian Fletcher | Courtyard London Heathrow Airport

Katherine Connelly | University Arms

Julia Cooke | Relais Retreats

Jade Green | Jade Green Productions

Lewis Howe | Buxton Crescent Hotel

Dan Gibson | Carden Park

Gemma Ryder | ArrangeMY

Debbie Walker | Travel Trade Events

Deborah Collins | The Belfry

Wendy Burrows | First4Venues

Sarah Bryne | Mosaic Events

Abi Luty | Goldcrest Events

Liz Gibbons | Classic British Hotels

Andrew Woods | Leonardo Hotels

Victoria Webb | Millennium Point

Barry Clarke | Events Plus

Emily Mills | The Leeds Met

Naomi Phillips | Classic Lodges

Stijn Huijbers | Hilton Hotels

Kelsey Summerfield | Valor Hotels

Michael Judd | Aimbridge

Phillip Allsop | Classic British Hotels

Jamie Taylor | Leonardo Hotels

Louise Copley | The Grand York

Helen Wilson | Forest of Arden Hotel

Sean Perkins | Imago

Kate Shaw | DeVere

Mandy Jennings | Venues of Excellence

Danny Archer | The Milner

Dan Coyles | Q Hotels 

Alison Hadaway | Mottram Hall

Sally Clift | Choice Locations

Want to Judge? Please Get in Touch! 

TBC

Stuff You Need to Know

It's free to enter the Famtastic Awards until the earrly bird deadline, but late entries after this date wil be charged a small administration fee of £25+vat per submission, which will go to charity. Agencies and buyers judge the venue and supplier entries, and suppliers judge the agency entries - and all of our judges only score and rank entrants that they know and have experience of dealing with, to ensure the process is fair and transparent.

 

We are always on the lookout for event professionals who would like to be a part of the judging, which is all done online and independently, and can spare some time in August to contribute. If this sounds like you, please email us and we will be happy to provide you with the details.

When you are entering try and be as descriptive as you can, but stick to the word limits and make it engaging so your entry stands out.

 

The Winners from 2024​

Want to see who won in 2024? Check out the winners from last year...

Enter Here

The Awards Event & Information

We're heading to Blackpool this year and the very lovely Village Hotel and as we are conscious that it is Half Term & Halloween, we are making the event as family friendly as possible!

We will shortly be publishing details for discounted rail fares with our friends at Avanti West Coast,

Cross Rail & Northern Rail so please check back for details.

We are also introducing a creche on site at The Village Hotel, with fully qualified and trained

professionals with three rooms for three different age ranges.

 

Discounted hotel rooms are available at The Village Hotel and 70 rooms are available currently for suppliers - £85 BB per night. Rate is available up until 01/08/25. To book please email claire.crooks@village-hotels.com (Rooms available for the Saturday also at £85 BB single

occupancy or £95 for double occupancy - and family friendly rooms are also available.

 

 If people want to extend their stay to include the Saturday night, then you can make a weekend

of it and enjoy the attractions and we are working on a range of discounted tickets.

Watch This Space for Additional Details Coming Soon! 

Friday 31 October 2025

10am-12noon Arrival & Registration

12noon-1.30pm Lunch in the Helter Skelter Restaurant

(Jacket Spuds with Toppings Galore! & a range of Soft Drinks)

1.30pm-4pm Networking Session

4pm Leisure Time (Sports Bar | Pool | Driving Range etc)

6.30pm Drinks Reception

7.15pm Seating for Dinner

7.30pm Welcome

7.45pm Dinner

(Two Courses Included & Half a Bottle of Wine pp)

9.00pm The Awards

10.00pm Entertainment & Disco

12midnight Wrapping Up

Post Event Drinks the Sports Bar

Tickets Available to Book After Easter

 

 

 

 

Sponsorship & Speed Dating Options are available, please email cathryn@cloud9em.co.uk for details

Ray of Stars Logo.png

Ray of Stars – Event & Wedding Day Childcare Services
Ray of Stars is a small, passionate business delivering big experiences for little guests! We provide a fully equipped crèche, set up in a location of your choice, offering a fun, safe, and engaging space for children during your event. With a wide range of toys, games, crafts, and activities, we keep little ones happily entertained while parents enjoy the celebration. For peace of mind, all children are securely signed in and out. In addition to Event childcare, Ray of Stars also offers Children’s Parties, School Workshops, Early years sessions, Children’s corners, and Nannying services

Sponsor the Famtastic Awards

We have a range of fabulous packages for sponsors so please contact

Cathryn via famtastic.rocks@cloud9em.co.uk for details

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