Skift Meetings Awards 2023: Meet the Shortlist

Skift Meetings is delighted to announce the shortlist for the first-ever Skift Meetings Awards. 

The Skift Meetings Awards are set to recognize the industry’s most respected suppliers, setting the standard for excellence in business events, with the shortlist having demonstrated an understanding of planner needs, consistent delivery of exceptional service, and extraordinary offerings that leave a lasting impression. 

Just short of 200 entries were submitted from around the globe, which are now set to be reviewed and judged by the Skift Meetings Editorial Team. 

This year’s categories were split across three defined criteria groups:

1. Tech Providers 
2. Hotels 
3. Other suppliers 

Take a look at the full shortlist below:

Hotels

Best Hotel Chain (Global)

• Marriott International
• Zoku
• Wyndham Hotels & Resorts

Best Hotel Chain (U.S.)

• Gaylord Hotels
• Marriott International
• 21c Museum Hotels
• Omni Hotels & Resorts

Best Hotel (Global)

• JW Marriott Parq Vancouver
• Conrad Punta de Mita
• Hilton Aruba Caribbean Resort & Casino
• Hamilton Princess & Beach Club
• The Westin Lima Hotel & Convention Center

Best Hotel (U.S.)

• Sheraton Waikiki
• The Boca Raton
• Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center
• Rancho Bernardo Inn
• Caesars Palace

Best Hotel Event Space (Global)

• Hamilton Princess & Beach Club: Hamilton Princess Debuts the Executive Meeting Floor
• Playa Hotels & Resorts: Think Outside the Office: Think Hyatt Zilara and Hyatt Ziva Cap Cana
• Botanic Sanctuary Antwerp: Botanic Sanctuary Antwerp
• Hilton Hotels & Resorts: Hilton Playa del Carmen, An All-Incusive – The Infinity Deck
• Hilton Aruba Caribbean Resort & Casino: Hilton Aruba Caribbean Resort & Casino

Best Hotel Event Space (U.S.)

• Host Hotels & Resorts: Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina
• Marriott International: Marriott Marquis Houston
• Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa: Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa
• Caribe Royale Orlando: Caribe Royale Orlando
• W Philadelphia: W Philadelphia

Other Suppliers

Best Destination Marketing Organization (Global) 

• Destination Toronto
• Banff & Lake Louise Tourism
• VisitScotland Business Events
• Vienna Convention Bureau
• Québec City Business Destination

Best Destination Marketing Organization (U.S.) 

• New York City Tourism + Conventions
• New Orleans & Company
• Visit Seattle
• Discover Puerto Rico
• Destination DC

Best Convention Centre (Global) 

• Tobacco Dock Venue Ltd
• Québec City Convention Centre
• Austria Center Vienna 

Best Convention Centre (U.S.) 

• The New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center
• Miami Beach Convention Center
• Caesars Forum
• Reno-Sparks Convention Center
• Seattle Convention Center

Tech Providers

Most Innovative Event Technology Product

• Explori: Empowering event profs with data to prove the impact of their event strategy
• Zenus AI: Zenus AI Badge Scanning
• Trees4Travel – Trees4Events: A free emissions calculator and educational tool, making travel and events planet and people positive by supporting 13 UN SDGs
• Wordly: Making Meetings & Events More Inclusive and Engaging with AI
• Hellopurple: Reimagining corporate event planning

Best Site-Sourcing Solution

• Bizly: Beyond the RFP: Bizly’s Revolutionary Site Sourcing Solution
• BoomPop: BoomPop’s Budget Optimizer Tool
• The Vendry: Venue Sourcing Built for the Modern Event Pro

Best Event Management Platform

• Splash: Meet Splash: The Platform Making More Events Possible
• InEvent: InEvent
• vFairs: vFairs Event Management Platform
• Webex Events (formerly Socio): Onsite by Webex Events
• Groupize: Democratizing Event Tech & Revolutionizing Meetings Management for the New Era

Congratulations to all of the shortlisted finalists! Keep an eye out for final results in September.