AEO EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2026 CELEBRATES EXCELLENCE ACROSS THE EVENTS INDUSTRY

In association with Fusion by ClearCourse, GES and NEC, Birmingham.

The Association of Event Organisers (AEO) welcomed more than 900 event professionals to Grosvenor House, Park Lane, on Friday 12 June for the AEO Excellence Awards 2026.

Hosted by triple BAFTA-winning comedian and presenter Mo Gilligan, the event recognised outstanding achievement across organiser, venue, supplier and service provider categories. This year's winners demonstrated exceptional commercial success, innovation, audience engagement, sustainability leadership and community impact, reflecting the strength, ambition and creativity of the events industry.

One of the highlights of the afternoon was the presentation of the Outstanding Contribution to the Industry Award to Alison Jackson, chief executive officer of Nineteen Group.

Selected by the AEO Board, the award recognises an individual whose leadership has made a lasting impact on the events industry. Over a career spanning more than 30 years, Jackson has helped shape successful events, developed future leaders and championed women in business. Since joining Nineteen Group in 2019, she has overseen remarkable growth, scaling the business from around 30 employees to more than 300, while remaining a generous mentor, industry advocate and respected voice across the sector.

Accepting the award, Jackson reflected on her 35-year career in events and the relationships built along the way, describing the industry as "a wonderful tribe" and thanking colleagues, friends and the Nineteen Group team who have been part of the company's growth journey.

Anna Golden, chief executive officer of AEO, said:

"There are very few occasions each year when so many parts of our industry come together in one room, and that's what makes the AEO Excellence Awards so special.

"Looking around Grosvenor House, seeing colleagues celebrating each other's successes, cheering on competitors and recognising the incredible achievements of their peers was a powerful reminder of what a unique industry we are part of. We are ambitious, we are competitive, but we are also a community.

"The quality of this year's entries was exceptional and every finalist should be incredibly proud. Congratulations to all of our winners and finalists. The Outstanding Contribution to the Industry Award is one of the most prestigious honours in our sector, and Alison Jackson is a truly deserving recipient.

"Thank you to our sponsors, judges, partners and everyone who helped make the day possible. Events like this don't happen without a huge amount of support, and we're incredibly grateful to everyone who continues to champion excellence across our industry."

The winners and judges' comments are below.

Outstanding Contribution to the Industry Award

Alison Jackson - Nineteen Group

"A positive catalyst for events, businesses and careers across the industry, Alison Jackson has spent more than three decades helping to shape the sector and the people within it. Respected for her generosity, energy and drive, her influence can be felt far beyond the organisations she has worked for, making her a truly deserving recipient of this award."

Marketing Campaign of the Year - Consumer Show

The Fan Takeover - Middle East Film & Comic Con 2025 - Informa & Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi

"The judges were blown away by this 'commercially rigorous' entry that demonstrates what happens when audience insight is genuinely embedded into campaign architecture, rather than an afterthought... ambitious, original and completely different, which stood out as truly outstanding and memorable."

Marketing Campaign of the Year - UK Trade

DigiGov Expo 2025 - GovNet Communications

"An 'outstandingly commercial', intelligently targeted campaign demonstrating excellent innovation on a lean budget. Clear objectives and goals met, which exceeded revenue targets, drove strong visitor growth and audience quality."

International Marketing Campaign of the Year - Trade

IFA Berlin 2025 - Clarion Events

"A fantastic campaign demonstrating an impressive transformation story which doubled ticket revenue, hugely improved NPS, increased gross attendance, attracted high quality brands and fantastic sponsorship revenue."

Best UK Tradeshow - Less than 2,000sqm

Finance, Accounting & Bookkeeping Show - Sift

"This was massively impressive. FAB 2026 is a financially compelling show, with the turnaround from loss-making in 2024 to 45% gross profit in one cycle, combined with 89% revenue growth and a fundamental repositioning of higher-value audience quality, representing genuine organisational transformation."

Service Supplier of the Year

GES

"The judges were impressed with GES' evolving Show Ready solution, noting that it has become an even more compelling, client-focused and sustainable offering with clear measurable objectives and excellent results."

Best International Show - Europe

IFA Berlin - Clarion Events

"Wow, what a show, brilliantly brave and an incredibly compelling entry. In a tough market for tech and retail, this team didn't just steady the ship - they completely reinvented the show."

Best International Show - Middle East & Africa

Money20/20 Middle East - Tahaluf

"The judges praised this strong, commercially evidence-based entry with an excellent show growth story, highlighting the global brand positioning, high-quality data, high-value audience and clear show positioning."

Best International Show - Americas

Ai4 2025 - CloserStill Media, Ai4 LLC

"The judges praised the show's excellent, clear strategy, impressive scale and event quality, with performance that exceeded expectations in a tough, crowded market."

Best International Show - Asia Pacific

DSEI Japan - Clarion Defence and Security

"The judges praised this engaging defence exhibition that achieved unprecedented national endorsement, including the Japanese Prime Minister's keynote."

Best Event Launch

CDMO Live - Life Science Networks

"A highly distinctive launch built around a clear, buyer-focused model. The emphasis on curated engagement and strong community foundations delivers real value and sets it apart from more traditional formats."

Independent Organiser of the Year - Less than 20 Employees

STEP CONNECT2

"A highly credible and impressive independent organiser with a clear niche, strong leadership and consistent commercial and audience growth. The judges highlighted the government partnership model and its smart innovation in solving a real-world problem."

Independent Organiser of the Year - More than 20 Employees

CONNECT

"The judges praised CONNECT's strong combination of commercial productivity, independent validation and structural innovation as exceptional, underpinned by a close-knit culture and outstanding commercial success."

Best UK Tradeshow - 2,001-4,000sqm

Clinical Pharmacy Congress 2025 - CloserStill Media

"A stand-out event with outstanding strategic clarity, strong audience quality and exceptional metrics. This event clearly understands its audience and market and is backed by exceptional results."

Venue of the Year - Less than 20,000sqm

Harrogate Convention Centre

"A fantastic venue with a focus on accessibility, sustainability, hospitality and a strong team culture, creating a real asset to the region and its clients."

Venue of the Year - More than 20,000sqm

Excel London

"Setting the benchmark for venues in the UK, the judges praised the venue's scale and its clear, forward-thinking strategy."

Best International Conference

LiveableCitiesX Summit - dmg events

"The judges celebrated this event for its real momentum to deliver on what matters, combining strong attendance conversion, delegate satisfaction and genuine innovation."

Best UK Conference

Tech Show London Conference Programme - CloserStill Media

"A masterclass in using clear, data-led editorial discipline to create a shift in content strategy, driving audience engagement and relevance."

Best UK Tradeshow - 4,001-8,000sqm

Retail Technology Show - Nineteen Group

"A great event that combines bold, experiential innovation with strong commercial delivery, successfully differentiating itself in a crowded market and driving both attendance and revenue growth."

ESG Award of the Year

Informa

"A sector-leading submission demonstrating strong performance across ESG pillars at global scale, with outstanding environmental progress, significant community value and robust governance."

Unsung Hero

James Gaffney - Scottish Event Campus

"Judges praised his hands-on approach, calm problem-solving and ability to deliver tangible improvements, describing him as a colleague who simply makes things happen and consistently exceeds client expectations."

Organiser Team of the Year

FESPA

"An exceptional submission demonstrating extraordinary global scale, purpose-led delivery and measurable social impact. The team combines operational excellence with genuine global impact."

Best Consumer Show

Middle East Film & Comic Con - Informa & Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi

"A best-in-class consumer event that combines deep, data-led audience insight, premium experiences, growth and exceptional commercial delivery."

Best UK Tradeshow - More than 8,000sqm

The Safety & Security Event Series - Nineteen Group

"A textbook example of how it's done and done well. This show has evolved beyond a traditional exhibition model, with genuine community-building credentials, exceptional commercial metrics and innovative audience engagement."

AEO would like to thank its headline sponsors Fusion by ClearCourse, GES and the Nation's Experience Capital, alongside all category sponsors, judges, partners and supporters who helped make the event such a success.