Home » Kentucky Derby Festival receives top honor at international convention

Kentucky Derby Festival receives top honor at international convention

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Sept. 17, 2013) — The Kentucky Derby Festival on Monday won the top honor in the festival and events industry – the Gold Grand Pinnacle. The award in recognition of the best overall festival program in the world was given at the International Festivals and Events Association’s 58th Annual Convention and Expo in Pittsburgh.

IFEA Awards Group PhotoThe Indianapolis 500 Festival received runner-up (Silver Award) and the National Cherry Blossom Festival of Washington, D.C., won the Bronze Award.

This is the seventh time in Kentucky Derby Festival’s history to receive the top award, the most recent coming in 2009. (KDF also received the Award in 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002 and 1991.).

“To be honored with this prestigious award by our peers in the industry is both humbling and rewarding,” said Mike Berry, Kentucky Derby Festival president and CEO. “This truly is a reflection of all the tremendous support we receive from our sponsors, patrons and volunteers, and the community.”

In addition to the Gold Grand Pinnacle, the festival also received a record 36 Pinnacle Awards – 18 Gold Pinnacles, 12 Silver, and 6 Bronze in various categories for events, media relations, advertising campaign, sponsorship and merchandise.

The International Festivals and Events Association has more than 2,000 member festivals from around the world. Each year, the IFEA Pinnacle Awards competition honors the best special events, festival materials, promotions and ideas among the organization’s membership. The Kentucky Derby Festival competes with events among the ranks of the Indy 500 Festival, Seattle Sea Fair, Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, Memphis in May International Festival, National Cherry Blossom Festival, Portland Rose Festival, Pasadena Tournament of Roses, Fiesta San Antonio and Pacific National Exhibition (Vancouver, BC Canada).

The Festival won GOLD awards for:

  • BEST OVERALL FESTIVAL.  Gold Grand Pinnacle.
  • BEST ORGANIZATION WEBSITE.  www.kdf.org.  KDF Communications Team and Vimarc.
  • BEST COMPANY IMAGE PIECE.  KDF License Plate.
  • BEST NEW MERCHANDISE.  KDF Bowtie.
  • BEST SPONSOR GIFT.  Louisville Stoneware Plate. Created by Louisville Stoneware.
  • BEST SPONSOR PARTNER. Kroger.
  • BEST SINGLE NEW SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITY. Kentucky Lottery Corporation and the Thundernator.
  • BEST OVERALL SPONSORSHIP PROGRAM. KDF Marathon and miniMarathon.  KDF Marketing Team.
  • BEST GREEN PROGRAM. KDF Go Green! QRS Recycling.
  • BEST COMMUNITY OUTREACH PROGRAM.  KDF “Pink” Radko Ornament, benefitting M. Krista Loyd Resource Center.
  • BEST EVENT WITHIN AN EXISTING EVENT.  U.S. Bank Great BalloonFest.
  • BEST EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS AND RISK MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR AN EVENT.  KDF Emergency Action Plan.
  • BEST FOOD AND BEVERAGE PROGRAM.  Kroger’s Fest-a-Ville and the Chow Wagon.  Concessions by Cox.
  • BEST NEW EVENT.  BeerFest.  Sponsored by American Founders Bank.
  • BEST MONEYMAKING IDEA.  Race Charity Bibs benefitting the Kentucky Derby Festival Foundation.
  • BEST OVERALL MERCHANDISING PROGRAM. 2013 Merchandise Mega Book. KDF Merchandise Team and All Pro Championships.
  • BEST PRESS/MEDIA KIT.  2013 KDF Media Guide and Press Credential.  Produced by Derby City Litho.  KDF Communications Team.
  • MOST CREATIVE/EFFECTIVE NEWS STUNT. Grand Marshal Social Media Campaign (for UofL Men’s and Women’s Basketball Teams).  KDF Communications Team.
  • BEST MEDIA RELATIONS CAMPAIGN. “2013 Media Campaign.”  KDF Communications Team.

SILVER Awards:

  • BEST FULL-LENGTH TV PROGRAM (National). Thunder Over Louisville – for American Forces Network.  WHAS11.
  • BEST EVENT WEBSITE.  www.derbyfestivalmarathon.com.  KDF Communications Team and Vimarc.
  • BEST MISCELLANEOUS MULTI-MEDIA.  Basketball Classic Interactive Web Ad. Designed by Vimarc.
  • BEST EVENT PROGRAM.  WineFest.  Designed by Vimarc.
  • BEST COVER DESIGN.  KDF Official Program.  Produced by KDF Communications Team and the Fillies, Inc.
  • BEST OTHER MERCHANDISE. Poncho Ball.  Produced by All Pro Championships.
  • BEST MISCELLANEOUS CLOTHING. WineFest Apron. Produced by All Pro Championships.
  • BEST TARGETED SPONSOR SOLICITATION PROPOSAL.  KentuckyOne Health.  KDF Marketing Team.
  • BEST INDIVIDUAL SPONSOR FOLLOW-UP REPORT.  U.S. Bank BalloonFest.  KDF Marketing Team.
  • BEST SPONSORHIP PROGRAM FOR INDIVIDUAL SPONSOR.  Ford Motor Company.  KDF Marketing Team.
  • BEST EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM.  Spelling Bee.  KDF Event Team.
  • BEST NEW PROMOTION ACTIVITY. Kentucky Lottery Thundernator.  Sponsored by Kentucky Lottery Corporation.

BRONZE Awards:

  • BEST MISC. PRINTED MATERIAL. Official KDF Schedule of Events.  Produced by Kentucky Monthly Magazine.
  • BEST COMMEMORATIVE POSTER (FOR SALE).  2013 Official KDF Poster.  Designed Poster Artist Lonnie Walker. Produced and distributed by All Pro Championships.
  • BEST HAT.  Khaki KDF Cap.  Produced by All Pro Championships.
  • BEST VOLUNTEER PROGRAM.  Mayor’s Give A Day Week of Service.
  • BEST NEW ATTENDEE SERVICE.  Phone Charging Station at Kroger’s Fest-a-Ville.
  • BEST PROMOTION PUBLICIZING AN IFEA/HAAS & WILKERSON PINNACLE AWARD WIN. Pinnacles at the Poster Premiere. KDF Communications Team.