Winners of BBT Awards Russia & CIS in the MICE category have been announced
Buying Business Travel Awards Russia & CIS in the MICE category was held on October 25th in Moscow for the first time. The awarding of the best of the best in the business travel and meetings industry was held at IMG Show 2019 closing ceremony in the Grand Ballroom.
The international award of the British magazine Buying Business Travel has been held for 25 years in London and since 2016 in Moscow. For the first time in Russia and in the world the award was handed in for the MICE segment separately. The short list included Russian and foreign companies that during the period from June 1st, 2018 till May 31st, 2019 significantly contributed to the development of the MICE industry in Russia and the CIS, introduced novelties and innovations that made business travel planning easier and facilitated cost optimization.
Nominees for BBT Awards Russia & CIS - MICE competed in 10 main and two special nominations. Industry leaders were selected by a special professional jury that included only the most reputed corporate buyers - MICE service buyers: Kamila Bouranova (MegaFon), Svetlana Gerasimova (Amway), Elena Pakhomova (ATON), Ekaterina Koshina (Media Business Solutions), Evgeniya Kantseva ( AB InBev Efes), Anna Nikishina (Lensmaster), Irina Sevostianova (Rosbank), Oksana Abramova (Softline), Konstantin Maslennikov (Jet Infosystems).
“The jury has done huge work - in some nominations there were as many as 15-20 candidates. Only in one of 12 nominations the undisputable leader was determined at the first stage. In all the other cases the gap between the candidates was minimal, and the choice was hard”, Irina Mikhalkova, executive director of the Russian Association of Business Travel shared her opinion.
The winners of BBT Awards Russia & CIS - MICE 2019 are:
- Best Moscow 5* MICE hotel - The Ritz-Carlton, Moscow
- Best Moscow 4* MICE hotel - DoubleTree by Hilton Moscow - Vnukovo Airport
- Best 5* MICE hotel of Russia (except Moscow) - Radisson Collection Paradise Resort & Spa, Sochi
- Best 4* MICE hotel of Russia (except Moscow) - angelo by Vienna House Ekaterinburg
- Best 5* MICE hotel of the near abroad - The Ritz-Carlton, Astana
- Best 4* MICE hotel of the near abroad - The Radisson Blu Hotel Lietuva
- Best MICE destination (Russia and the near abroad) - the Republic of Tatarstan
- Best MICE destination (the far abroad) - Singapore
- Best city for MICE - Saint Petersburg
- Best travel office effort to promote a MICE destination - Switzerland Convention and Incentive Bureau
The title of the best corporate MICE manager of the year went to Julia Evlakhova, head of corporate communications and business travel planning department at JSC BNS Group. Vote results were announced by Tibo de Vris, general manager of Hyatt Regency Petrovsky Park.
The best MICE project manager of 2019 was Ekaterina Spector, cofounder and creative director of Katana Event. The envelope was opened by Eduard Grigoriev, head of Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Department in Russia and CIS. The organizational committee also presented a special recognition award for the organization of the cultural program of the 23rd General Assembly of UNWTO to Dyaghilev International Cultural Centre.
Award winners in special nominations got a special present - a personal return ticket for any flight of LOT Airlines within Europe with an open date.
Partners of the event were Hyatt Regency Petrovsky Park, LOT Airlines, Tourism and Culture Department of Abu Dhabi.