Published by Neil ThompsonRealise, the events services and consultancy company, today announced the launch of their 'Meetings and Events Innovation Competition' with cash prizes totalling £10 000 on offer.
The premise is simple; anyone can submit an idea that benefits a sector that has been badly hit by the Covid pandemic. Judges will evaluate the ideas, and the winners will be announced at International Confex in June. The first prize will be £4 000 cash, with subsequent prizes of £3 000, £2 000 and £1 000.
However, as an added dimension, all competition entries will be evaluated and, where appropriate, the entrant offered help and support to make the idea to reality. This could range from coaching, signposting, through to help with marketing and even equity investment.
Announcing the prizes, Realise CEO David Preston said, ‘despite the damage caused by Covid, this industry is hugely resilient. We were prompted to create this competition after being approached by two people independently and being able to offer them support to help start their businesses. Because our business has thrived in the last 12 months we decided it would be great to give something back and nurture some great ideas that otherwise might not flourish.”
Realise’s C.O.O. Richard John added, ‘we have deliberately kept the brief as wide and simple ‘as possible. We’re looking for ideas for new exhibitions or experiences, new meeting and events formats, new products or services, or even just a new way of doing things. Anyone aged 18 and over can enter, and it doesn’t matter whether you have 10 years or 10 days of experience.‘ He added, ‘there is no limit to the number of times someone can enter, and we also encourage them to share their ideas with their networks, who can vote on submissions. The number of upvotes received for each entry will also be something the judges consider.’
The competition sits on www.12rprizes.com, and entries will be hosted on www.ideasnests.com, both initiatives supported by Realise.
Richard John added: ‘we are really excited to see the response to the competition. We believe that the results will not only be a celebration for the winning entries, but also the unleashing of a huge pool of creative and entrepreneurial talent. We are keen to make this an annual event, tapping into the unreleased talent within the industry.’
The competition will be open until 4 June 2021, and the winners will be announced at this years International Confex, who are one of the supporters of the initiative.
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