Judging Process
The Bizzies – Aotearoa’s inaugural Business Events Awards will make history as New Zealand’s first awards programme dedicated to celebrating excellence across the business events sector. The Bizzies will honour the outstanding achievements, innovation, and contributions of the individuals, partners, and events shaping the future of our industry.
As a judge you provide integral support to the Bizzies steering committee in reviewing the entries and scoring them based on specifically weighted criteria.
Key Dates
20 August 2025
Entry Submissions close
08 - 19 September 2025
Round 1 Judging (online)
You’ll independently review and score entries using our provided weighting criteria and submit your scores online.19 - 23 September 2025
Round 2 Judging - Confirmation of Finalists (in person)
A short online (or in-person) meeting with your fellow category judges, led by the Executive Judge (appointed by the Steering Committee) to discuss entries and confirm finalists24 September - 03 October 2025
Round 3 Judging - Executive Judges only
The Executive Judge of each judging panel will meet with the Head of Judges to discuss the finalists and suggest the winner, Head of Judges to facilitate the meeting and ratify results to confirm the winners.09 October 2025
Head of Judges confirms the winners
26 November 2025
Awards Gala Dinner
Join us to celebrate success.
Category Information
Emerging Business Events Professional Award
Awarded to a professional who has worked in the industry (domestic or global) for five (5) years or less.
This individual must be nominated by another person and be endorsed by two (2) referees who will give their expert opinion on the impact the nominee has had in the industry.
The individual should demonstrate promise, leadership skills, an exceptional work ethic, a strong commitment to their own personal growth and a passion for the world of business events.
See specific weighting below.
| SUMMARY | Why does the nominee deserve this award? | Score |
|---|---|
|
WORK ETHIC | What projects and challenges has the nominee been involved with and how have they progressed within their role? Does the nominee’s involvement in the projects, activations, and events showcase their work ethic? Did the nominee successfully overcome challenges and difficulties in their role within the projects? Has the nominee shown progress within their role, enhancing skills, and adding value to their employer or business? |
20 |
|
FUTURE SUCCESS | Demonstrating potential for future success Does the nominee demonstrate potential for future success? |
20 |
|
LEADERSHIP | How has the nominee demonstrated excellent leadership? Does the nominee’s leadership foster diversity and inclusion in the business events industry? Does their leadership support the advancement and attention of these principles plus improve outcomes in sustainability and environment? |
20 |
|
PERSONAL GROWTH | Implementing and fostering personal growth Has the nominee effectively implemented strategies to foster their personal growth? Have they progressed within their role, enhanced their skills, and added value to their employer or business? |
20 |
|
COMMITMENT TO AND PASSION FOR BUSINESS EVENTS | Contributions to the industry Has the nominee made valuable contributions to the business events industry beyond the scope of their role? |
20 |
Exceptional Business Events Professional Award
Awarded to a professional who has worked in the industry (domestic or global) for longer than five (5) years.
This individual must be nominated by another person and be endorsed by two (2) referees who will give their expert opinion on the impact the nominee has had in the industry.
The individual should exemplify an excellent work ethic and outstanding customer service and demonstrate a passion for the business events industry.
See specific weighting below.
| SUMMARY | Why does the nominee deserve this award? | Score |
|---|---|
|
WORK ETHIC | Projects, challenges, and stakeholder engagement Does the nominee’s involvement in the projects, activations, and events showcase their work ethic? Did the nominee successfully face challenges and difficulties in their role within the projects? Does the nominee engage effectively with stakeholders? |
35 |
|
LEADERSHIP | How has the nominee demonstrated excellent leadership Does the nominee’s leadership foster diversity and inclusion in the business events industry? Does their leadership support the advancement and attention of these principles plus improve outcomes in sustainability and environment? Does their leadership empower and inspire advancement of colleagues, stakeholders, or future leaders within the industry? |
35 |
|
COMMITMENT TO AND PASSION FOR BUSINESS EVENTS | Contributions to the industry Has the nominee made valuable contributions to the business events industry beyond the scope of their role? Have they made a difference in their immediate environment? Do they show dedication and commitment to the business events industry as a whole? |
30 |
Business Events Legacy Impact Award
Awarded to a group which can comprise individuals, companies and organisations or a mix of any of those (“a group”) or a company or an organisation (“organisation”) that has successfully delivered, as part of a business event, a project which has had a profound and transformative impact. This impact could be environmental, social, educational, political or sectoral.
The project must have been implemented between July 2024 and June 2025 or, if the legacy is intended to span a longer period, then a description of that ongoing plan must be included in the submission.
See specific weighting below.
| SUMMARY | Why does the group deserve this award? | Score |
|---|---|
|
PROJECT OVERVIEW | What was the project? How well did the project align with the group‘s and/or client’s mission and purpose? |
10 |
|
PROJECT CHALLENGES | What were the challenges and difficulties that were faced? How well did the group manage the challenges involved in the delivery of the project? |
15 |
|
IMPLEMENTATION | Bringing the project to life Did the group successfully develop their project strategy and align with the project objectives? |
25 |
|
LEGACY | Contributions made to the business events industry How well has the project contributed to enduring changes or policymaking advancements for the client and the industry? |
30 |
|
EVIDENCE / RESULTS | Strategy and implementation achievements Is there a clear connection between the group’s strategy and implementation and the results? Do they provide clear rationale about any external factors and the way they contributed to the outcomes? |
20 |
Best Marketing Award
Awarded to a group or organisation that has successfully delivered a marketing campaign or activity related to business events.
The award recognises the excellence and outstanding achievements of a group/organisation in their effort to market their destination or product/service. Entries can range from full-scale campaigns and branding exercises to individual promotions.
The project must have been delivered between July 2024 and June 2025.
See specific weighting below.
| SUMMARY | Why does the group deserve this award? | Score |
|---|---|
|
CAMPAIGN OVERVIEW | What was the campaign? How creative and innovative was the campaign? |
15 |
|
CAMPAIGN CHALLENGES | What were the challenges and difficulties that were faced? How did the group manage the challenges involved in the delivery of the campaign? |
15 |
|
IMPLEMENTATION | Bringing the campaign to life Did the group successfully develop their campaign strategy and align with the objectives? Did the key elements work well together? |
40 |
|
EVIDENCE / RESULTS | Strategy and implementation achievements Is there a clear connection between the groups strategy and implementation and the results? Do they provide clear rationale about any external factors and the way they contributed to the outcomes? |
30 |
Excellence in Environmental Sustainability Award
Awarded to a group or organisation that has successfully delivered an event, campaign or activation in the business events sector, that has demonstrated significant reduction in the environmental impact of one or more events.
The project must have been delivered between July 2024 and June 2025.
See specific weighting below.
| SUMMARY | Why does the group deserve this award? | Score |
|---|---|
|
PROJECT OVERVIEW | What was the project? How successfully did the group describe the project context, objectives, and budget? |
10 |
|
SUSTAINABILITY CHALLENGES | What were the challenges and difficulties that were faced? How well did the group manage the challenges involved in sustainability for the project? |
25 |
|
IMPLEMENTATION | Bringing the project to life Did the group successfully develop their project strategy and align with the project objectives? How well did they limit the negative impact of the project on the environment? |
25 |
|
LEGACY | Contributions made to the industry How well has the project contributed to enduring legacy changes or policy-making sustainability advancements within the industry? |
20 |
|
EVIDENCE / RESULTS | Strategy and implementation achievements Is there a clear connection between the group’s strategy and implementation and the results? Do they provide clear rationale about any external factors and how way they contributed to the outcomes? |
20 |
Innovation Award
Awarded to a group or organisation that has introduced an innovative initiative e.g. process, product or business model which adds significant value to the business events industry. This innovation may pertain to a specific event or span across all events in which the group/organisation is involved.
The innovation must have been delivered between July 2024 and June 2025, or released earlier but modified and implemented as part of an event or events between July 2024 and June 2025.
An innovation is defined as the process of bringing about new ideas, methods, products, services, or solutions that have a significant positive impact and value.
See specific weighting below.
| SUMMARY | Why does the group deserve this award? | Score |
|---|---|
|
CONCEPT | How was the innovation activated? Is the context, event(s) and objective(s) clearly described? Was there a ‘wow’ factor associated with the innovation and how successful was it? |
20 |
|
CHALLENGES | What were the challenges and difficulties that were faced? How well did the group manage the challenges involved in with the event(s)? |
20 |
|
IMPLEMENTATION | Bringing the events(s) to life Did the group successfully develop their strategy and align with the project objectives? |
20 |
|
LEGACY | Contributions made to the industry How well has the group specified legacy contributions that this innovation has already had or will have for the business events industry. |
20 |
|
EVIDENCE / RESULTS | Strategy and implementation achievements Is there a clear connection between the group’s strategy and implementation and the results? Do they provide clear rationale about any external factors and the way they contributed to the outcomes? |
20 |
Outstanding Business Events Partner Award
Awarded to a group or organisation that exemplifies genuine partnership and collaboration, e.g. a PCO working with a bureau and/or supplier, a bureau and a member, a client and a venue.
Submissions should display positive collaboration, notable impact on the project, stakeholders and customer experience and have the potential for a lasting impact through continued collaboration.
The collaboration can apply to one event or an ongoing partnership.
The project must have been delivered between July 2024 and June 2025.
See specific weighting below.
| SUMMARY | Why does the group deserve this award? | Score |
|---|---|
|
PROJECT OVERVIEW | What was the background to the collaboration? |
10 |
|
CHALLENGES | What were the challenges that were faced? How well did the group manage the challenges involved in the collaboration? |
15 |
|
IMPLEMENTATION | Bringing the collaboration to life Did the group’s partnership successfully develop their strategy to align with the project objectives? |
40 |
|
EVIDENCE / RESULTS | Strategy and implementation achievements Is there a clear connection between the strategy and implementation behind the partnership and the results? Do they provide clear rationale about any external factors and the way they contributed to the outcomes? |
25 |
|
FUTURE | Ongoing collaboration What future opportunities could be generated from this partnership? |
10 |
Judging Tips and Tricks
Using the Judging Portal - logging in (guide to accessing and navigating) - contact info for issues
Do a read through - Given you are judging an entire category we recommend you read all entries once to help gauge what to expect and then go back in for scoring
Criteria Use the specific weighted criteria to guide you into scoring each aspect, this will then give you an overall score out of 100.
Check the time - Judging can require a significant time commitment. We recommend judging 2 or 3 entries straight away to give you a better idea on how long it will take as there are multiple documents submitted per entry. Don’t underestimate the time required to review each entry.
Take notes - Within the judging site there is an area for you to include notes. We strongly recommend you take the time to note down where you think an entry is especially strong or weak.
Conflicts of Interest - Judges must abstain from scoring entries with which they have a conflict of interest. If you aren’t sure if you have a conflict with an entry, please contact thebizzies@theconferencecompany.com with the situation and we will respond with the Committee’s guidance.