Qatar has triumphed at this year’s Eventex Awards, with multiple ceremonies and venues sweeping Gold, Silver and Bronze recognitions.

The winners of the 14th edition of the Global Eventex Awards have been announced.

Eventex was established in 2009 as a platform to celebrate the world’s creativity and innovation within the event hosting industry.

“Today, Eventex Awards is the most esteemed accolade in the world of events and experiential marketing,” the organisers said.

Spanning from the pyrotechnics of opening and closing ceremonies to the cutting-edge innovations at the expo, the Eventex Awards offer a diverse array of categories for entries to vie for the prestigious honour. This includes recognising the venues of the world and their ability to showcase international events, event technology, brand experience and the People’s Choice award – among others.

This year’s winners have been chosen from a whopping 1207 entries hailing from 62 countries across 6 continents.

Qatar’s events and venues have garnered numerous accolades this year – etching its global position as a key player in hosting international events.

Ceremony

Eventex has awarded QatarEnergy recognition in the ‘Ceremony’ category for the groundbreaking ceremony for the North Field Expansion Project. The event was held at the liquified natural gas (LNG) facility in Ras Laffan Industrial City in the north of Qatar and organised by Qatari production company, QVision.

The event marked Qatar blazing the trail to construct the biggest LNG project and won Gold at the Eventex Awards.

Nicola Kastner, one of this year’s judges at the Eventex Awards and the founder of The Event Strategist, ranked the ceremony 100 out of 100 for its creativity and innovation, objectives, planning and execution, effectiveness and results.

“Congratulations on an amazing event.  I like how you brought the project to life through technology showcases,” she remarked.

Other Gold winners in the ‘Ceremony’ category include the FIFA World Cup Qatar Closing Ceremony. It was held at Doha’s Lusail Stadium in the run up to the epic battle between Lionel Messi’s Argentina and Kylian Mbappé’s France.

Przemysław Witkowski, another judge, ranked the event 100/100. He said that the event was “absolutely fantastic.” Meanwhile, Kastner admired how the event showcased Qatari culture.

Also winning Gold is the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 opening ceremony and the live performance of Katara Studios ‘The Lost Chapter of Kelileh & Demneh.’

Cultural Event

Katara Studios’ ‘The Lost Chapter of Kelileh & Demneh’ also won Silver in the ‘Cultural Event Category.’

The show presented attendees with a new spin on a classic fable about peaceful coexistence which originated in India.

Geeske Doeve, another member of this year’s judging panel, said that the event was “creative and [had a ] well thought through storyline and backdrop.”

Earlier in May, the event also won a TPiMEA Award for ‘Outstanding Production of the Year.’

A cut above the rest, the opening ceremony beat the likes of pop sensation Ed Sheeran and his + − = ÷ x tour, as well as the Mdlbeast Soundstorm 2023 event.

In an Instagram post uploaded in January, Ahmed Al Baker, the CEO of Katara Studios, said that working on ‘Kelileh & Demneh’ was among the most enjoyable projects that he produced. He added that the entirety of the project was filmed in Qatar with the assistance of Qatari and local staff.

Entertainment Event

The FIFA Fan Festival event, which was held at Qatar’s Al Bidda Park throughout the 2022 games, has won a Gold award within the ‘Entertainment Event’ category.

Michal Kalarus, an Eventex judge, remarked that the Qatari event marked a new approach and standard for immersive experiences. “These two elements deserve special attention. The result of 1.9 million visitors in 30 days also looks impressive,” he added.

The event was spearheaded by the national Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SC) and marked a profound shift in fan engagement during sporting events. The dynamic offerings included live musical performances from an array of stars, including America’s Trinidad Cardona, Nigeria’s Kizz Daniel, America’s Diplo and many others.

In December 2022, Inside FIFA reported that almost two million fans from across the world flocked to Al Bidda Park’s FIFA Fan Festival.

“After years of dedicated work, it has been a joy seeing fellow football enthusiasts from all over the world come together at the FIFA Fan Festival to celebrate football,” said Mead Al Emadi, Director of the FIFA Fan Festival at the SC.

Outdoor Event

Qatar’s FIFA Fan Festival also won Gold within the ‘Outdoor Event’ category.

Other Gold winners included the Katara Studios produced ‘The Lost Chapter of Kelileh & Demneh’ performance during the AFC Asian Cup opening ceremony in 2023.

Meanwhile, the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 infotainment and pre-match ceremony took home the bronze. The infotainment programme was organised by QVision and offered visitors a unique combination of football information, education and entertainment offerings.

Lenny Talarico, an Eventex judge, said: “This event is a masterclass in combining a sporting event with technology, entertainment and exceptional event management. The post-event metrics are astonishing.”

Further wins

The Qatar Research, Development and Innovation Council’s Innovation Arena at the Websummit Qatar 2024 won Bronze in the ‘Brand Experience – Not-for-profit/Government’ category. Their Innovation Area was a hub to highlight the nation’s dedication to fostering innovation across its ecosystem.

It featured an Innovative Hub, QRDI Portal Demo Area, Start Up Space and treated visitors to engaging service robots who were programmed to distribute information and assist with downloading digital content at the Web Summit.

Anders Nyland, an Eventex judge, said the QRDI’s offerings were “Quite impressive [in terms of] planning and execution with positive results.”

Qatar’s venues also scored big at this year’s Eventex Awards.

The Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre (DECC) and Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC) both took home Gold awards in the ‘Exhibition Venue’ category and were the only winners in this discipline.

Julianne Jammers, an Eventex judge, scored the DECC 90 out of 100. She said that the venue connects culture, people and commerce – all under one roof.

She added that the DECC stands as a “huge opportunity to teach us all about harnessing the power of the sun in your energy strategy.”

The DECC also won Bronze in the ‘Versatile Venue’ category.

Meanwhile, the QNCC was awarded Silver in the ‘Large Venue’ category.

“[The QNCC] is an exemplary large venue prepared for mega-events and dedicated to such projects,” said Paula Fanderowska about the venue.

“For Qatar, it is a project that creates opportunities for mega-events and the development of business tourism in the country and the region as a whole. Impressed by its ultra-modern architecture and approach to sustainability,” she added.