The Focus^™ Award competition recognizes professionals who strive for excellence in their face-to-face marketing programs.

Stephen Schuldenfrei, president of the Trade Show Exhibitors Association (TSEA), announced that the association is accepting entries for its 2006 Focus^™ Award competition.

Coming off a stellar 2005 contest, the awards program has been enhanced to include a brand new “Best Bang for the Buck” judge’s choice award, as well as improved criteria and categories.

“We’ve put a lot of effort into strengthening the program so that it can be representative of the strategies used by professionals during the face-to-face marketing process,” says Schuldenfrei. He continues, “TSEA is excited about the opportunity to once again award the industry’s best in the coming months.”

The new “Best Bang for the Buck” category recognizes the efforts of a professional who stretches their budget dollars and far exceeds their projected Return On Investment/Objectives. No entry fee is required for this category; all Focus^™  Award entries are eligible for this award.

Other enhancements to the 2006 contest include:

• The addition of a “Promotions” category, which combines elements from and replaces the “Pre-Event” and “Post-Event” categories from the 2005 contest.
• Merging criteria from the previous year’s “Environment” category into a single “Face-to-Face Experience” category.

The final Focus^™  Award category, “Integrated Solution,” continues to recognize the total event: one that brings together pre- or post-event marketing, as well as all the elements of a successful face-to-face experience. 

2006 Focus^™  Award judges will include experts from various segments of the exhibit and event industry including: exhibit, event and marketing managers; exhibit designers, builders and producers; show managers; publishers; and consultants.

Contestants may enter face-to-face marketing programs that were created and implemented at a trade show, special event, or proprietary event between December 1, 2004 and November 30, 2005. Exhibit designers and producers, as well as advertising and marketing agencies, may also enter the competition on behalf of clients, but clients are required to sign-off on the entry.

The 2006 Focus^™ Award winners will be presented with trophies at the TSEA-sponsored annual conference and exhibition, TS^2® – Where Trade Shows & Corporate Events Begin, July 25-27, 2006, in Chicago, Ill. Complete winning entries will also be showcased at TS^2® 2006 in a special awards display, and announced to the press during, and immediately following, the event. Additionally, winners will be profiled in a TSEA press release, on TSEA’s website, and in TSEA’s bi-monthly electronic newsletter, eNews.

For more information on the 2006 contest, visit www.tsea.org. All entries must be received by April 15, 2006.