DES MOINES, Iowa (Nov. 5, 2018) – Catch Des Moines is proud to be a winner of the prestigious 2nd Annual Stella Awards from Northstar Meetings Group. The organization won a silver Stella Award in the Best CVB/DMO Midwest category.

The Stella Awards honor excellence in the meetings industry on an annual basis. The program distinguishes suppliers from around the globe that consistently deliver quality service and innovation to meeting and event professionals. Winners include the very best hotels, convention centers, conference centers, convention and visitor bureaus, destination marketing organizations, destination management companies, airlines and cruise lines.

“A Stella Award is the finest symbol of excellence for suppliers in the meetings industry,” said Lori Cioffi, senior vice president and chief content director for the Northstar Meetings Group. “Meeting planning is a methodical process, and attention to detail is a critical factor for success. We’ve brought that ethic to the Stella Awards. It’s a competitive, year-long nomination and evaluation process to identify and honor excellence in the meetings industry. This year’s winners are a stellar class.”

After nominations closed in April 2018, finalists in each category were determined by meeting planners during an open voting period during which nearly 10,000 unique votes were tallied. Winners were then selected by an expert panel of judges overseen by the editors of Northstar Meetings Group’s leading brands, Meetings & Conventions and Successful Meetings.

This year, nearly 10,000 votes were cast from around the world for the 532 destinations, hotels and service providers nominated in 18 categories in six regions in the United States and worldwide.

”Kudos go to the winners for being recognized by such a broad community of planners,” said David Blansfield, executive vice president and group publisher for Northstar Meetings Group. “The real value of the Stellas, though, is not just to those who are being recognized for their excellence, but to the tens of thousands of other planners who look to their peers for recommendations and advice. If you want to go with the best, the Stellas truly provide an objective, curated and credible majority view.”

“It is an honor for our work to be recognized both by industry peers and the expert panel of judges overseen by Northstar Meetings Group,” said Greg Edwards, president & CEO at Catch Des Moines. “Our team strives to provide excellent service and innovation to our partners in the meetings industry – this award reflects the success of those efforts.”

To discover this year’s Stella Award winners, or to learn more about the awards program, click here. In addition, all Stella Award winners and finalists are featured in a special supplement in the November 2018 issues of Meetings & Conventions and Successful Meetings.

 

About Catch Des Moines

Catch Des Moines is the official destination marketing organization promoting and representing Greater Des Moines to leisure travelers and meeting planners. As the visitors’ and meeting professionals’ trusted partner, we help elevate the visitor experience by connecting the functional to the aspirational. Our focus is to drive economic success for our more than 840 partners and enhance the quality of life in the 15 Greater Des Moines communities we represent. For more information, visit catchdesmoines.com.

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