MN STAR AWARDS

Beyond the Awards
The International Live Events Association (ILEA) – Minneapolis-St. Paul Chapter established the Minnesota Star Awards in 2005 to celebrate the creativity, passion, and innovation of professionals in the special events industry.
Designed to recognize the outstanding work that goes into creating, planning, managing, and executing events, the MN Star Awards has grown into more than just an awards ceremony—it’s a testament to the talent, dedication, and collaborative spirit that defines our community.

Anyone who has produced events (or components of events) within the region represented by the ILEA Minneapolis-St. Paul Chapter or who works in this region, but produces events in other locations is eligible to enter.
ILEA membership is not a requirement to enter most categories.
By entering the ILEA Minnesota Star Awards, you are able to demonstrate the caliber of work that you and your company are doing! This is your opportunity to show people what you can do and what makes you stand apart from your competition.
The Minnesota Star Awards are judged by ILEA event professionals from other Chapters worldwide.
All entries are first reviewed against the rules by an auditor. Once the auditor has determined that all criteria has been met, all qualifying entries are sent to another ILEA chapter for judging.
The results are returned directly to the auditor, who supplies the information about the winning entries to the award production company. To maintain fairness in the judging, the Minnesota Star Awards submission must be anonymous. No mention of names or company names of the submitting company(ies) are allowed anywhere in the entry (including but not limited to in your answers/text, or on collateral or supporting documents). However, should it be necessary to include company names or logos in event photos due to the nature of the event design or submission (i.e. corporate event or marketing collateral, etc.) this will be allowed.
The Minnesota Star Awards are judged by ILEA event professionals from other Chapters worldwide.
All entries are first reviewed against the rules by an auditor. Once the auditor has determined that all criteria has been met, all qualifying entries are sent to another ILEA chapter for judging.
The results are returned directly to the auditor, who supplies the information about the winning entries to the award production company. To maintain fairness in the judging, the Minnesota Star Awards submission must be anonymous. No mention of names or company names of the submitting company(ies) are allowed anywhere in the entry (including but not limited to in your answers/text, or on collateral or supporting documents). However, should it be necessary to include company names or logos in event photos due to the nature of the event design or submission (i.e. corporate event or marketing collateral, etc.) this will be allowed.
Cool, we'd love to hear from you. Feel free to email us at info@ilea-msp.org

A Brief History



Year | Milestone | Director | Location | Theme |
---|---|---|---|---|
2005 | 1st | Jodi Collen | Blaisdell Manor | The Stars are Aligning |
2006 | 2nd | Sheree Bochenek and Jean Peine | The Loft at Barfly | Club ISES |
2007 | 3rd | Nancy Jacobs | Minneapolis Central Library | Elements |
2008 | 4th | Jodi Collen | The Great Hall, St. Paul | al.lu.sion-An Evening of Timeless Decadence |
2009 | 5th | Matthew Trettel and Ryan Hanson | Minneapolis Children's Theatre | Surerality: Behind Closed Eyes |
2010 | 6th | Pete Nelson | Hyatt Hotel Minneapois | Ritmo Caliente |
2011 | 7th | Leslie Larson | Roy Wilkins Auditorium | Rock the Roy |
2012 | 8th | Amy Dalton | Nicollet Island Pavillion | Bootlegger's Ball |
2013 | 9th | Elly Carlson | Heroic Productions | Steampunk |
2014 | 10th | Susan Diamond | Orchestra Hall | Celebrating 10 Years |
2015 | 11th | Gretchen Culver | Aria | Storytellers Ball |
2016 | 12th | Jim Leighton and Craig Oliver | Metropolitan Ballroom | Studio ISES |
2017 | 13th | Jessica Barrett | Machine Shop | Unluckiest Bash |
2018 | 14th | Lisa Marie Borchert | Mystic Lake Casino | Undercover Affair |
2019 | 15th | Jason Brown-Hoesing | The Depot, Minneapolis | Ides of March |
2020 | 16th | Rachel Geertsema | Virtual | Cosmic Fantasy |
2021 | 17th | Amy Fuerstenberg | Quincy Hall | A Divine Comedy |
2022 | 18th | Kastina Morrison | The Whim | From the Ashes |
2023 | 19th | Ashley Skeie | Urban Daisy | Waves in Motion |
2024 | 20th | Lauren Bohm and Christie Altendorf | McNamara Alumni Center | The Twentieth |
2025 | 21st | Ariel Gutierrez | Four Seasons Minneapolis | Area 21 |