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MN STAR AWARDS

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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.

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  • 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

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A Brief History

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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
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