POPAI’s major industry awards just got a whole lot bigger; with entries at an all-time high for the event, now in its 12th year.

POPAI’s general manager Karen Spear says interest has been unprecedented.

“This year we expanded the scope of the awards to reflect the international evolution of Shopper Marketing, encompassing pre, in, and post-store, and the increasing importance of technology in the retail landscape,” she says.

“With the addition of new major awards and categories, companies saw the opportunity to showcase their best work across a whole range of areas. The response has been phenomenal. ”

FAST FACTS: 2012 POPAI MARKETING AT RETAIL AWARDS
•    New Major Industry Awards in four key areas:  Retail Marketing, Shopper Marketing, Innovation, Design
•    New awards categories: Window Displays, Store Design, In-store Media, Digital & Interactive Solutions
•    18 categories in total, also encompassing POP, store design, promotional marketing, integrated campaigns
•    Awards Entries –  a record 183 case studies of retail marketing excellence
•    Judging panels comprised of industry-leading retailers, brand marketers, agencies and POP suppliers

The 2012 Marketing at Retail Awards will be presented in conjunction with the 2012 Marketing at Retail Expo, held 24-26 September at Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre – three days,  four shows and over 6500 visitors.

Winners will be announced at the POPAI Gala Award Dinner on 25 September at the Hilton, Sydney, attended by over 500 industry professionals

“We have pre-sold 400 of the 500 available tickets for the Gala Award Dinner already, so we do encourage those wanting to participate in the major industry event of the year to act now and avoid missing out,” Spear says.

“It’s incredibly exciting to watch industry development. In the past couple of years Australian companies have scooped the pool even in global awards programs. The quality and quantity of the entries this year has been absolutely outstanding, and we can’t wait to see our best practitioners rewarded for their brilliant work.”