The winners of our inaugural Readers’ Choice Awards were announced during an award presentation at the BizBash Chicago Expo on Tuesday at the Merchandise Mart (and tweeted live at @BizBash_News). Readers were first invited to nominate local event professionals in 10 categories, then later vote on the finalists through our interactive voting site. The winners are:
Association/Nonprofit Planner of the Year
Erin Dahl, Lincoln Park Zoo
Caterer of the Year
Rita Gutekanst, Limelight Catering
Corporate Event Planner of the Year
Noelle Provencial, Groupon
DJ of the Year
Carey Smolensky, Mobile Music Interactive Entertainment
Event Designer of the Year
Rick Cosgrove, AgencyEA
Event Producer of the Year
Justin Jacobson, Platinum Events
Lighting Designer of the Year
Dennis Remer, Frost
Publicist/PR Executive of the Year
Amanda Puck, XA, The Experiential Agency
Social Event Planner of the Year
Anthony Navarro, Liven It Up Events
Venue Manager of the Year
Linda Kingsley, Museum of Science and Industry