The following are exerpts from a press release from Tourism Hamilton
April 4, 2008
Tourism Hamilton Announces Tourism Hamilton Award Winners at Carmen’s Gala
Hamilton – Last night, before a crowd of 540, Tourism Hamilton hosted the 10th Annual
Tourism Hamilton Awards Gala “It’s Show Time” at Carmen’s Banquet Centre.
Bringing together its partners for a glorious night of friendship and celebration,
the awards recognized the outstanding contributions of corporations, organizations
and individuals in building a healthy and vibrant tourism industry. "The gala was
a wonderful night to celebrate the spirit and camaraderie of our local tourism industry,”
says David Adames, Executive Director of Tourism Hamilton. “Collectively, we saluted excellence,
from front line customer service to lifetime achievement, from local small businesses to nationally
acclaimed festivals and events.” Twenty award categories covered a range of tourism contributors,
from businesses to marketing campaigns to individual. Award winners (attached) received a handmade
Shirley Elford original trophy. In several categories, multiple winners were announced resulting in
twenty-seven deserving award recipients. Thousands of employees and volunteers working in the
tourism sector were eligible for nomination. The winners were chosen among over 120 nominees by a
nine-member judging panel representing past award recipients, members of the local tourism industry
and members of neighbouring destination marketing organizations. The winners were publicly announced
for the first time at the gala. Tourism Hamilton Inc. is an innovative destination management
organization dedicated to significantly increasing new and return tourist visitation to Hamilton.
....
Individual Awards- Volunteer of the Year
Award Sponsor: Sheraton Hamilton Hotel
Award Recipient: Stan Shiraishi - Tim Horton's Brier
Nominees:
Kathy Archer - Mountain Kidz Klub
Marion Dale - Geritol Follies Variety Show
Cathy Rideout - Royal Botanical Gardens
Kristin Stawiarski - Canadian Ballet Youth Ensemble
....
Business Award - Event or Festival
Award Sponsor: Mohawk College of Applied Arts and Technology
Award Recipients: 2007 Tim Horton's Brier; Food and Drink Festival - Beau Monde Productions
Nominees:
Canadian International Military Tattoo - Canadian International Military Tattoo
Concession Street Fest. - Concession Street B.I.A.
Dundas International Buskerfest – Downtown Dundas B.I.A.
An Evening with Michael Douglas – Carmen’s Banquet Centre
Festival of Friends – Creative Arts Inc.
Geritol Follies Variety Show
Hamilton Golden Age Variety Show for the Winter Festival of Lights - Hamilton Golden Age Variety Show
Hamilton's 10th Annual Mustard Festival - International Village B.I.A.
Hannukah Hustle – Shalom Village
James North Art Crawl
The Mum Show - The City of Hamilton
The Nutcracker - The Canadian Ballet Youth Ensemble
Road 2 Hope – City Kidz
Zimsculpt - Royal Botanical Gardens
....