Our trip to Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center in Kissimmee on July 27 may have been a quick one, but it was long enough to be met with savory food, fine cocktails and 18 new reasons to celebrate the impressive work our Agency delivers every day. If you have not already figured it out, we are talking about the Excel Awards presented by the Southeast Building Conference and Florida Home Builders Association for the best in residential and commercial construction.
And We’re Off!
After a full day of meetings, press releases, brochures and more, we made the three-hour drive to the 2017 Excel Awards ceremony with our fingers tightly crossed and tummies filled with a Burger King value meal to hold us over. Upon our arrival in Orlando, we were met with valet parking, palatable beverages and a vast array of mouthwatering food choices such as meats, cheeses, antipasto, grilled vegetables and everyone’s favorite, breadsticks.
We mixed and mingled with other advertising and marketing professionals and were still glowing over the fact that Spiro & Associates was about to be called upon following 2,500 entries to the largest building industry trade show in the Southeastern United States. That ever-stunning fact barely sunk in when suddenly, it was showtime!
And the Winner is …
Just as the production was about to begin, we found ourselves putting out a fire … but not the kind that required emergency personnel and a great deal of water. Instead, we had to adjust the pre-recorded annunciations of our and two of our clients’ names. Once that mini crisis was averted, the lights dimmed and the ceremony officially commenced!
Despite the overwhelmingly intense drumroll that came before each award winner was announced, Team Spiro did not disappoint, especially when it came to Excels for clients like Rebekah MacFarlane Barney, COO of The MacFarlane Group, LLC, who won Marketing Director of the Year, and Michael Polly, President and Managing Broker of Royal Shell Real Estate, who was honored with Sales Manager of the Year. But rather than talk about just how much more thrilling each announcement was than the last, we will let the remaining list speak for itself:
• Frey & Son Homes, Inc. — Best Overall Advertising or Marketing Program
• Frey & Son Homes, Inc. — Best Television Commercial for a Builder
• Action Automatic Door & Gate — Best Radio Commercial
• Frey & Son Homes, Inc. — Best Logo Design for a Builder
• iNDIGO Architecture, Inc. — Best Logo Design for an Associate
• Causeway Key (Allan Development Group) — Best Logo Design for a Developer
• GMA Architects & Planners — Best Website for an Associate
• Campo Felice Retirement Living (The MacFarlane Group) — Best Website for a Developer
• Catch the Vision Book (Storm Smart) — Best Magazine Ad for an Associate
• Koogler Homes Inc. Bluefin Bay — Best Magazine Ad for a Builder
• Frey & Son Homes, Inc. — Best Brochure for a Builder
• The MacFarlane Group Holiday Card — Best Direct Mail Piece for a Builder
• Frey & Son Homes, Inc. — Best Corporate Video for a Builder
• Campo Felice Retirement Living — Best YouTube-Type Video
• Frey & Son Homes, Inc. — Best YouTube-Type Video
• Eat.Clay.Love. Event — Best Special Event/Charity
Breaking Records
As the ceremony concluded, we realized that not only had 18 gorgeous Excel “men” quickly taken over our table, but that the Agency was about to walk away with the most awards of any other applicant. Media representatives even approached our own Chris Spiro on his thoughts of the victorious evening following a commemorative photo for our chock-full file.
We shook the hands of some renowned builders, contractors, Realtors® and salespeople. But before we knew it, it was time to hit the road, again, this time with a lot less room in the back seat. As Chris often calls them, “good problems to have.” And as we look back on that quick but memorable night in July, we are challenged to create more of those same problems … you know, the ones that involve superior, innovative and creatives sales and not to mention, marketing.
