The Summit Excellence Awards
The Summit Excellence Awards recognize excellence across Chicago’s hospitality, tourism, and events industries, honoring the top achievers in 11 categories ranging from hotels, venues, and restaurants, to event planners, concierges, and social media influencers. Presented at The Hospitality & Tourism Summit, these prestigious awards give industry leaders the chance to gain visibility, celebrate success, and showcase their achievements among 1,400 professionals.
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Voting Process & Timeline
February 1, 2025 - The nomination window begins!
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Users can nominate one to 3 people per category
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Nominations will be collected and counted, with the top 5 nominees in each category being named, “Official Nominees”
February 28th, 2025 - The nomination window ends!
March 1, 2025 - The voting window begins!
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Voters can vote for one of the top 5 nominees in all 11 categories per day
March 31, 2025 - The voting window closes!
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Votes will be collected and counted with the top vote-getter in each category named the winner
April 15, 2025 - The winners will be announced every half hour at The Summit trade show
Categories
The Summit Concierge Award - hotel, corporate, residential, concierges and hotel guest services personnel.
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The Summit Nightlife Award - nightclubs, bars, pubs, lounges, live music venues, comedy clubs, dance clubs, sports bars, rooftop bars, karaoke bars, adult entertainment venues, wine bars, speakeasies, cocktail lounges, dive bars.
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The Summit Attractions Award - heaters, entertainment, museums, boat tours, natural, man-made, cultural, historical, and novelty attractions, theme parks, zoos, aquariums, landmarks, parks, art galleries, festivals, sporting events, and pop-ups.
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The Summit Hotel Award -
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The Summit Venue Award - conference, convention & community centers, clubs, concert venues, banquet halls, event venues, museums, outdoor amphitheaters, sports arenas, stadiums, restaurant event spaces, parks, and coworking spaces.
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The Summit Event Services Award - A/V companies, caterers, event planning companies, DMCs, floral designers, rental companies, security services, transportation services, entertainment providers, staging and lighting companies
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The Summit Destination Marketing Organizations & Associations Award - neighborhood associations, local, regional, national, and international DMO's, trade associations, convention bureaus, tourism boards
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The Summit Industry Distributors & Services Award - foodservice, beverage, janitorial, equipment, wholesale, specialty item, promotional item and cleaning supply distributors, uniform and linen suppliers, technology and software providers.
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The Summit Restaurant Award - fast food, fast casual, casual dining, fine dining, family style, buffet, cafés, bistros, diners, food trucks, pop-up restaurants.
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The Summit Planner Award - corporate meeting & event planners, wedding planners, birthday planners, association planners, fundraising planners, gala planners, family reunion planners, virtual event planners.
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The Summit Social Media Influencers & Creators Award - bloggers, vloggers, podcasters, influencers, and content creators.