The Frontier Awards have a rich heritage stretching back to the very first gathering of the duty-free community in the South of France in 1985. Decades later, they occupy a special place at the very heart of our industry, and the star-studded roster of former winners is a veritable who's who of the finest protagonists of the trade.
One of the factors that makes the Awards so special is the unique judging process. Each year we gather together a panel of six top executives from the industry who collectively boast a wealth of experience in the various product categories and geographical regions. A profile of the 2008 judges can be found here.
This year, the Awards have taken another step forward with the addition of a new category: Outstanding Contribution of the Year. This award is designed to celebrate companies, associations or individuals who have brought something remarkable to the world of travel-retail in the past year. The award seeks to recognise exemplary and inspirational efforts, initiatives and achievements by industry players that benefit not just their particular business, but travel-retail as a whole.
Companies are invited to enter seven of the ten Awards categories, and the information contained here and on the Frontier Awards entry form will offer guidance on how to compile your submission. In the last three categories, Outstanding Contribution of the Year, Airport Retailer of the Year and Land-based Border/Downtown Retailer of the Year, we continue the practice pioneered two years ago and invite the industry to go here, where you will have the opportunity to nominate your top three operations or, in the case of the Outstanding Contribution of the Year Award, companies, associations or individuals. We require a name and email address with each vote to ensure that no party can exert an unfair influence.
Once the votes have been cast we will announce the names of the top 10 companies selected by the industry. We will then ask those retailers to produce documentation outlining their work, which will be submitted to the judging panel for consideration. In the case of the Outstanding Contribution of the Year Award, documentation will not be requested. The judges have the final say in deciding the winning candidate.
On Wednesday October 29, 500 of the industry's finest will gather in Cannes to mark the 2008 Frontier Awards. Will your company be called up on stage, to collect one of the coveted statuettes?
How do they judge?
The judges are entirely impartial, and they are the only ones involved in making the big decisions. The Frontier team facilitates the Awards, invites entries, assembles the judging panel and moderates the judging day. However, the six judges select the winners without any input, advice or influence from us - the winners are decided entirely at the panel's discretion and are kept secret until they are announced on stage on the night of the Frontier Awards evening in Cannes.
Based on past experience of the judging process, we can reveal that previous judges have picked the winning entries based on:
- Innovation, originality and the all-important creative X-factor
- Perfect execution of a truly excellent concept
- Good business practice and strong sales results
Enter The Frontier Awards today
Frontier is delighted to announce a call for entries for the 24th Frontier Awards. We look forward to another year of top quality submissions from retailers and suppliers, reflecting another year of growth for the industry.
Click here to enter the Frontier Awards
For more information contact: frontierawards@metropolis.co.uk +44 20 8253 8392
Plantinum Sponsors 2008
