14th Annual Cvent Excellence Awards Honors Customers Proving the Power of Events

Winners include global organizations, hotels, and destinations recognized for deploying Cvent technology to prove event value and deliver measurable business impact

NASHVILLE, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Cvent announced the winners of the 2026 Cvent Excellence Awards, honoring customers who are turning bold event and hospitality strategies into measurable business results.

Recognized during a live gala event at Cvent CONNECT in Nashville, this year’s winners include event professionals and marketers from global organizations, as well as hospitality professionals at leading hotels and convention & visitors bureaus, using Cvent technology to drive revenue, prove return on investment, save time, and create standout experiences. Now in its 14th year, the program celebrates the teams turning event and hospitality ambition into clear business value.

In a highly competitive digital-first environment where organizations are competing for audience attention and trust, the industry has aligned on the importance of live experiences to engage, inspire, and increase brand loyalty. The question now is how much value the right event and group business strategy can unlock.

This year’s honorees answered that question with results. From pipeline growth and cost avoidance to faster group sales and smarter operations, this year’s winners prove that events and group business programs are some of the highest-performing business drivers.

New Award Categories Highlight the Growing Role of Data and AI

• The Event Intelligence Award | Recognizes organizations using data and insights to make smarter planning decisions, improve execution, and prove event ROI.
• The AI Activator Award | Recognizes hospitality professionals using AI to respond faster, improve efficiency, win more group business, and grow revenue.

Measurable Outcomes Set This Year’s Winners Apart

Hundreds of nominations were evaluated on criteria including depth of technology adoption, operational efficiency, integration across teams and systems, and measurable business impact. This year’s honorees stood out for pairing bold strategy with disciplined execution — and backing it up with measurable results.

Event professionals are turning technology adoption into a strategic advantage.

• One enterprise meetings team documented $2.4 million in meetings and events cost avoidance in a single year.
• A nonprofit events team has successfully managed 63,000+ events through its unified platform approach since 2012.
• A global technology company generated more than $12 million in influenced pipeline from its annual flagship conference.
• A leading research institution attracted 17,000+ attendees across 44 conferences in a single year, scaling global reach without scaling headcount.

Marketers are proving that events deliver powerful revenue-driving opportunities.

• One field marketing team generated $18 million in total influenced pipeline across 60+ events.
• A global energy and automation company captured 3,100+ qualified leads across 16 trade shows.
• A financial technology company recorded a 400% year-over-year increase in sourced pipeline from its flagship virtual conference.

Hospitality professionals are winning more business, faster, by combining data intelligence with AI-powered workflows.

• One hotel portfolio grew awarded RFP value by 48% through a targeted, data-driven group sales strategy.
• A hotel group recovered 7,800 staff hours through automated rooming list management.
• A property automated 7,500 RFP responses using purpose-built AI-powered tools.
• A top tier meetings destination grew new planner sourcing by 36% year-over-year.

“The individuals and teams recognized this year aren’t chasing incremental gains. They’re treating every event as an opportunity and raising the standard for what this industry can do,” said Andreas Heckmann, Chief Customer Officer at Cvent. “At our largest Cvent CONNECT ever, it means even more to spotlight customers who are proving the business impact of events and hospitality. They’re not just adapting to change. They’re setting the pace for what modern event and hospitality performance looks like.”

Cvent Excellence Award winners were recognized in front of hundreds of industry peers at Cvent CONNECT and will be featured throughout the year in Cvent case studies, webinars, and thought leadership content, helping extend awareness of their achievements across the broader industry.

The 2026 Cvent Excellence Award Winners

Event and Marketing Teams

Ace of Spaces | Efficiently Sourcing Venues and Managing Space to Create Exceptional Events

Forvis Mazars

Marketing Mastermind | Best Event-Led Growth Strategy

Gainsight

Trade Show Trailblazer | Excellence in Opportunity Conversion

Schneider Electric

Pivotal Partner | Cvent Partner of the Year

Meetings & Incentives Worldwide

The Rookie | Cvent Rookie of the Year

Sanofi

Association & Non-Profit Impact Icon Award | Best Use of Cvent to Create Meaningful Mission Impact

Wounded Warrior Project

Power of the Platform | Best Use of the Cvent Platform for a Single Event

GBTA

SAS Institute

Power of the Platform | Best Use of the Cvent Platform Across a Total Event Program

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

ConnectWise

Event Intelligence Award | Best Use of AI-Powered Event Intelligence

NCCI Holdings

Digital Events Visionary Award | Excellence in Virtual Events

FloQast

Cvent Advocate of the Year | Top Engaged Cvent User

Andrea Sorbello, The United States Tennis Association

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Hospitality Teams

Portfolio Powerhouse | Exceptional Portfolio Management

Davidson Hospitality Group

The Block Buster | Excellence in Room-Block Bookings

Montage International

The Business Intelligencer | Excellence in Hospitality Analytics

InterContinental Houston by IHG

The Group Game Changer | Best Group Sales and Marketing Strategy

PGA National Resort

The Clever Collaborator | Excellence in Collaboration with Event Diagramming

Ocean Properties Hotels and Resorts

The Hometown Hero | Destination Marketing Excellence

Visit Austin

The AI Activator | Best Use of AI-Powered Intelligence in Hospitality

Azul Hospitality

Cvent Advocate of the Year | Hospitality

Shelley Williams, F1 Arcade

About Cvent

Cvent builds technology to power the highest performing events on the planet. With its purpose-built and AI-powered platform, data insights, unrivaled ecosystem, and deep expertise, Cvent helps its customers deliver real event outcomes.

Cvent gives event professionals the technology to run in-person, virtual, and hybrid events of any size, marketers the solutions to deliver event-led growth, and hotels, venues, and destinations a leading global marketplace to win and keep business. With intelligent tools across the event lifecycle, real-time analytics, personalized attendee experiences, and $20B+ in group business sourced through the ecosystem annually, Cvent delivers the AI-driven technology, insight, and scale customers need to power high-performing events and better outcomes.

445,000+ users across 34,000+ organizations rely on Cvent. With enterprise-grade security and compliance, hundreds of industry accolades, leading customer satisfaction, 8M+ events managed, and its third consecutive year as a Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ Leader for Event Marketing and Management Platforms, customers around the world trust Cvent to deliver when it matters most. Learn more at Cvent.com.