Recognizing Marketing’s Finest
Here we present all of this year’s winning submissions, highlighting a different category each week.
EVENT /
Atlantic Coast Electric Supply (ACES)
Rock Hill Grand Opening
The ACES “Rock Hill Grand Opening” was designed as more than a branch launch—it was a high-energy, community-focused brand moment to drive awareness and establish immediate market presence.
The strategy centered on a highly visible, engaging event that attracted both attendees and passersby while creating a welcoming, memorable experience. A family-owned business, ACES emphasized connection and community, reinforcing its values via a customer-focused environment.
The event blended product education with experience, giving attendees the opportunity to explore solutions, engage with vendors, and tour the facility in a way that felt interactive rather than transactional.
At its core, the campaign positioned the grand opening as a community-driven introduction of the ACES brand—and reinforced continuity, trust, and growth.
“This shows how a well-planned event can launch a brand while also keeping existing customers engaged and attracting new ones,” said the judges.
Warshauer Electric Supply
Warshauer Trade (WTRADE)
“Warshauer Trade” (“WTRADE”) is an adult trade school that combines hands-on training with classroom learning. Its 144-hour preapprentice program takes students through an extensive training track where they learn valuable hands-on electrical skills for both residential and light commercial applications.
In addition to classroom lessons, students spend about 50% of their time in a fully energized “stick room” lab, working on various electrical projects through practical applications.
Taught by Warshauer’s New Jersey state-accredited instructors, each student earns 144 hours toward their electrical preapprentice hours along with OSHA-10 and NFPA 70e Safety Certifications.
Students are recruited through word of mouth, print advertising, and social media, and the school boasts more than 250 graduates.
“WTRADE delivers a focused, value-add event that not only educates, but also directly supports the electrical contracting community, reinforcing the brand through a clear, customer-centric strategy,” said the judges.
Codale Electric Supply
Las Vegas Product Expo
For more than 40 years, Codale’s annual “Las Vegas Product Expo” has been a tradition for customers and suppliers and has become widely known as its annual “tent event” because it’s held under a large, signature event tent.
With 86 vendor tables on-site, the 2025 expo created a high-impact, hands-on environment where customers could experience new technologies, ask questions directly of manufacturers, and deepen their relationship with Codale.
Executing a comprehensive event marketing plan that included personalized email invitations, sales team outreach, social media promotion, and in-branch signage to drive registrations and buzz, the expo drew more than 1,000 customers, reinforcing Codale’s reputation as a leading, service-focused distributor in the Las Vegas market and creating a strong platform for follow-up by the sales team throughout the year.
“This exemplifies a well-executed, customer-centric event that strengthens brand connection and vendor relationships,” said the judges.
Border States
Speakeasy Tradeshow at NECA Chicago
Historically, trade show engagement has relied heavily on walk-up traffic, resulting in a high volume of interactions but limited depth and inconsistent business impact.
Border States identified an opportunity to shift from a volume-based booth model to a more intentional, appointment-driven engagement strategy focused on meaningful customer conversations and implemented a customer-engagement-focused trade show strategy centered on prescheduled, one-on-one meetings supported by a cohesive event theme and targeted pre-event marketing.
A three-touch email campaign, simplified booking link, and messaging emphasizing dedicated time with subject matter experts rather than product promotion delivered measurable improvements across engagement, participation, and digital performance—with booth traffic engagement more than double that of the previous year.
“Border States’s NECA Chicago Speakeasy event masterfully shifted from volume-driven traffic to a data-driven, appointment-based model that delivered a threefold rise in confirmed sessions and doubled booth traffic,” said the judges.
Van Meter
Smart Solutions Summit
While smart manufacturing technologies are delivering ROI for industry leaders, many organizations struggle to translate innovations into actionable results by aligning technology, people, and processes. The “Smart Solutions Summit” closed this execution gap by moving beyond theory to application, bringing manufacturers together for hands-on learning, peer exchange, and real-world use cases focused on operational outcomes.
With a focus on quality over quantity, marketing collaborated with Rockwell Automation and Van Meter specialists to identify 10 product demonstrations to showcase. Customers actively engaged in 23 sessions, hands-on labs, and demonstrations that translated smart manufacturing concepts into practical applications.
Across two markets, the event attracted 366 registrations and 292 attendees—and delivered strong customer engagement, built trust in Van Meter’s expertise, and generated meaningful sales opportunities.
“Van Meter’s Smart Solutions Summit proved a powerful blend of expert content and hands-on engagement that clearly drove customer interest and sales,” said the judges.
Robroy Industries
IPPE Tradeshow
Appearing at the International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE) for the first time, Robroy’s strategy centered on targeting engagement through product education and real-world application discussions.
By focusing solely on Raceway solutions, the company delivered a clear, streamlined message tailored to the IPPE audience. Booth staff engaged attendees through application-focused discussions and live demonstrations, and badge scanning was used to capture qualified leads.
The feedback from attendees highlighted appreciation for Robroy’s deep application knowledge and understanding of food and processing environments. Customers noted that the clarity of solutions and relevance of conversations set Robroy apart from other exhibitors, reinforcing trust and confidence in the brand.
The judges applauded the effort, noting, “This focused event turned a crowded trade show into a high-value lead-generating machine.”
Atkore
Trade Show Booth at NECA
Over a six-month period, Atkore strategically planned for its largest trade show presence of the year: NECA. The primary objective was to design an immersive booth experience that communicated the breadth of its product portfolio and the strength of its unified offering, “One Atkore.”
To stand out on a crowded show floor, every element of the booth was designed to serve a purpose—from product placement and traffic flow to messaging hierarchy—creating a cohesive and intuitive attendee journey. To amplify booth traffic, Atkore launched a fully integrated, multichannel promotional campaign centered around the 2025 Golf Cart Contractor Sweepstakes that extended beyond the booth to create a showwide presence, leveraging digital kiosks, floor graphics, high-visibility signage, print placements, and attendee bag inserts to build anticipation and drive engagement before and during the event.
This approach positioned Atkore as not just a product provider, but also a complete solutions partner within the electrical ecosystem.
“Atkore’s immersive NECA booth turned a traditional trade show space into a dynamic, hands-on experience that drove record-breaking lead generation,” said the judges.
WEBSITE – Honorable Mention
Granite City Electric Supply
Wired for Fall Regional Trade Show
OneSource Distributors
Electrical Training Institute LA Tool Showcase
Rexel USA
Mayer Digital Command Vehicle
Tagged with awards, Best of the Best, marketing