ADDYs not just for advertising community

It's awards season.

Wouldn't it be great if this annual gluttony of tuxedos, revealing gowns and ego-ambivalent speeches could help your business? Well, there's a local awards event where smart business folks will be shopping for a competitive advantage.

The Advertising Association of Northern Nevada's (A2N2) annual ADDY Awards Party showcases the best advertising created by local artists, graphic designers, copywriters, producers, photographers and strategic thinkers.

"Every year, we see a few business owners and managers looking at the work to get an idea of who might give them a competitive edge," said A2N2 President Dotti Gallagher.

"This year, we want to make sure we alert the business community to this exceptional opportunity."

The James-Bond-themed event is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.

March 12 at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center Ballroom.

Tickets are $45 for A2N2 members and $50 for non-members.

There will be cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, and dancing.

"Many business people may not realize the diversity and quality of the advertising created in our community," Gallagher said.

"Some exceptional work is not seen in this market because it's created for companies who compete for business regionally or nationally."

Event organizers promise a non-traditional awards ceremony designed to give maximum exposure to the work and freedom of movement for party goers.

"People won't be sitting at tables listening to someone talking.

They'll be moving around, looking at the work and enjoying themselves," said Zak Gilbert, event co-chair.

"It will be fun, celebrate the winners and give everyone a chance to see a lot of the exceptional ads created by the talented people who work in our community."

Gallagher noted the diversity of the advertising creative community is demonstrated by the size of the agencies doing the work, the size of the client companies and the many different types of products and services featured.

"You'll see high-quality creative work from single-person shops for small businesses, advertising created by large agencies for big clients and every combination in between."

The quality of the message presented by a business communicates a great deal about that business, Gallagher said.

"Most business people will see advertising or graphic work at this event with a tone, attitude and look to fit their needs; to give them the kind of competitive advantage so necessary in the current business environment."

And while the ADDY awards recognize the creativity of the work, Gallagher noted good advertising always has a strong strategic foundation.

"We marvel at the talent on display, the humor, the dazzle, the beauty.

But it's important to remember this work was created to achieve specific business goals and much of it was very successful at doing so."

A2N2 is the local affiliate of the American Advertising Federation.

The ADDY winners recognized at the March 12 event are automatically entered into the national ADDY competition.

Runners up have the option of entering the national event where a new round of judging occurs.

"In previous years, our local winners have done well in the national competition," Gallagher noted.

"It is a measure of the quality of work done here that our local creative people are recognized on the same stage as the top advertising professionals in the country."

Judging for the local competition is done by experienced advertising professionals from outside the are.

This year the judges were John Sayles, owner of Sayles Graphic Design in Des Moines; Shawn Vallee, creative director of InOne Advertising & Design in Phoenix; and Jeffrey DeLong, creative director of Digitalims in Lincoln, Neb.

The event also promises some very interesting people watching.

If you really want to get into the spirit of the evening, dress as your favorite character from a James Bond movie.

Prizes will be given for the best individual costume and for the best group costume from an advertising agency.

For more information on the A2N2 ADDY Awards Party or to RSVP, please visit a2n2.com or call William Letcher, 828-4700, or Zak Gilbert, 322-8187.

Bob Felten is vice president of the Advertising Association of Northern Nevada.