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Airport Concessions Awards

The 2024 Airport Concessions Awards provide a unique opportunity to recognize how the airport and concessions industry continues to work in partnership to enhance the passenger experience. The winners will be announced at an awards gala dinner during the 2024 Business of Airports Conference in Miami, FL on June 12. 

ELIGIBILITY

The Airport Concessions Awards are open to all ACI-NA members, regardless of whether you work for an airport, concessionaire, or service provider. Airports of all sizes are encouraged to participate, with similarly sized organizations only competing against others (i.e., small airports compete only against small airports, ACDBEs compete only against ACDBEs).

“New” is defined as a concept that has been in operation for two years or less at an airport. There is no minimum time length for a concept or program to be in operation for, as long as they opened before December 31, 2023.

An airport, concessionaire, or service provider can submit multiple award entries for different categories or in the same category for separate entries.

Only airport/company self-submissions are permitted – No Exceptions

SUBMISSIONS AND DEADLINES

To submit an entry, you must have an ACI-NA member login. Your member login is also what is used to update your membership profile, access Centerlines Connect (ACI-NA's online discussion forum) and register online for ACI-NA events/webinars. If you do not have a login, you may create an account. 

If you need assistance logging in, please email memberservices@airportscouncil.org.

Submissions must be received by close of business Eastern Time on Friday, April 19, 2024. By submitting materials to the contest, the airport/company agrees that all entries become ACI-NA property for promotional and display purposes.

CATEGORIES

Awards will be presented for airports, concessionaires, and service providers.

Click here to view the categories and explanations >>

ENTRY SUBMISSION PROCESS

After you login, choose the category you wish to enter from the drop-down menu.

Enter the entry statement in the allotted space.

Upload JPEG or PNG images, links, PDF documents, Word documents, audio files and/or video files of your submissions. Audio files are preferred to be in MP3 format.

For video files, while you can provide a YouTube or similar web link, to facilitate the inclusion of your entry in the 2024 Award Winners slideshow, we need to have a digital file in one of the following formats compatible with Microsoft PowerPoint: .asf, .wmv, .avi, QuickTime movie file, MP4 video, MPEG, and Adobe Flash.

Any questions regarding format can be sent to awards@airportscouncil.org with a copy to communications@airportscouncil.org.

Once completed, the system will prompt you to exit, or you can submit another entry.

 

AWARDS

The 2024 ACI-NA Airport Concessions Awards are comprised of relevant award categories and one employee award category. 

Entries can be submitted for the following award categories:

  • Best Employee Recognition Program – Airport
  • Best Employee Recognition Program – Concessionaire/Service Provider
  • Best New Food and Beverage (Full-Service Concept)
  • Best New Food and Beverage (Quick-Service Concept)
  • Best New Retail Concept
  • Best New News & Gift Concept
  • Best New Passenger Experience Concept
  • Best New Local Concept
  • Best New National Brand Concept
  • Best New Non-Terminal Revenue Innovation Concept - Airport
  • Overall Richard A. Griesbach Award of Excellence in Airport Concessions

Submit easy-to-read entry statements. The suggested word length for each of the four judging criteria is 250 words, and the statements can be written in narrative or bullet format. Each entry must include the four areas mentioned below. Points will be deducted for incomplete entry statements.

We encourage applicants to upload documents (including program documentation where appropriate), photos, and videos that describe the entry. Entries will be judged on innovative approaches, the effectiveness of the efforts, and focuses on the passenger experience. Entries may include statistical data to demonstrate the effectiveness for the airport, concessionaire, service provider, passengers, and/or the community.

  • Entry Description (10 points – 250 word limit)

Include a brief summary that describes your entry and its intended audience. Please make this summary as detailed as possible.

  • Goals (10 points – 250 word limit)

Summarize the goals and objectives of your entry, including why you created the program/concept/process; what you planned to accomplish, and how you expected those goals to be met.  Be sure to discuss how your goals impacted all airport audiences, passengers, carriers, concessionaires, and the broader community.

  • Engagement (10 points – 250 word limit)

Include a brief summary of how the program/concept/process was communicated to the airport, stakeholders, passengers, and/or the community.  Be specific about the steps taken to design the program/concept/process, who was involved, and the role of other stakeholders. Were there any challenges that had to be overcome, and how was this achieved?

  • Evaluation (10 points  – 250 word limit)

Use this section to explain the effectiveness and end result of the project. You may quantify your results with statistics and other key performance indicators.  Be specific about results as they relate to the goals of the project.  If relevant, describe how the initiative improved the experience of passengers/employees at the airport, including the experiences of concessionaires or service providers.

Submit your Concessions Award entry now >>

Entries can be submitted for the following employee award:

CONCESSIONS PERSON OF THE YEAR

The Concessions Person of the Year award will recognize a professional working at an airport, who has contributed to enhancing the North American airport concession industry through their time, involvement, and expertise. Only people working for ACI-NA members will be considered for the award. 

Note: The nomination form for the Concessions Person of the Year Award is separate from the overall concessions category entry form.  

Eligibility: The nominee must be employed by an ACI-NA member Airport. The recommendation letter must be signed by the Airport Chief Executive Officer/ Official Representative. 

The letter must consist of no more than two pages (single-spaced) and should be submitted online explaining why the employee deserves the recognition. Using no more than two pages, describe why the nominee merits being selected for this award, including, but not limited to, the following:

Excellence in Performance (10 points)

  • What impact has this person had on the industry or respective airport?  
  • How did they demonstrate a commitment to the customer experience?
  • Examples of the ability to maintain a positive attitude even while dealing with adversity

Team Qualities (10 points)

  • Examples of how the individual is seen as a mentor to co-workers
  • Examples of how the individual embodies the organization ethos
  • How does the individual build and foster strong relationships with a high level of credibility?

The recommendation letter and photos/videos must be submitted in the allotted space within the entry form.
 

Submit your Concessions Person of the Year entry now >>

PANEL OF JUDGES

ACI-NA draws experts from the aviation industry representing the various disciplines for the panel of judges. Judges are provided submissions as-is with supporting materials.

For questions about the 2024 ACI-NA Airport Concessions Awards, please contact awards@airportscouncil.org, with a copy to communications@airportscouncil.org.