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The Expy & The Ema

As experiences proliferate in industry after industry, certain organizations and individuals demonstrate exceptional skill in envisioning, designing, and staging truly memorably and innovative experiences. To recognize these stalwart trailblazers, Pine & Gilmore established the annual Experience Stager of the Year (EXPY) and Experience Management Achievement (EMA) awards.

 

By tradition, EXPY and EMA award recipients remain a closely guarded secret until officially announced at the annual Strategic Horizons thinkAbout. During the award presentation, Pine & Gilmore not only honor the winners but also interview them on stage for insights into their accomplishments.

Individually cast in solid brass by master artisan Trace Guthrie and each weighing nearly 10 pounds, the EXPY is a 3-D interpretation of the commedia dell’arte performer on the cover of The Experience Economy, while the EMA represents the book's influence on award winners.

 

The EXPY

First commissioned in 1999, the EXPY is, by all accounts, the first award ever established to specifically honor excellence in experience staging. Pine & Gilmore award the EXPY each year at the culmination of their annual countdown of the “Top Ten Experiences of the Year” at thinkAbout, which highlights advances in the art and science of experience staging. For more about the genesis of the EXPY see “The Making of the EXPY”.

 

EXPY Winners

1999	American Girl Place, Chicago, IL. For recognizing the value, even as a  manufacturer, of paid-for experiences.
2000	Geek Squad, Minneapolis, MN. For turning a mundane service into an engaging encounter.
2001	Joie de Vivre Hospitality, San Francisco, CA. For its insightful and effective approach to theming.
2002	LEGO Group, Billund, Denmark. For a portfolio of experiences that exemplifies all ten levels of the Placemaking Portfolio.
2003	Cerritos Library, Cerritos, CA. For integrating architecture, theming, design, technology, and human performances to create an engaging educational experience.
2004	Charthouse Learning Burnsville, MN.  For helping workers around the world to truly understand that work IS theatre through its Fish! offerings.
2005	HOK Sport + Venue + Event (now Populous), Kansas City, KS. For expertise in blending the natural with the artificial in placemaking.
2006	Cereality, Scottsdale, AZ. For answering the question, What is to breakfast cereal as Starbucks is to coffee?
2007	TST, Inc., Fort Collins, CO. For turning their offices into the Engineerium, a B2B experience that truly engages and performs.
2008	Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, Springfield, IL. For bringing the latest in technology and experience design into an increasingly stale industry.
2009	The U.S. Army, Washington D.C. For reimagining the recruiting experience through AmericasArmy.com and its Army Experience Center.

 

 

The EMA

Sister award to the EXPY, the annual EMA was established by Pine & Gilmore in 2005 to recognize individual accomplishment in creating new-to-the-world experience offerings and approaches. In order to be eligible, EMA recipients must have participated in at least one thinkAbout.

 

EMA Winners

2005	Gary Adamson, Starizon, Inc. and Sonia Rhodes, Sharp Health Care. Awarded jointly for founding Experience Economy consulting firm Starizon and the Sharp Health Care Experience and University, respectively.
2006	Jeff Kallay, TargetX. For redesigning the on-campus college tour.
2007	Steve Dragoo, Service Solutions Consulting, Inc. For advances in training grocery store employees to stage engaging experiences.
2008	Doug Johnson, General Growth Properties. For development of the seasonal Santastic Christmas experiences at General Growth Properties malls.
2009	Amy Sanders, American National Bank of Texas. For leading development of ANBTX’s Dream Membership and Dream Centers for small business owners.

 

Who will be the next EXPY and EMA winners? Come to thinkAbout and find out!  Think you or someone you know is worthy of EXPY or EMA consideration?  Drop us a line and tell us more at thinkAbout@StrategicHorizons.com.