Having last taken place in February 2020, the return of the TPi Awards was a much-needed reunion for the live events sector. Despite it being a particularly busy time for the industry, with touring happening again and festival season about to get underway, an impressive 1,260 guests registered to attend.
TPi and its suppliers for the evening pulled out all the stops to create a visually stunning retro theatre-themed event. From a striking bar centrepiece that replicated the theatre image used in the pre-awards marketing, to the eye-catching stage design, which incorporated lighting and video seamlessly, the event was a fitting celebration of the industry. Suppliers included: Robe, 80Six, Observatory, Sound of Music with NEXO, Spartan Crew, Strictly FX, Lang, TRUCKINGBY, Green Hippo and Epson. All the production elements were overseen by Production Manager, Ryan Esson and Production Coordinator, Jessica Webb from GoTo Live, making their welcome return to the TPi Awards family.
Comedian and Live at the Apollo star, Suzi Ruffell was the host for the evening. She commanded the audience during her opening set, while maintaining the energy throughout each of the 30 awards throughout, keeping the laughs coming well into the night.
With all winners chosen by the industry, each award honours the best and brightest in the industry. This year saw the welcome return of Favourite Catering Company and Favourite Venue, as well as the introduction of the Green Award, which highlights the efforts of companies going the extra mile to reduce the environmental impact of the industry. All nominees submitted entries, which were judged by a panel comprised of Jamal Chalabi, Head of A Greener Tour, along with Vision: 2025’s Chris Johnson, Chiara Badiali and Graham Brown.
The event closed by honouring this year’s Outstanding Contribution winner, Andy Dockerty from Adlib. As well as highlighting the work Dockerty has done for the industry, a touching video tribute acted as a reminder of the hard times the live events sector has gone through since the pandemic.
With all the awards distributed and the ceremony coming to an end, guests headed to the bar to catch up with old friends until 4am. TPi Awards will return on 27 February 2023. You can see all this year’s winners here.