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Local Event Planner Receives
Regional, National and
International Awards for Staging
Event in a Cemetery
INTERNATIONAL: Gala Award
At
the conclusion of the January
2008 Special Event Convention in
Atlanta, the best-of-the-best in
the special event industry
worldwide were honored at a
black-tie ceremony held at the
Georgia World Congress Center.
The Gala Awards, equivalent to
the Oscars, have been awarded
each year since 1986 by Special
Events Magazine to recognize the
top professionals in fields such
as event design, production,
tenting, lighting, floral, and
catering.
Ingrid E. Lundquist, CSEP owner
of The Lundquist Company was
honored with a Gala Award for
Best Event Marketing Campaign
for her design and production of
the Rededication of Matthew
Kilgore Cemetery. The
cemetery event reflected her
keen ability to intertwine
business goals with event design
to create a dramatic impact.
The
rededication of a 133 year old
pioneer cemetery in City of
Rancho Cordova, CA, included a
New Orleans style jazz funeral
and procession complete with
brass band, city leaders
twirling parasols, two white
Percheron horses dressed in
official mourning attire pulling
a funeral carriage driven by an
undertaker in period costume, a
casket filled with bunches of
flowers representing the souls
of the dead, a wagon carrying
reclaimed cemetery headstones,
three Clergy, and 133 spectators
watching 234 jubilant hanky
waving parade participants sway
to the music. The pine casket
was lifted off the carriage to
the ground near the ceremony
site and after the ceremony,
guests were invited to take a
floral bouquet and place it at
the grave site of their loved
one. The event drew five times
the number of guests originally
expected while maintaining a
balance of celebration and
decorum.
The
Rededication of Matthew Kilgore
Cemetery won over finalist
entries submitted by CIRC
Corporate Experience, Weisbaden,
Germany for a Caterpillar
machinery corporate event; and
VOX Entertainment, El Segundo,
CA for a 38 city Baskin Robbins
tour.
Members of the Special Events
Magazine Advisory Board, made up
of leaders in the event
profession, spent three days in
October at the magazine’s
offices in Pacific Palisades,
California, for the first three
rounds of judging. The Board
reconvened at the beginning of
the convention to select the
finalists. In total, the
winning entries went through
five rounds of judging. This
year, the magazine received 330
entries in 35 categories from
Canada, China, Denmark, England,
France, Germany, India, Ireland,
Jamaica, Mexico, Spain, United
Arab Emirates and the United
States. Of the 104 finalist
events, three were produced by
The Lundquist Company:
Gala Award nominations for The
Lundquist Company, Roseville
Best Event Marketing Campaign,
Rededication of Matthew
Kilgore Cemetery (Gala Award
winner)
Best Fair/Festival, First 5
Sacramento Children’s
Celebration
Best Event Produced for a
Corporation overall budget under
$100,000, Rededication of
Matthew Kilgore Cemetery
NATIONAL: Silver Circle
Award (second place)
3CMA is the national City-County
Communications and Marketing
Association representing the
local governments and showcasing
innovative new and better ways
of communicating with their
citizens. The 3CMA “Savvy”
awards have been presented since
1988. The 2007 Savvy awards
boasted more than 800 entries
with three awards given in 35
categories. The Savvy judges
called the cemetery event “A
well thought out and executed
project that balanced the need
to celebrate the rededication of
a cemetery with the desire to
respect the dead and the
living. Very Savvy indeed.”
REGIONAL: Celebration Award
(first place)
The
Rededication of Matthew
Kilgore Cemetery, received
First Place “Celebration” Awards
in the category of Best New
Idea at the CalFest
Convention held in February in
Santa Rosa, CA. CalFest is the
professional organization of
festival and event producers
located in California and
Nevada. Judges evaluated
entries based on substance,
originality, style, concept,
copy, graphics, and production.
More than 125 entries were
received. Entries were divided
into three major categories
under $50,000; $50,000 –
150,000; and $150,000+. The
Rededication of Kilgore Cemetery
was in the first category along
with event entries from the
Mountain Mandarin Festival, the
Marine Corps Air Station Miramar
for the Lewis Black Comedy Show,
the Encanto Street Fair, the
Exchange Grand Opening in the
City of Atascadero, and Hot El
Camino Cruise Nights.
……………………………………
The Lundquist Company, based in
Roseville, CA, specializes in
the production of high profile
events for corporations and
non-profit cultural
organizations. All events are
designed and produced under the
direction of Ingrid E.
Lundquist, CSEP. The CSEP
(Certified Special Event
Professional) designation is the
highest certification of the
International Special Events
Society. Ingrid is the only
CSEP in Northern California.
Photos attached:
1)
Ingrid E. Lundquist, CSEP
receiving Gala Award at The
Special Event convention in
Atlanta.
2)
Horse drawn carriage inside the
cemetery. (Costumed Undertaker,
Tommy Elledge)
3)
Casket filled with floral
bouquets being lifted off the
carriage onto the ground.
(Costumed Undertaker, Tommy
Elledge with Vintage Carriage
Company)
Click on image to enlarge.
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