Great Gala

Great food, great atmosphere, great fun

The much-anticipated MMPA Excellence Awards Gala was held Thursday evening, November 4, at Nicollet Island Pavilion in Minneapolis. More than 200 MMPA members and friends were treated to an evening of prizes and surprises. A new location and new caterer sparked new life into the 14-year-old annual event celebrating the best in Minnesota periodical publishing.

The riverside pavilion setting was spacious and elegant and featured several food and drink stations. Mintahoe catering provided multiple treats, from three types of skewered meat and three tasty noodle dishes to elegant mini desserts. Attendees ate, drank, and schmoozed from 5:00 to 7:00 as they bid on two dozen silent auction items.

The Awards program commenced at 7:00, with MMPA president Steve Schiffman giving opening remarks and presenting the Greg Carey Award to Mary Jo Larson, Franchise Times, for her long-time service to the organization, and the Innovator Award to Exhibitor magazine for its novel involvement of its entire staff to develop new revenue sources without additional cost.

Then popular emcee Jason DeRusha of WCCO television injected major personality into the announcements of 2010 Excellence Awards winners, including 70 Gold Award winners who visited the stage to pick up their awards. All winning entries were shown on screen during the presentations, so all attendees were able to enjoy the top-quality offerings. Categories this year included traditional print categories as well as several new digital categories, reflecting the publishing community's commitment to print even as it enters the newer world of online publishing. Spicing up the awards presentation were several giveaways donated by MMPA member companies.

The evening was capped off with the newest and most prestigious award -- Magazine of the Year, won by Minnesota Monthly. The award recognizes a publication's ongoing quality over the lifetime of the Excellence Awards.

Food, drink, conviviality, awards. A great evening that Minnesota publishing professionals will remember.

If you were the winner of an award and would like to order a duplicate plaque please fill out this form

A list of all the 2010 winners can be found in the digital version of the awards booklet.

All Photos courtesy of Josh P. Roberts http://www.joshproberts.com/

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