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*Update: Nominations is closed. Please watch out for the announcement on awards finalists. Kindly take note of the updated timeline below for this year’s award process, under “Important Dates”.
SimpliFlying Awards are Back for the 4th Year!
It’s that time of the year again! To recognise and showcase the most innovative airlines, airports and travel brands, the SimpliFlying Awards for Excellence in Social Media are back for a fourth year. The year 2013 has been an eventful year for the travel industry — we have been blown away by a number of great campaigns — as seen in our Top 10 case-study presentations, SimpliFlying Heroes series, State of Airline and Airport Marketing reports, and our premium monthly benchmarking reports.
Last year,we received over 50 nominations in 2 weeks and, subsequently, over 30,000 votes for the shortlisted candidates!
This year, we aim to make the fourth instalment bigger and better!
Awards Categories
Instead of singling out awards and performances in customer service and revenues, the Best Airline in Social Media award will assess all aspects of an airlines’ performance in social media holistically, including customer service and revenue. To add to the mix, we are introducing a new category, ‘Best Emerging Airline/Airport on Social Media’ this year to shine the limelight on airlines or airports that are new but already stirring a storm in this evolving landscape.
To round up, there are four award categories up for grabs this year, namely:
- Best Airline on Social Media
- Best Airport on Social Media
- Best Emerging Airline/Airport on Social Media
- Best Service Provider for Social Travel Solutions
Awards Process – Nominations
Each award category is open for nomination — you are welcome to nominate your own brand too! To find out what category your brand is eligible for, please see the following:
- Best Airline on Social Media – Open for nominations from all airlines
- Best Airport on Social Media – Open for nominations from all airports
- Best Emerging Airline/ Airport on Social Media – Open for nominations from all airlines and airports that have been on social media for less than 2 years
- Best Service Provider for Travel Solutions – Open for nominations from all OTAs and suppliers
Please note that the ‘Best Service Provider for Travel Solutions’ is the only category with a €290 entry fee and where the judges’ decision is final — no voting is involved.
Based on the nominations, 7 finalists will be shortlisted by the SimpliFlying committee for each award category, including wildcard entries from the SimpliFlying Heroes 2013 series.
Final Judging Criteria
The shortlisted 7 finalists for each category will be judged on:
- The number of public votes (50% of final score)
- Presentation pitch and interview with judges where they will scored against three pillars: ‘Innovation’, ‘Engagement’ and ‘Results’ (50% of final score)
The Judges (to be announced very soon) may subsequently have a 30-minute interview with each finalist to decide the Top 3 winners for each category.
The overall winner for each category will be informed privately and invited to present their initiatives at the Awards ceremony at EyeforTravel Summit in Amsterdam on Oct 24, 2013.
Note: Votes will not be counted in their absolute numbers but as percentages of the fan-base (Facebook, Twitter) to level the playing field. In cases where there is a huge discrepancy between votes and judges’ scores, the judges have the veto power.
Important Dates
*The dates below has been updated. Please refer to the following timeline for the latest.
- Aug 20 – Nominations for each award category open.
- Sep 6 – Nominations close.
- Sep 11 – Announcement of 7 finalists for each award category. Voting starts. Window for submission of presentation pitch by finalists opens.
- Sep 29 – Window for submission of presentation pitch by finalists closes.
- Sep 30 – Finalist presentations will be published for public viewing
- Oct 6 – Voting closes.
- Sep 30 to Oct 4 – 30 minute interviews of each finalist with the Judges.
- Oct 7 – Top 3 winners for each category will be announced
- Oct 24 – Awards Ceremony at Eyefortravel conference in Amsterdam.
Nominate Now!
To support your favourite airline, airport and service providers, please start by filling in the nomination forms below or click the link here. Nominations close Aug 30. We will announce the shortlisted finalists on Sep 4. All the best!
If you have any questions, please email us at awards@simpliflying.com or tweet us @simpliflying.
What it means to win a SimpliFlying Award?
A few words from our 2012 winners:
“Winning the SimpliFlying Award for Best Social Customer Service was a proud moment for the American Airlines team. The award was recognition that hard work, efficient response, and commitment to delighting customers was paying off. The award paved the way to grow the team, expand to 24/7 response, while maintaining our primary focus to deliver the best social customer service.”
– Jonathan Pierce, Director Social Media Communications, American Airlines
“Helsinki Airport was delighted to be awarded as the best airport in social media in 2012. Of course, it meant lots of publicity and praise, but also the award gave us an extra boost to work hard in social media in the future as well.”
– Markus Haapamäki, Communications Specialist, Helsinki Airport
“SimpliFlying is the pioneer in connecting the dots between the connected travellers, airlines and airports. SimpliFlying Awards recognises the best in the airline industry, and ultimately leads to a better customer experience in the social sphere.”
– Akram Syed Husain, Head of Social Media, NasAir
