PITTSBURGH, PA, September 30, 2013—Promotion for the Pittsburgh Irish Festival, designed by ocreations, won three awards in the 2013 International Festivals and Events Association (IFEA) Haas & Wilkerson Pinnacle Awards Competition. In the budget category of $250,000 to $750,000, they received the following awards for the 2012 Pittsburgh Irish Festival design and promotion:
Gold—Best Event Website
Silver —Best Outdoor Billboard
Bronze—Best Miscellaneous Printed Materials (multiple page)
The awards were presented at the IFEA/Haas & Wilkerson Pinnacle Awards Ceremony held at the IFEA’s 58th Annual Convention & Expo in Pittsburgh, PA, on September 16, 2013. “We strive to be better each year and are so honored to be recognized by our peers from around the world for this prestigious award,” said Nan Krushinski, co-founder and executive director of the Pittsburgh Irish Festival and Irish Partnership, Inc.
The IFEA/Haas & Wilkerson Pinnacle Awards Competition recognizes the outstanding accomplishments and top quality creative, promotional, operational and community outreach programs and materials produced by festivals and events around the world. Striving for the highest degree of excellence in festival and event promotions and operations in every budget level and every corner of the globe, this competition raises the standards and quality of the festivals and events industry to new levels. Now in its 24th year, the professional competition draws thousands of entries in each category from the world’s top events.
The Pittsburgh Irish Festival has partnered with ocreations for graphics and web design for the past seven years. “We are fortunate to work with such creative and talented designers that share our goal to make the Pittsburgh Irish Festival a one-of-a-kind event,” said Maura Krushinski, co-founder and co-director of the Pittsburgh Irish Festival and Irish Partnership, Inc. The campaign’s main design element was a bold illustration that was used for the billboard and printed materials and incorporated into the website to maintain continuity and grab the attention of browsers. The illustration and website designs were done by Senior Partner Jesse Mader, with art direction by Mader and Shawn O’Mara, senior partner and founder of ocreations. Website design support, programming and implementation were managed by Dustin Lawson of Onit Interactive. The team has also won two Marketer of the Year Awards from the Pittsburgh chapter of the American Marketing Association and the 2011 Irish Festival graphics won bronze awards in the Billboard and Promotional Poster categories in the 2012 IFEA Pinnacle Awards Competition.
For information on the Pittsburgh Irish Festival or Irish Partnership, contact Nan Krushinski at 412-654-9000 or view their award-winning website at www.pghirishfest.org. For information on the design and graphics, contact Shawn O’Mara at 412-759-3181 or visit their website at www.ocreations.com. For a complete list of winners, go to www.ifea.com
