The report has been prepared by the team behind Eventex Awards, which analysed a record 1,405 entries from 58 countries, the largest field in the awards’ history, and the winners recognised with Grand Prix, Platinum, or Gold. The result is a comprehensive study of what sets excellent work apart, structured around six dimensions of excellence, plus a seventh chapter recognising the people and places behind them:
– Everywhere, all at once — events built to live across multiple cities or extended timeframes
– AI as a creative partner — artificial intelligence shaping ideas, not just executing them
– The city becomes the stage — architecture and public space as the storyteller
– Beyond the event — work designed to leave a lasting mark after the event ends
– Play your way through — audiences as players, shaping the experience they came to enjoy
– Experiences with a mission — formats built so that taking part is the message
– Behind the excellence — the agencies, teams, and venues that make the work possible
The report’s central finding is that excellence in 2026 rarely comes from a single dimension — it compounds. The year’s most decorated projects, from an Olympic opening ceremony staged across four cities to a museum opening narrated by an AI-recreated voice, each combine three or more of these patterns at once.
“Excellence is the standard the events and experiences industry sets for itself — the proof that creativity, craft, and innovation still define our work,” comments Ovanes Ovanessian, Co-founder of Eventex Awards. “This report is our way of showing what that standard looks like in practice: the concrete patterns behind the work that moves audiences, wins clients back, and sets the direction for where the industry goes next.”
Each dimension is supported by comparative statistics across award tiers and a curated selection of case studies from Eventex Awards 2026’s most awarded entries, with jury feedback woven throughout to illuminate the conceptual and practical aspects of the work.
Learn more about Eventex Awards here.
