by Patricia Lundy
(Aragon Research) – After a year of preparation, the 2017 Aragon Research Hot Vendor and Innovation Awards Ceremony has come and gone. Now we’re well into 2018, and already prepping for this year’s ceremony! But before we let 2017 slip completely out of our grasp, we wanted to take a moment to reflect back on this year’s event.
In case you missed them, here are the top five highlights from the 2017 Hot Vendor and Innovation Awards.
5. Biggest Event Ever!
Everything was upgraded in 2017. While we kept the event at the Pullman San Francisco Bay Hotel in Redwood City, we moved from a medium-sized room to a ballroom with a much larger stage, anticipating a spike in attendance from 2016.
We anticipated correctly! Event attendance was our biggest ever, and we’re looking forward to building on this momentum for our 2018 ceremony.
4. A New Awards Category: Women in Technology
This year, we had an exciting new category join our awards ballot: Women in Technology. We were proud to recognize women who are standouts in their roles as technology executives and leaders. We look forward to continuing this award category in 2018, and will be opening up a nominations form so that you can nominate women in your organization. Stay tuned.
3. A Fantastic Networking Opportunity
Executives from all over Silicon Valley and beyond (we even had attendees travel all the way from Switzerland) had the opportunity to connect with old friends and colleagues, and make new connections during our cocktail reception before the awards ceremony.
Because our awards ceremony recognizes Hot Vendors, many of the companies at our event are innovative startups offering a brand new solution. It’s a great way to get a firsthand glimpse of where different technology markets are headed, and who just might disrupt them.
2. Did We Mention the Food?
This year, we served hot and cold appetizers, but the food that went the fastest was the egg rolls and assorted buns.
We also had a fabulous dessert spread, fixed with a variety of cakes and bite-sized treats. Most of it was decimated by the time the event was over—just goes to show how much fuel you need when networking and celebrating innovation.
1. Our First Ever Post-Event Video
And last but not least, we have a visual way for you to relive the magic of the awards ceremony, or get a glimpse into what it was like in case you were not able to attend this year.
Featuring narration from Aragon CEO Jim Lundy, you’ll get a feel for what the awards ceremony is all about, and why we’re so excited to put it on every year.
So, there you have it—the top five highlights from the 2017 awards ceremony. We’re looking forward to seeing you at this year’s event! Stay tuned for award nomination forms and save-the-dates.
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