Get Your ADDY Gala Tickets Now!

Make your reservations for East Tennessee's biggest communications industry event, to be held Saturday, February 25. Hurry! The gala often sells out. Click below to start.

2012 ADDYs Event Tickets

Single Ticket $70.00 USD VIP Ticket $90.00 USD Student Ticket $40.00 USD Table of 10 $650.00 USD

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If You're Going to the ADDYs, Why Not Stay?

The Crowne Plaza, which has been a great partner for the ADDYs for many years, has a special rate for ADDY attendees for Saturday night. Stay at a fabulous hotel for just $80.

This is for Saturday night only, and tell the reservations folks you're with the Knoxville Advertising Federation to get this great rate.

And, to get you in the mood for great advertising, take another look at this great retrospective from Ad Age on the first Century of our business, written by the inimitable Randall Rothenberg: http://adage.com/century/rothenberg.html.

ADDY Awards Shaping Up To Be Among Best Ever

The wheels are turning big time on preparation for the 2011 AAF-Knoxville ADDY awards.

To be held at the Crown Plaza Hotel on Saturday, February 26, at 6 pm, this year's event will celebrate the work of advertising professionals throughout East Tennessee, and recognize several distiguished members of the advertising community with special awards.

Judging of this years competition is complete, and word has been leaked that 30 companies will receive 287 awards at this year's festivities.

To make reservations for this year's awards ceremony, contact AAF-Knoxville Executive Director Karen Taylor at edirector@aafknoxville.com or 865.742.4838. Tickets cost $65 each or $600 for a table of ten.

And watch this blog for more updates as we learn more about people, music, special events, afterparties, and other elements of the gala.

ADDY Awards Top 10

Top 10 Reasons to Enter AAF-Knoxville’s 2011 ADDY Awards

Number 10: Ricky Gervais will not be hosting the awards show.

Number 9: When you win, your boss will have no more excuses for not remembering your first name.

Number 8: You look killer in eveningwear.

Number 7: 27 rewrites before you got it perfect. Somebody needs to know.

Number 6: 27 graphic variations before the copywriter gave you something you could actually work with. Somebody needs to know.

Number 5: Hugs from the people for whom you did the work.

Number 4: You can replace the “Hello Kitty” poster above your desk with your framed winner’s certificates.

Number 3: Professional accolades, promotions, beefier resumes.

Number 2: (If #3 isn’t enough.) Professional jealousy and braggin’ rights.

And the number one reason to enter the 2011 AAF-Knoxville ADDYs:

Number 1: You’ll be so close to Brian Potter that you could almost TOUCH him.

Addy entries are due Friday, January 21. Enter online here. Details on sample drop off for judging here.

ADDYs Reservations Due Today

If you haven't already made your reservations for this Saturday's ADDYs gala (the biggest celebration of creative work in East Tennessee, and arguably its best party), you need to do so today.

Just follow this link to the ADDYs page, and join the fun. You really don't want to miss this year's event.

ADDYs Highlight: Robert McCabe Silver Medal

The ADDYs recognize excellence in many ways. One highlight each year is the naming of the winner of the Robert MeCabe Silver Medal.

The Robert McCabe Silver Medal is a national AAF honor given to the person who has shown

excellence and creativity in advertising for his or her company, community, and the industry as a

whole. The winner is selected from a group of nominees that has been reviewed and evaluated by past presidents of AAF-Knoxville. Over the years, the winners have represented many of the most respected people ever to serve in the communications profession in East Tennessee.

Who will 2010's winner be? Come to the ADDYs on February 20 and see. (INSIDER's NOTE: You'll definitely agree with the selection.)

Make your reservation for the ADDYs here.

Past Winners of the Robert McCabe Silver Medal:

1965: Charlie Haun, Cummings Outdoor

1966: Charlie Davis, Davis Newman Payne

1967: Roger Daley, Knoxville News Sentinel

1972: Neal Branch, WBIR-TV10

1974: Sam Newman, Davis Newman Payne

1976: Janet Dawson, WATE-TV6

1977: Gil Champagne, Knoxville News Sentinel

1978: Kenneth Hodge, Hodge Printing

1979: Richard Joel, University of Tennessee

1980: Liz Tombras, WBIR-TV10

1981: John Payne, Davis Newman Payne

1982: Bobby Denton, WIVK

1983: Bud Brooks, Ford Brooks Agency

1984: Jim Dick, Dick Broadcasting

1985: Charles Tombras Sr., The Tombras Group

1986: Jim Hart, WBIR-TV10

1987: Don McNeil, Tennessee Press Assoc.

1988: Lynn Leopper, WBIR-TV10

1989: Marvin Jack Kress, Kress Agency

1990: Ty McCloud, WATE-TV6

1991: Dick Meshendorf, Home Federal Bank

1992: Pat Wilson, WATE-TV6

1993: Ross Bagwell, Sr., Bagwell Productions

1994: Steve Dean, WBIR-TV10

1995: Dorothy Smith, Smith Marketing

1996: Jim Earley, Earley & Assoc.

1997: Shelba Murphy, Knoxville News Sentinel

1998: Charles Tombras Jr., The Tombras Group

1999: Tom Rowland, Rowland Productions

2000: Ann Staup, Direct Mail Services

2001: Chris Wise, Lancaster Consulting Group

2002: Ann Proud, Media Directions

2003: Ed Brantley, Citadel Broadcasting

2004: Curtis Parham, CP Productions

2005: Sam Littleton, WBIR-TV

2006: Terry Gillingham, South Central Communications

2007: Buddy McLean, Davis Newman Payne

2008: Carolyn Morton, Lamar Advertising

2009: Lisa Duncan, Dogwood Arts Festival

2009 ADDYS RECAP

256 Gold, Silver and Bronze ADDYs awarded to 24 companies:

Bluegill Creative - Cassandra Design - Clarityworks - Colloredo & Associates - Designsensory - DrozDezign - Early & Associates - Environmental Systems Corporation - First Baptist Concord - Friends of Literacy - Hornsby Brand Design - Lamar Outdoor Advertising - Mediapulse - Merritt Music Productions - Orange Apple Branding Boutique - Pellissippi State Student Cordelia Norris - S.D. Professionals - Shelton Group - The Bingham Group - The Tombras Group - Tombras Interactive - TradeMark Advertising - University of Tennessee Knoxville Student Madhuri Jagadish - Virtual Interactive Center

BEST OF SHOW: The Tombras Group for "Low Impact Vacation 2.0" print campaign done for the Smoky Mountain Convention & Visitors Bureau

BEST OF PRINT: The Tombras Group for "Low Impact Vacation 2.0" print campaign done for the Smoky Mountain Convention & Visitors Bureau

BEST OF INTERACTIVE: Tombras Interactive for "Save More Souls" social networking site done for Zodiac Boats

BEST OF DIRECT: The Bingham Group for "Blue-Gray Invitation" done for the Olde Farm Golf Club

SPECIAL JUDGES AWARD: The Tombras Group for its "Grove Park Inn RFP Response"

ROBERT MCCABE SILVER MEDAL RECIPIENT: Lisa Duncan, Executive Director of the Dogwood Arts Festival

HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES: Tom Hembree, Senior VP of Marketing for K-VA-T Food Stores; Sam Littleton, Account Executive for WVLT-TV; Paul Scoonover, President of Asen Advertising & Marketing

PRESIDENT'S AWARD RECIPIENTS: AAF-Knoxville Membership Co-Chairs Wayne Bowman with BrainPosse and Marti Townsend with the News Sentinel

To see the ad congratulation winners, click here. To read the Knoxville News-Sentinel article on the Addy Ceremony, click here. And visit the AAF Knoxville Facebook page for photos.

Congratuations to all the winners!

ADDYs Are Getting Close

Entries Due January 22

Knoxville's biggest and best advertising competition is now taking entries. The 44th Annual ADDY Awards ceremony will held February 21 at the Crowne Plaza, with a gala event that celebrates the best advertising and communications work in the East Tennessee area.

You can now enter your work online by clicking here. Hard copies of your entries must be dropped off on January 22 at the Crowne Plaza on Summit Hill Drive. The online entry process is simple and quick, and you'll have your work ready for review by some of the best communications minds in the nation.

Watch for more ADDY updates in the upcoming days. This year promises to be bigger and better than ever! Check out www.aafknoxville.com and our Facebook page, too.