MINSTER — Garmann Miller was presented the Pinnacle Award for Promotional Campaign at the SMPS Heartland Regional Conference held April 27–29 in Milwaukee. The SMPS Pinnacle Awards recognize excellence in marketing and communication produced by professional services firms in the design and building industry.

The award recognized the strategy and execution of GM’s event promotion of the 2021 Ohio School Boards Association Capital Conference & Trade Show. Marketing Coordinator Kristi Shaner, Graphic Designer Jamee Thobe and Marketing Director Doug Rentz used a variety of messaging and promotional tactics centered on a “We Just Click” theme that featured a Polaroid photo stage in the on-site trade show booth with engaging props and lights.

“Accepting this award from SMPS just reinforced that we met our objective of creating a unique, memorable and fun program,” Shaner said. “OSBA brings thousands of educational leaders together, so we felt compelled to deliver a nostalgic experience and something tangible that they could remember.”

Award entries were judged by a team of marketing professionals and evaluated based upon objectives that included goals, target audience, methodology, timeframe, budget, research, planning, implementation and desired outcome.

“It also was the first time many at the show would experience our new brand firsthand, having launched our corporate rebrand in January 2021,” Shaner added. “We united old friends and made new ones during this experience that was designed to bring people back together.”