2011 IMA Awards Event Showcased Internet Innovations, Leaders and Achievements at Mandarin Oriental in Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS, Sept. 23, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Internet Marketing Association (IMA) held its 2011 IMA Awards event on the evening of Sept. 22 at the Mandarin Oriental at CityCenter in Las Vegas.  The landmark event included an exhibitor showcase, an unprecedented roster of industry expert speakers, awards and special honors, and a smashing after-party overlooking the Las Vegas Strip.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110714/NY35808LOGO-b)

"The Internet Marketing Association had its humble beginnings in 1999.  Our goal was to create a unique venue for top Internet marketing professionals to share best practices, develop new mediums and generate business opportunities," said IMA Chairman Sinan Kanatsiz.  "Today, IMA has grown to over 413,000 members representing every business sector and SIC code.  In addition, our fastest growing segment is members from outside the United States, making IMA a truly international organization.  IMA embodies the vital characteristics that we believe reflect the dynamic nature of the industry it serves."

The evening's speakers presented a global view of the state of the Internet on an array of topics:

• Youth and the Internet, Lawren Ramos, Executive Director, Boys Town California
• Emotional and Behavioral Internet Marketing Analytics, Vincent M. Walden (CFE, CPA, CITP), Partner, Ernst & Young
• Digital: Where the Dollars Are Headed, David Iankelevich, VP of Sales & Business Development, eMarketer
• The Future of CRM and Collaboration with Social Media, Bill Macaitis, VP of Online Marketing, Salesforce.com
• Cross Brand and "M life" Marketing Program Implementation, Sherri Gilligan, Senior VP of Corporate Marketing, MGM Mirage
• Social Media Analytics, Hope Frank, Chief Marketing Officer, Webtrends
• Internet Safety for Children and Teens, George Garrick, CEO, SocialShield
• Marketing Your Business on the Cloud, David Krauss, Senior Director of Product Marketing, Oracle
• The Digital Renaissance in the Age of Analytics, Matthew Langie, Director of Product Marketing, Adobe Systems
• Google AdWords and the Future of Internet Marketing, Frederick Vallaeys, AdWords Evangelist, Google
• Facebook Marketing for Businesses, Helen Min, Product Marketing Manager, Facebook

Awards of recognition were presented for exemplary achievement in 55 categories.  In addition, five Best Of awards and several Special Honors capped the program, including:

• BEST Mobile Campaign, ARIA Resort & Casino
• BEST Email Marketing, Luxor Hotel & Casino
• BEST Facebook, Mirage Resort & Casino
• BEST Social Media Campaign, Ted Nguyen USA
• BEST Website, Tempur-Pedic
• Most Valuable Internet Company, Facebook
• B2B Company of the Year, Oracle
• Internet Person of the Year, Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook
• Most Effective CEO, Robert Baldwin, CityCenter, MGM Resorts Int'l.
• President of the Year, Robert Grant, Bausch & Lomb
• Excellence in Public Service, Mayor Carolyn Goodman, Las Vegas
• Most Progressive Internet Company, PostRelease.com
• Most Progressive Real Estate Site, Repalo.com
• Most Valuable Analytics Company, Adobe Inc.
• Most Valuable Digital Intelligence and Market Research, eMarketer
• Most Valuable Law Firm, Cox, Castle & Nicholson LLP
• Most Valuable Sales Organization, Sales & Service, Inc.
• Most Valuable Search Engine Company, Google
• Most Valuable Technology Solution for Education, Keenan SafeSchools
• Most Valuable Virtual Online Trade Show Service, UBM Studios
• Best Global App, Zinio
• Best Information Technology Staffing Company, Irvine Technology Corp.
• Best Internet Marketing Academic Program, University of California, Irvine
• Best Unified Analytics, Webtrends
• Best Use of Data Mining For Use In Fraud Investigations, Ernst & Young
• Internet Safety Company of the Year, SocialShield
• Leadership in Data Center and Digital Exchange Innovation and Reliability, Switch Communications

Due to a generous group of sponsors, IMA was able to host the groundbreaking event on a very affordable basis to make it available to as many attendees as possible.  Sponsors of the 2011 IMA Awards included Adobe, Boys Town, CityCenter, Coldwell Banker, Cox Castle Nicholson, Irvine Technology Corp., JetSuite, Knowledge Marketing, Las Vegas Review-Journal, MGM Resorts International, PostRelease, PR Newswire, Repalo, Sales & Service Inc., SocialShield, Skylight Global Investments, Stearns, UBM Studios, University of California Irvine and Webtrends.

With more than 413,000 members, the Internet Marketing Association is one of the fastest growing professional organizations in the world and encompasses a wide spectrum of educated professionals in sales, marketing, business ownership, programming, creative development and related fields.

For details on the Internet Marketing Association, visit www.imanetwork.org.

About the Internet Marketing Association

The Internet Marketing Association (IMA) is a professional organization that, since its inception in 2001, has accrued more than 410,000 members in various fields including sales, marketing, business ownership, programming and creative development. Sinan Kanatsiz, Chairman and Founder, started IMA with four key values as a foundation for success in today's highly competitive business environment: integrity, communication, professionalism and education.

IMA is one of the fastest growing Internet marketing groups in the world. It is underwritten by corporate partners to provide members an opportunity to learn, engage and define Internet marketing best practices without making a financial commitment.

The IMA mission is to provide a knowledge-sharing platform for business professionals where proven Internet marketing strategies are demonstrated and shared in an effort to increase each member's value to their organization.

SOURCE Internet Marketing Association