Thursday, December 10th 2009, at the Hofburg, Vienna

« The European Excellence Awards 2007 were a great success with high level participants, providing the opportunity to communication specialists from all over Europe to exchange views and ideas. It is an honor to V+O COMMUNICATION to have received an award for one of the most challenging communication projects in Greece, which was the rebranding campaign of Wind Hellas. »

Christina Fatourou, Telco & Healthcare, V+O COMMUNICATION, Greece Winner 2007: National and Regional Campaigns, Greece

« There were many different people internally and externally who contributed to our successful sponsorship and it was a fantastic recognition for everyone to know they were part of an innovative and award winning project. Plus receiving the award was a terrific validation not only of their efforts but also showed our firm is something to be proud of. »

Katalin Wimhoff, Dresdner Kleinwort, Germany Winner 2007: Finance

« It was an excellent evening-the city and the venue selection were perfect to host this event and the organisation was outstanding. I also had the opportunity to see and meet other colleagues from Spain and other countries. Hopefully, I won't miss the second edition! »

Ainhoa Capdevila, Edelman, Spain Winner 2007: Food and Beverage

« Delivering great PR programmes requires phenomenal levels of energy and commitment and it was great to see our staff enjoying their moment in the spotlight. Our clients were thrilled to have their work recognised, which helps extend the effect of the campaigns both internally and externally »

Justin McKeown, Trimedia Ltd, United Kingdom Winner 2007: Telecommunications

« The Excellence Award was for me and my team a wonderful appreciation for all the work we have done so far and a strong motivation to even work harder on our communications campaign. »

Heike Schock, Deutsche Post World Net, Germany Winner 2007: Change Communication

« It was a great honor for us to receive this Award and a recognition of Alstom's initiatives in terms of employee engagement. »

Anne Guerin-Moens, Alstom Power, Switzerland Winner 2007: Change Communications

« I was thrilled to be in the same room as all these creative and skilled people from all over Europe who has developed such interesting and exciting communication activities. I just wish there would have been more time to get to know them and their projects more closely, I am sure that would have given me a grate deal of inspiration. »

Ann-Christine Berg, AstraZeneca AB, Sweden Winner 2007: National and Regional Campaign, Sweden

« I would like to congratulate the hosts of this successful event, an organizational challenge beginning with the viewing of all entries through the jury process and the event itself. Very professional done. »

Ursula Bardon, Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH, Germany

« Winning gold was a great privilege for us. Thanks for the excellent Award Ceremony. »

Melanie Jonas, G+J Corporate Media GmbH, Germany Winner 2007: Employee Publication

« It was great to take part in this wonderful and truly international event. To share a table with PR professionals from Germany, Italy and Norway was fantastic. »

Dan Baker, Anglian Water, United Kingdom Winner 2007: Ecology and Environment

« We are very pleased with our European Excellence Award. Being the most awarded Spanish PR agency for each of the past three years has certainly helped us grow our business and shows the capabilities of Marco de Comunicación. »

Didier Lagae, Marco de Comunicación, Spain Winner 2007: National and Regional Campaign, Spain

« For us is a moment of particular satisfaction and joy. It is an extraordinary accomplishment that a local and independent PR company succeeded in such a fierce competition with the major multinational companies. Such a competitive environment gives us an additional sense of fulfilment and achievement. »

Claudia Nogueira, Lift Consulting, Portugal Winner 2007: Entertainment & Culture

Celebrating PR excellence amidst the rich history of the beautiful city of Vienna

Hofburg, Vienna

Vienna is the economic, political and cultural capital of Austria, and there are few cities as beautiful, especially as Christmas approaches. The historic city centre (a World Heritage site) is home to Baroque castles, grand churches, opera houses and offers beautiful views of the Danube. Lit up in the evening, Vienna reveals itself as one of the world's most enchanting cities in the winter.

The European Excellence Awards 2009 was presented in the Großer Redoutensaal at the Hofburg Vienna, the elegant ballroom of Empress Maria Theresia. Over 400 communications professionals gathered to dine in royal style, in an event moderated by Karin Helmstaedt. The Großer Redoutensaal is an astonishing setting where history and the present day go hand in hand, and has been the setting for Mozart operas, the premiere of Beethoven's 8th symphony, performances by Franz Liszt and Josef Strauss and a summit between US president John F. Kennedy and the premier of the USSR Nikita Khrushchev, and today features a new ceiling painting by Josef Mikl.