Gala Award Recipient for Designer of the Year
Often, in the midst of hardship, it is nearly impossible to see the good that will come from the difficulty of the situation. Yet it is the difficulty of the situation that makes us stronger and better at what we do, if we let it. David Merrell, CEO and Creative Director of AOO Events, did just that.
Throughout his 35 years as an event designer, Merrell and his team have seen the company through the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the economic downturn of 2009, and the COVID pandemic of 2020. Those are all major events to navigate an event business through, but then, last year, AOO’s warehouse suffered a devastating fire that burned all of their assets to the ground.
Instead of letting this loss set them back, Merrell and his team let it fuel them. “Often tragic events have positive outcomes,” Merrell wrote for Special Events’ 2023 Fall Issue. “We have an opportunity to rebuild anew. In the forest, a fire is a cleansing agent and a catalyst, bringing dormant seeds to life and producing a forest that now offers many new species of plants.”
Despite the loss of their warehouse, Merrell and his team have executed a significant number of high-profile events, even increasing their production to meet their growing demand.
Merrell’s designs are thoughtful and creative, bringing to life a variety of events, including international corporations for product launches, corporate events, celebrity-attended fundraisers, and intimate weddings. Some of his favorites from the past year were an incentive trip at the Ritz Carlton Dove Mountain in Tucson that brought him in to help design the flow of the event; The Heart Foundation Gala, where he produced a one-of-a-kind al fresco dinner on a stage in the round, honoring Dana Carvey and featuring musical entertainment from Grammy Winner musician David Foster and from Kat MacPhee; and a series of events designed and produced in Palm Springs in March for an incentive trip.
Congratulations to David Merrell for taking home the award for Designer of the Year!
To submit an entry to this year's Gala awards, please visit our awards portal.
Important Dates
- September 1, 2023-August 31, 2024 | Eligibility Period for Entries
- Sunday, September 15, 2024 | Regular submission deadline ($125 fee)
- Tuesday, September 30, 2024 | Late Bird submission deadline ($175 fee)
If you are interested in entering in the ACE awards instead, you can enter the Catersource 2025 ACE awards in the same online portal as the Gala awards. Catersource + The Special Event 2025 will run February 24-27 in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Both the ACE and Gala awards will be presented during the conference at a to-be-determined location in Fort Lauderdale.
