Savannah Main Street wins Pinnacle award

Oct. 4– The Savannah Main Street Program and its director Judy Flanagan were honored Monday at the International Festivals and Events Association awards ceremony in Fort Worth, Texas.

The Savannah Main Street program earned a bronze award in the category of Best Organizational Website in the IFEA/Haas & Wilkerson Pinnacle Awards competition. Flanagan was nominated for the International Festivals and Events Association Hall of Fame.

Sponsored by Haas & Wilkerson Insurance, the professional competition draws entries from among the world’s top festivals and events.

Winning entries came from organizations as diverse as the 500 Festival in Indianapolis, Ind., to the Ludwig Van Beethoven Easter Festival in Poland.

"IFEA has the best reputation in the events and festival industry, so receiving a Pinnacle Award is very prestigious," said Flanagan.

Flanagan began her career at Walt Disney World in Florida from 1972-1981 where her roles included working as an entertainment supervisor, focusing on parades and special events.

She went on to direct Christmas parades at Gatlinburg, worked as project coordinator during the building phase at Universal Studios Florida and on ET’s Adventure Ride. In 1990, she became the University of Tennessee’s director of special events, responsible for staging events, including all UT bicentennial events statewide throughout 1994.

She retired from the university in 1996 and is currently employed by the city of Savannah.

While at the three-day IFEA convention, Flanagan also presented a one-hour Powerpoint program, "Staying Fresh, Creative and High Quality on a Limited Budget."

Headquartered in Boise, Idaho, the IFEA supports and enables festival and event professionals worldwide, providing ideas, resources, information, education and networking.