BARCELONA, SPAIN — Opts Ideas, known for its innovative "live publishing" events, has been named winner of the 2008 EIBTM Global award for Best Product Launch for Microsoft Windows Server 2008, Visual Studio 2008 and SQL Server 2008. The award will be presented to the Opts Team in Barcelona, Spain on December 3 at the prestigious EIBTM Global Exhibition.

The creative work by Opts Ideas was developed for Microsoft’s February 2008 launch of its next generation infrastructure and application platform products to thousands of customers and partners worldwide, in an event the software giant called its largest enterprise launch in the company's history.

The path to the award began many months before the launch, when the Opts Ideas team hit upon a concept: rather than take the traditional approach of focusing on the features and benefits of the technology, they would turn the spotlight on the customer. “We thought, why not tell the stories of Microsoft’s customers, the people who use the technology to impact the world on a very real level,” explains Michael Christman, founder and president of Opts Ideas.

The result was the integrated global campaign: Heroes Happen {Here}, a multi-tiered, multimedia effort designed to celebrate the stories of unsung heroes among software developers and IT professionals. “In today’s world, we simply couldn’t manage without the people who work in information technology,” says Christman. “Trains wouldn’t run on time; the power wouldn’t stay on. Life as we know it would stop.”

Over the course of several months, in close collaboration with Microsoft, Opts Ideas tracked down software developers and IT professionals around the world and gathered their stories. This diverse group had one thing in common: their work quietly made a huge difference in the communities around them. “We were truly amazed as we began to collect these stories,” says Christman. “The more we learned about these unsung heroes, the more excited we were about the project.” From hundreds of entries, eighty of the most compelling stories were selected for inclusion in a 180-page book titled Heroes Happen {Here}, accompanied by stunning portrait photos shot by acclaimed photographer Carolyn Jones.

In addition, a website was created where the IT community could share their stories and connect with each other; it also served as a platform for delivering Microsoft product news and information. Inspired by the heroes theme, Opts Ideas enlisted the help of renowned comic creator/writer/artist Jordan Gorfinkel to oversee the creation of a daily comic strip that brought these stories to life, and made the strip available online and via RSS feed.

The massive effort culminated in the launch event at Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, where journalist Tom Brokaw riveted the crowd with his stories about how technology had changed the world in his lifetime. “The launch resonated with people on every level,” Christman reports. “From the individuals who provided their stories, through the entire corporate structure at Microsoft – it was compelling, timely, and authentic.”

Bob Visse at Microsoft says it best: “The only way you know great creative is when it makes you a little uncomfortable. Michael and his crew always push you.” 

This is the second time Opts Ideas has won a global award; in 2005, it was awarded the Global Paragon Award from Meeting Professionals International for its work with Washington Mutual.

ABOUT OPTS IDEAS
For over 25 years, Opts Ideas has combined scrupulous production values with state-of-the-art technology to create captivating events for live audiences around the world. Led by Michael Christman, with partners Lisa Holland and Chris Fitzgerald, Opts Ideas has developed a world-class client list that includes Microsoft, Facebook, LPL Financial, The Wall Street Journal, Fortune Magazine, AOL/Time Warner, Washington Mutual, Apple Computer and MIT. Opts Ideas is a true virtual company, with offices in New York, Boise, and the San Francisco Bay Area.

Michael Christman, founder of Opts Ideas, also leads a nonprofit media project called 100 People, whose mission is to create a global portrait of humanity through film and photography of 100 individuals.  More information can be found online at www.optsideas.com and www.100people.org. For company inquiries, please contact Lisa Holland at lisa@optsideas.com or at 415.339.2029.

ABOUT EIBTM
EIBTM is the organizational group behind the Global Meetings and Incentive Exhibition, an annual conference and tradeshow in Barcelona for meeting/conference planners and suppliers. It’s geared to planners and suppliers of large-scale productions and about 7,500 people attended last year.  To learn more about EIBTM go to: http://www.eibtm.com.