Labatt Breweries of Canada took Best of Show at the 9th annual Sponsorship Marketing Awards (SMAs), winning for a fan-based sponsorship program involving Budweiser and the Winnipeg Jets that exceeded business objectives. The SMAs, presented April 25th at the Sponsorship Marketing Council of Canada’s annual conference in Toronto, recognize companies that maximize their investments in sponsorship marketing by developing innovative strategies that drive results. Other big winners were BMO and Scotiabank, which each won two awards. Click here for the media release.
![Jt[1]](http://www.acaweb.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Jt1.jpg "Jt[1]")
Recent news of Minneapolis-based Target’s northern expansion – amid continuing industry talk of other U.S. retail arrivals in the offing – underscores the need for Canadian retailers to clearly differentiate their brand positioning to stand out in an increasingly crowded and globalized marketplace, according to retail marketing expert John Torella.
A panel of leading industry experts has been selected to judge the 7th Annual Sponsorship Marketing Awards, presented by the Sponsorship Marketing Council of Canada. The winners will be announced at the SMCC’s 8th Annual Conference on April 7th in Toronto. The judging panel is chaired by Lucie Lamoureux, Corporate Director, Sponsorships and Social Commitment at Loto-Québec. 
