Dragon Boat festival wins 'best event' award

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS - The Walgreens Chicago International Dragon Boat Festival, presented by PepsiCo and produced by GWN Dragon Boat was honored as The Best Amateur Single-Sport Event at the SportsTravel Awards in Las Vegas recently.

The SportsTravel Awards honor excellence in sporting event production and management at the amateur, collegiate and professional levels and are considered one of the industry's most prestigious awards.

The Walgreens Major League Dragon Boat Series has a history of creating events recognized for their excellence by the SportsTravel Awards, having been nominated four previous times. The Walgreens Orlando International Dragon Boat Festival received the same award in 2012.

"This event was truly a team effort between GWN Dragon Boat sponsors, local partners and the participants that registered to compete," said Aaron Soroka, chief operating officer at GWN Dragon Boat. "Acknowledgment such as this confirms our hard work and continued commitment to executing the best dragon boat events in the world."

Started in 2012, the Walgreens Chicago International Dragon Boat Festival presented by PepsiCo has experienced tremendous growth in size, both in competition and programming with 60 Teams, 1,600 participants and over 5,000 spectators involved in the July 2015 event. It receives support from many local organizations and businesses including Meet Chicago Northwest and the Arlington Heights Park District.

"Unique events like this are important to our region," says Melinda Garritano, Sports Sr. Account Executive at Meet Chicago Northwest. "It provides opportunities for community involvement and generates economic impact to the surrounding area through hotel, restaurant and shopping revenue."

Heading into its 5th year, the Walgreens Chicago International Dragon Boat Festival will return to Lake Arlington in Arlington Heights, IL on Saturday, July 30, 2016.