The Sweetest Detail at the White Hat Awards

Around here, the Calgary White Hat Awards are a pretty big deal. Hosted annually by Tourism Calgary, the awards celebrate the frontline hospitality, tourism, and service professionals who help make Calgary such a memorable place to visit.

For the 63rd Annual Calgary White Hat Awards, we had the opportunity to create custom Baby CandyGrams for both the event's Green Room and the winners' gift bags. The result was a sweet little detail that tied perfectly into the event branding while celebrating the people at the heart of Calgary's tourism industry.

The Challenge: Celebrate Two Distinct Parts of the Event

The White Hat Awards already have two strong identities working together.

Tourism Calgary's Blue Sky City branding is bright, optimistic, and unmistakably Calgary, built around vibrant blues, sunny yellows, and the city's welcoming spirit.

The White Hat Awards celebrate Calgary's hospitality champions. White hats, recognition, celebration, and a little well-earned spotlight for the people who help make Calgary memorable.

The goal was to create custom CandyGrams that reflected both sides of the event while feeling cohesive from the Green Room to the winner experience.

The Sugar-Fueled Solution

We created two custom Baby CandyGram designs, each supporting a different part of the White Hat Awards experience:

• Blue Sky City "Green Room" CandyGrams: Designed for Tourism Calgary's Green Room, these cubes featured a bright blue-and-yellow candy mix inspired by Calgary's iconic Blue Sky City branding. The colours tied directly into the event atmosphere and reinforced Tourism Calgary's recognizable visual identity.
• White Hat Awards "Blue Room" CandyGrams: For the backstage Blue Room and winner experience, we created a second version featuring blue candy paired with white hat-shaped gummies. The blue-and-white colour palette complemented the room's dramatic blue drapery, white hats, winner swag bags, photo opportunities, and the massive disco ball that reflected light throughout the space.
• Simple event branding: A clean, custom White Hat Awards sticker on both variations made the colours and candy shapes the hero while keeping the presentation polished and event-ready.
• Immersive event integration: From the Blue Sky City-inspired Green Room to the White Hat Awards Blue Room backstage experience, the candy became another layer of the event's storytelling.
  
  

Why It Works

• Two distinct experiences: The candy was customized to support both Tourism Calgary's Blue Sky City branding and the White Hat Awards celebration experience.
• Memorable customization: The white hat gummies created an unexpected connection to one of Calgary's most recognizable hospitality symbols.
• Thoughtful event integration: Rather than being a standalone giveaway, the CandyGrams became part of the decor, branding, and overall guest journey.
  
  

The Takeaway

Tourism Calgary's White Hat Awards CandyGrams prove that great event branding lives in the details. By creating two distinct candy experiences for two distinct event spaces in one, every element felt intentional, immersive, and connected to the story being told.

Sometimes the smallest details become one of the most memorable parts of an event.

✨ Steal This Look: Tourism Calgary's White Hat Awards CandyGrams

Want to create an event giveaway guests will remember long after the party ends? Here's how Tourism Calgary did it:

• Create different mixes for different moments: The Green Room and Blue Room each had their own candy experience while still feeling connected to the overall event.
• Let your event branding lead the way: Tourism Calgary's Blue Sky City colours inspired the blue-and-yellow Green Room mix, creating an instant connection to the city's tourism identity.
• Build around a signature symbol: The white hat gummies became the star of the winner cubes and tied directly back to the White Hat Awards.
• Keep the branding clean: A simple event sticker allowed the colours and candy shapes to stand out.

Choose candy with purpose:

• Blue Sky City Mix: Blue Raspberry Swirls, Creamy Lemon Gummies, and Blue Raspberry Gummi Bears reflected Tourism Calgary's signature blue-and-yellow branding.
• White Hat Awards Mix: Blue Raspberry Bites paired with white gummy hats in a surprise assortment of raspberry, cherry, peach, orange, grape, and strawberry flavours, creating a playful nod to Calgary's famous white hats.

From hospitality awards and tourism events to conferences, galas, and VIP experiences, custom CandyGrams are proof that branded giveaways are so versatile!