Awards Gala at the Mövenpick in Amsterdam

By Aleksandria Rudenko | Updated 27 October 2026

Winner raising her fist on stage at the awards gala as guests at the front table cheer and film on their phones

The European awards of the Customer Centricity World Series brought customer experience teams together for one evening in Amsterdam. I photographed their awards gala at the Mövenpick, from the empty ballroom to the last trophy.

Evenings like this are what my business photography in Amsterdam is made for. They bring a full program, real emotion and a room that changes by the hour.

Where: Mövenpick Hotel Amsterdam City Centre, on the IJ
When: Evening, from dusk to the last award
Session: Event Photoshoot
Light: Stage spots, warm lamps and candlelight

Dusk Over the IJ

The Mövenpick Hotel Amsterdam City Centre stands on the IJ, right next to the Muziekgebouw. Before the guests arrived, I photographed the view at dusk, with pink clouds above the water.

Inside, the ballroom waited under a ceiling full of golden dots of light. Round tables, menu cards and champagne on ice: for the organizers, these frames show the room exactly as they planned it.

The Muziekgebouw and BIMHUIS on the IJ at dusk under pink clouds, the view near the Mövenpick before the awards gala — The Muziekgebouw on the IJ at dusk

Empty ballroom set for the awards gala dinner, round tables in white, stage screens and a ceiling of golden light dots

Table number 10 with a dinner menu card, champagne on ice, flowers and a small candle, ready for the evening

Champagne bottle chilling in a silver ice bucket beside glass salt and pepper mills on a white tablecloth

Bottles of white wine and cava packed in a steel bowl of ice, waiting for the guests at the reception

Glasses of white wine lined up on a dark tray, warm lights glowing softly in the background of the hotel

Before the Awards Gala Begins

Guests arrived in suits, tuxedos and evening gowns, a glass in hand. At events like this I move quietly through the room. Nobody has to stop talking or line up for me.

One couple did pause for a portrait, though: she in a silver gown, he in a tuxedo and bow tie. Then everyone took their seats for the awards gala at the Mövenpick.

Guest in a red dress holding a glass of wine and talking with a man in a blue suit at the reception before dinner

Couple posing in the ballroom of the Mövenpick before the awards gala, she in a silver gown and he in a tuxedo and bow tie

Guests seated at round tables in front of the stage screens of the Customer Centricity World Series awards gala

Dinner at Round Tables

Dinner came in courses: a starter of tomato and burrata, wine and cava on ice, and a tart with ice cream to finish. I photographed the plates as they arrived, because the menu is part of the story an organizer wants to tell. Between courses, the conversations never stopped.

Guests talking around a full dinner table with champagne on ice, a sequined sleeve in the foreground

Starter of tomato and burrata with greens on a cream plate, bread and wine glasses on the white tablecloth

Dessert of nut tart with a scoop of ice cream on a green plate, glasses of red and white wine behind it

Ceiling of the ballroom glowing with golden dots of light and a bright stage spot shining toward the camera

The Awards Evening on Stage

Then the lights went down, and the emcee took the stage. Speakers followed at the lectern while the guests listened, leaned in and laughed. In the low light, I let the stage spots and the warm lamps shape every frame.

Meanwhile, a row of glass trophies stood waiting, each one marked Winner. One by one, the winners came up for a handshake, a trophy and a photo on stage.

Emcee in a checked suit speaking on stage at the awards gala in front of the Customer Centricity World Series screen

Guest in a three-piece suit and glasses laughing at his dinner table, a glass of white wine in front of him

Guest listening with her chin on her hand at a dinner table, two men in suits blurred in the foreground

Guest on the phone listening across the table, city lights glowing through the tall windows behind him

Speaker at the lectern seen from behind, facing a full room of guests at round tables during the awards gala

Row of glass Winner trophies on round wooden bases glowing orange under the stage lights at the awards gala — The trophies, waiting for their winners

Winner shaking hands with the presenters on stage at the Mövenpick awards gala, the category shown on the screen

Winning team posing with their glass trophy on stage at the awards gala, the emcee standing beside the lectern

Cheers From the Tables

The best moments often happen off stage. Tables applauded in the dark, and phones went up to film every win.

One winner danced her way to the stage while a man cheered with his arm in the air. Another raised her fist as her table cheered, and that frame opens this story.

Woman in a long silver gown and a man in a suit both holding a glass trophy on stage between the presenters

Woman in a silver gown holding up a glass trophy as the men beside her applaud under the stage lights

Guests applauding at their round tables in the darkened ballroom of the Mövenpick during the awards gala

Guest in leopard print smiling with her chin on her hand at table 2, glasses and plates in front of her

Guest in a black lace top laughing with her hands folded at the dinner table, the stage screen glowing behind her

Guest in a silver gown smiling at her table during the dinner, chin on her hand and the stage screen behind her

Winner in leopard print dancing her way onto the stage at the awards gala as a man cheers with his arm in the air

Winners posing with their trophy on stage while a guest at the front table films the moment on his phone

Team of four smiling on stage with their award, the winning category shown on the big screen behind them

Team on stage holding up a trophy at the awards gala as guests at the front tables raise their phones to film

Trophies on the Table

By the end of the night, the trophies had moved from the stage to the tables, next to dessert plates and phones. A last word at the lectern, a last look around the room, and the awards gala at the Mövenpick was over.