The dedicated workers who make our visitors feel welcome will be awarded at Bermuda’s very own ‘Oscars’ of the hospitality industry.Tomorrow night’s VIP Excellence Awards will see the who’s who of the tourism industry getting together to celebrate at the Fairmont Southampton Resort.The 11th annual black-tie awards ceremony will be a celebration of the 54 finalists who have gone above and beyond the call of duty. Short videos of each of the finalists at work will be shown on the big screen. The winners of 18 award categories will then walk the red carpet to collect their prizes. They will also have the chance to get behind the microphone to give an acceptance speech.All areas of the industry are praised from waiters, front desk and concierge staff to bartenders, housekeepers and chefs. Airline staff, travel agents, entertainers and retail workers also get a look in.There is also a ‘young person with the most promise’ award to recognise someone employed or studying in the tourism industry based on their qualities such as motivation, work ethic and attitude.The aim of the night is to recognise and reward the ‘superstars’ of the tourism industry. It is also hoped the event will encourage hospitality workers to work together to improve the Island’s visitor industry.Barbara O’Shaughnessy, chairwoman of the Visitor Industry Partnership, said: ‘It’s an Academy Awards style event. We see everyone who comes along as a winner, we are recognising them all for doing a great job but only 18 winners will walk away with the gold prizes.“It’s a wonderful night full of promise, optimism and professionalism. This is the pinnacle of a person’s success.“Everyone is dressed up and excited to be there, and we hope they take their excitement about the industry home with them.”Up to 500 nominations have flooded in for this year’s awards. Each of the 18 categories now has three finalists and a panel of judges will decide on the overall winners.Each winner will be awarded a VIP Excellence Awards pin, a certificate and a travel prize, including cruises and hotel stays.Minister of Tourism Patrice Minors’ ‘best of the best’ award will also be handed out with a grand prize of a $20,000 monetary market fund.Last year this top award went to Alison Outerbridge, manager of the Visitor Information Centre in Hamilton.The Visitor Industry Partnership (VIP) is a charity, which believes improving the tourism industry is important to the well being of Bermuda. BELCO, the Bermuda Department of Tourism and industry partners are the event’s sponsors. The VIP Excellence Awards on Saturday kicks off with a cocktail reception at 6pm, followed by the banquet, awards ceremony and late-night dancing.For tickets or more information visit www.vip.bm.