The first Bessies of the new millennium will be held May 10 at the Sheraton Centre Hotel in Toronto, a change in locale from last year’s ceremony at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

The day will unfold with food, drink and shmooze, starting with a morning coffee at 10 a.m. in the Sheraton Hall. The morning program then runs through till 12:30 p.m., when cocktails and lunch will be served in the Grand Ballroom. Attendees can remain in the Ballroom for the (yet to be announced) guest speaker at 2:30 p.m. Then, the moment arrives: the Bessies 2000 Awards Show begins, also in the Grand Ballroom. The afternoon concludes with a champagne reception in the Civic Ballroom.

This year’s judging committee is chaired by Bill Durnan, president and ceo of Ammirati Puris Lintas. Robin Heisey, senior vp and creative director for Gee, Jeffery and Partners will co-chair. Other judges include: Paulette Arsenault (Palm Publicite Marketing); Eddy Chu (Radke Films); Mick Griffin (Flashcut Editing); Mark Hesse (Rethink); Kate Hunter-Badger (Blink Pictures); Michael McLaughlin (BBDO Canada) and Bill Parker (Ogilvy & Mather).

Again this year, the Bessies will be giving out a number of special awards. Although the special award winners have not been announced, the Bessies will indeed crown winners for the following special awards: the Kari Award (for best actor in a Canadian commercial), the Walter Bell Memorial Award (for creative and human excellence), the Jeffrey Reneau Award (for outstanding student commercial work), the Bob Mann Post-Production Award (for members of the post-production community who have successfully demonstrated a long-standing and continuous contribution to their profession) and, finally, the Fritz Spiess Award (for continuous dedication and excellence in the art of television commercials).

For more information on the 2000 Bessies Awards, visit the Television Bureau of Canada’s website (www.tvb.ca).