🎬 That's a Wrap: The 2026 ADDY Awards Gala Touched Down at Terminal 1
- John McCarthy
- 15 hours ago
- 4 min read
And the Inland Empire advertising community brought its A-game.
Some awards nights happen in hotel ballrooms with round tables and rubber chicken. This wasn't one of those nights.
On Thursday, March 26, the AAF Inland Empire Chapter took over Ontario International Airport's historic Terminal 1 — a mid-century modern gem that has stood in for airports across the globe in some of Hollywood's most iconic films — and turned it into the most cinematic awards celebration this region has ever seen.
Over 200 attendees. One historic venue. And a night the Inland Empire advertising community won't forget anytime soon.
Boarding passes. A red carpet. Gold and Silver ADDYs. And a room full of the Inland Empire's most talented creative professionals, ready to celebrate a year's worth of exceptional work.
Steven Spielberg chose this terminal when he needed an authentic 1960s airport for Catch Me If You Can. Ben Affleck transformed it into Tehran's Mehrabad Airport for his Oscar-winning Argo. Matt Damon and Christian Bale walked the floors for Ford v Ferrari. And George Clooney logged his frequent flyer miles here in Up in the Air.
On March 26, it belonged to us.
✈️ Your Boarding Pass, Please
From the moment guests arrived, it was clear this wasn't a typical awards night. Instead of a printed program or a name badge, every attendee received a custom boarding pass — their official ticket for the evening and a keepsake worth holding on to.
The detail got people talking before the first drink was poured. That's the point. When your venue is an actual Hollywood film set, the experience should match the setting from the moment guests walk in.
🎥 Welcome to the Closed Set
Terminal 1 is not open to the public. It doesn't welcome commercial flights anymore. It doesn't appear on departure boards or show up in Google Maps directions to "Ontario Airport."
What it does is turn heads — every time a film crew shows up to transform its mid-century modern architecture into somewhere else entirely. Miami in the 1980s. Tehran in 1979. An American airport in the early days of jet travel.
On March 26, it became the Inland Empire's creative home for one unforgettable night.
The AAF Inland Empire team decorated the space to lean fully into the Hollywood theme — signage, lighting, and design details that made the venue feel like a production, not just a party.
🚶 Even the Walk to the Restroom Had Awards Cred
At most galas, the walk to the restrooms is forgettable.
Not here.
Terminal 1's old gate check-in counters — the same counters that once processed passengers bound for cities across the country — became the evening's finalist recognition wall. Every organization named a finalist in the 2026 competition had its logo on display, lining the corridor from the awards room to the restrooms.
Glamorous? Maybe not. Memorable? Absolutely.
In a room full of creative professionals, no wall goes unnoticed. And no detail is too small to get right.
🎨 A Little History on the Wall
Before the red carpet. Before the ADDYs. Before any of us showed up with our boarding passes, Space Sunset was already here.
The 26-foot-wide, 13-foot-high stained glass mural was created by artist Mike Hill for the original Ontario International Airport terminal in 1978. It has been a fixture of Terminal 1 ever since — watching over every film crew, every production, and on March 26, every ADDY winner who walked through those doors.
There's something fitting about celebrating creative work beneath a piece of art that has outlasted trends, survived decades, and still stops people in their tracks. Space Sunset didn't need a rebrand. It just needed the right room.
On Thursday night, it had one.
🌟 Presented by Crown Connect
None of this happens without the right support behind it.
The 2026 ADDY Awards Gala was proudly presented by Crown Connect, our Presenting Sponsor, and their investment in this chapter made a once-in-a-lifetime venue a reality for everyone in the room.
To the team at Crown Connect: thank you. The Inland Empire creative community is better because of partners like you.
🏆 The Work That Earned It
This year's competition was fierce — and intentionally so.
AAF National no longer awards Bronze. That means the bar for recognition is higher, and being named a finalist carries real weight. If even one of the three judges scored your entry for Gold or Silver, you made the finalist list. That's not a consolation — that's a credential.
Gold. Silver. Finalist. Every level of recognition on that stage represented work that earned its place there.
🎬 To Be Continued
The photographer's full gallery is coming — and when it lands, we'll be back with Part 2: the full photo recap of the night.
Until then, congratulations to every winner, every finalist, every attendee, and every volunteer who made the 2026 ADDY Awards Gala something worth remembering.
The cameras may not have been rolling.
But the spotlight was definitely on.
Stay tuned for Part 2 — the full photo gallery recap — coming soon.
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