Events Industry Council (EIC) honored longtime and emerging leaders in the meetings industry this week. The 2019 Hall of Leaders inductees and Pacesetter award winners were announced on Aug. 2, 2019. The recipients will be honored at IMEX on Sept. 10 at LIGHT nightclub in Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, Las Vegas. EIC manages the CMP certification process and is a resource for research and sustainability best practices and when they name someone a leader, that person is worth following.
Hall of Leaders
A “lifetime achievement award,” the EIC Hall of Leaders award recognizes the achievements made by meetings and events leaders. The press release announcing the inductee’s states that, “this year’s inductees join 131 previous honorees who have had an integral role in shaping the industry.” The inductees into the Hall of Leaders 2019 are as follows:
- Michael Dominguez, CHSE, president and CEO, ALHI (nominated by IEC Board of Directors)
- David DuBois, CMP, CAE, FASAE, CTA, president and CEO, IAEE (nominated by IAEE)
- Anne Daly Heller, publisher, USAE (nominated by Searchwide Global)
- Carole McKellar, MA, CMM, vice president EMEA, HelmsBriscoe (nominated by MPI)
- Barry Smith, CMA, executive director, Convention Centres Canada (nominated by International Association of Venue Managers)
- Ellsworth Milton Statler (posthumously), owner, Statler Hotels (nominated by USAE)
Related: New EIC Leader Focuses on Partnerships
The Pacesetter Awards
The Pacesetter award is an opportunity to recognize and celebrate emerging leaders in the industry. These winners can be seen charting the course for future trends and ultimately ‘set the pace’ for their peers. There are three categories which nominees can be awarded: young professional, sustainability and social responsibility and innovation. This year, EIC recognized four professionals, with two of them winning the social and corporate responsibility award. Here are the 2019 Pacesetter Award recipients:
- Robyn Davis, trade show strategy specialist, WINH (nominated by Robyn Davis) won the young professionals award.
- Desiree Knight, CAE, CMP, director, education and meetings, AREMA (nominated by The Kliman Group) was awarded a sustainability and social responsibility award.
- Chance Thompson, senior manager, sustainability and public relations, Salt Palace Convention Center (nominated by Azano, Inc.) was also recognized for sustainability and social responsibility.
- Frank Yang, PMP, CMP, CEM, director, convention marketing, KINTEX (nominated by ICCA) won the Pacesetter Award for innovation.
