TRIBUTES were paid to some of the meetings and events industry’s finest talents at the Imex 2011 Gala Dinner.
Imex Group chairman, Ray Bloom presented the prestigious ImexAcademy Awards in a ceremony co-hosted by Paul Flackett, Imex Group managing director.
After carrying the Olympic flame for part of its journey to the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, Tourism Vancouver was handed the award for The Americas.
Trudi Wagner, senior event manager at Marriott International, received the European Academy Award.
Samuel Koo, president and CEO of the Seoul Tourism Organisation & Seoul Convention Bureau (pictured), was the much acclaimed winner of the Asia-Pacific Academy Award while an additional Special Academy Award was included for 2011 to recognise the career of Jon Hutchison, CEO of Business Events Sydney.
The Joint Meetings Industry Council (JMIC) Unity Award is presented annually to a meeting professional in recognition of outstanding association, industry or community contributions, leadership and professionalism.
Following high praise from some of the industry’s leading figures, it was Luc M Maene, president at the European Society of Association Executives (ESAE), director general of the International Fertilizer Industry Association (IFA) and board member for the Centre for Association Leadership who received this award for 2011.
The Site Master Motivator Award, introduced last year, was presented by Allison Summers, managing director of Site, to Annamaria Ruffini, president and CEO at Events In & Out.
As part of Imex’s ongoing commitment to nurturing some of the brightest up and coming young professionals in the industry, the MPI Foundation Youth Award is given to the winner of the international Imex-MPI University Challenge programme each year. This year, Michal Maziarczyk of Vistula University, Warsaw, was the deserving winner and picked up the award from Bruce MacMillan, president and CEO, MPI.