ALEXANDRIA, Va.
On Tues., Oct. 18, 2016, the Convention Industry Council (CIC) will celebrate the event industry’s best and brightest at the 2016 Hall of Leaders and Pacesetter Awards Celebration during IMEX America in Las Vegas. For the second year in a row, the celebration will be a lively cocktail reception, produced by the same award-winning entertainment team of years past, led by Lenny Talarico from MGM Resorts.
“CIC is excited to announce the latest exceptional class of Hall of Leaders and Pacesetter Award inductees,” said CIC CEO Karen Kotowski. “We look forward to celebrating their unique talents and contributions and are excited to continue to do so in collaboration with IMEX America.”
This year’s Hall of Leaders inductees include:
- Richard Aaron, Bizbash—Nominated by International Live Events Association (ILEA)—formerly International Special Events Society (ISES).
- Patrick Delaney, SoolNua—Submitted by Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE).
- Carol Krugman, CMP, CMM, M.Ed., Metropolitan State University of Denver—Submitted by MPI.
- John “Jack” Patronski, GES—Submitted by PCMA.
- Colleen Rickenbacher CMP, Colleen Rickenbacher Inc.—Joint submitted by Protocol & Diplomacy International - Protocol Officers Association (PDI-POA) and the MPI Dallas/Fort Worth Chapter.
In addition to welcoming the Hall of Leaders Class of 2016, the Pacesetter Awards, which honor emerging leaders for their current contributions to the industry, are being presented to:
- Aoife Delaney, Ovation Global DMC—Submitted by SITE.
- Mariela McIlwraith, Meeting Change and GMIC—Submitted by MPI.
The Hall of Leaders has been a symbol of industry excellence, achievement, and inspiration, welcoming 119 pioneers into its exclusive club over the years. The Hall represents intelligence and leadership, ideas and innovation, influencers and risk-takers, but above all, it recognizes forward-thinkers who have made a difference, shaped the industry into what it is today and acted as a catalyst for what’s possible.
CIC created the Pacesetter Awards in 2012 to celebrate emerging leaders and industry supporters. Rather than spanning a lifetime of achievements, the Pacesetter Awards recognizes individuals whose recent accomplishments chart a course for where the industry is today to where it is headed.
IMEX America is the largest tradeshow and hosted buyer program in the U.S. for the meeting, event and incentive travel industry. The CIC is solidifying their partnership with IMEX America to showcase the Hall of Leaders recipients during the show, in addition to the Pacesetters at the Future Leaders Forum.
For more information on the event, visit the CIC Hall of Leaders web page.
