The International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE) will recognize 12 individuals as part of its 2014 awards program, taking place during its Expo! Expo! Annual Meeting & Exhibition, Dec. 9-11 in Los Angeles, it announced yesterday.
"The IAEE Awards Committee is very proud of this year's honorees," 2014 IAEE Awards Committee Chairperson David Audrain, CEM, said in a statement. "The dedication shown by these exhibitions and events professionals is truly outstanding, and we look forward to honoring their achievements at Expo! Expo! in Los Angeles."
Selected after careful consideration and review by the IAEE awards committee and approval by the IAEE board of directors, following an open call for nominations, this year's award winners include:
• The Pinnacle Award: Vinnie Polito, managing director at VP International, is the recipient of the Pinnacle Award. Formerly known as the William Hunt Eisenman Award, the Pinnacle Award recognizes an individual who has furthered IAEE's objectives of advancing exhibition management through the promotion of education, the dissemination of knowledge and the introduction or development of innovative techniques, and who has been dedicated to the "perpetuation of the highest ideals, trust and professionalism in this highly specialized field."
• The Merit Award: The Merit Award recognizes individuals whose ideas and/or work have benefited IAEE as an organization in some special way, and is generally given to those who have stepped forward at the chapter/local level. This year's recipients are Tesa Harding, CEM, exhibits manager at the Texas Music Educators Association; Carolyn Hilderbrand, national sales manager at AVTS; Tom Malek, CEM, national sales manager at GES; and Jennifer Kimball, senior vice president of operations at OnPeak.
• The Educator of the Year Award: Bob Kelley, CEM, CMM, and Curtis Love, Ph.D., professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, are the recipients of the Educator of the Year Award, which honors IAEE members who possess outstanding creativity, a positive attitude and the ability to transfer knowledge through good communication skills and innovative teaching to promote life-long learning to exhibitions and events industry professionals.
• The Outstanding Achievement in Industry Leadership Award: Johanne Bélanger, president of Freeman Audio Visual | Canada, is the recipient of the Outstanding Achievement in Industry Leadership Award, which recognizes individuals who have made an extraordinary personal or professional commitment that materially contributes to the advancement of the exhibitions and events industry.
• The Outstanding Achievement in Innovation in Business Solutions Award: Amandeep Sandhu, vice president of customer insights at UBM Tech, will receive the Outstanding Achievement in Innovation in Business Solutions Award for achievements in creating new and innovative business solutions.
• The Young Professional of the Year Award: Jennifer Hardee, CEM, national sales manager at Freeman, and Barbara Myers, CAE, vice president of association services at IMN Solutions, will receive the Young Professional of the Year Award, which honors individuals in the exhibitions and events industry 40 years of age or younger. The award recognizes excellent professional performance by those who have committed their time to advancing the standing of young professionals in the industry.
• The Rookie of the Year Award: Sarah Soliman, talent producer at Convention News Television (CNTV), will receive the Rookie of the Year Award, which recognizes excellent professional performance by someone with three or fewer years of full-time exhibition and events industry experience.
For more information about the awards, including a list of past winners, visit www.iaee.com/awards.
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