Prestigious Industry Awards Given to Professionals Who Make Significant Contributions to the Industry

The International Association for Exhibition Management (IAEM), the leading association for the global exhibition industry, announces the winners of the association's prestigious awards.

These awards will be presented at its annual meeting and exhibition in Atlanta, Georgia, from 29 November - 1 December 2005, at the Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC).

"These winners are the leaders in our industry, and we are proud to honor them with this recognition," says IAEM Chairman, Chris Brown, "Their achievements in the exhibition industry further exemplify the continued growth and success of our industry."

Awards are presented to individuals for outstanding achievement, dedication and contribution to the exhibition industry and include:

• Pinnacle Award
• Lifetime Achievement Award
• Distinguished Service Awards
• Merit Awards
• Outstanding Achievement in Innovation in Business Solutions
• Outstanding Achievement in Marketing & Sales Show Management
• Supplier of the Year

IAEM's Awards Committee Chairman, David Audrain, says, "The committee discusses each candidate's qualifications in depth when deciding on who will receive the association's highest honors. The final selection is based on merit. Winners must have a proven track record and forged new ground in the chapter, IAEM or the industry."

The following individuals will be recognized at IAEM's Annual Meeting:

The Pinnacle Award is presented by IAEM in recognition of extraordinary achievement in the exhibition management field. The award recognizes individuals who, over the years, have furthered IAEM'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 have been dedicated to the perpetuation of the highest ideals, trust, and professionalism in this highly specialized field.

Tom Corcoran, a member since 1979, has been involved with IAEM since the beginning of his trade show career with United Expositions. He was the exhibit sales manager, and shortly afterward the convention director for the National Restaurant Association Show, one of the largest shows in the U.S.

While at the NRA, he was one of the first members of the Friends of McCormick Place, a group formed to help build better working relations between McCormick Place and its clients and their exhibitors. In 1990, he started Corcoran Expositions (CEI), and in 1998 joined Conferon's Marketing Resource Associations division to form a joint venture, Corcoran Conferon Expositions, to market trade shows.

Today these companies produce more than 40 trade shows. Tom is involved in many industries including healthcare, construction, library, environmental, business, education, and sports, and provides special services in the areas of consulting, exhibit and sponsorship marketing management, exhibitor customer service, financial administration, on-site management and post-show evaluation.

TradeShow Week has identified CEI as one of the Top 10 Leading Show Organizers, and EXPO Magazine has named him as one of the 100 most influential people in tradeshows. In 1995, Tom was recognized by The Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame.

With his commitment to the industry, his career demonstrates the opportunity in this industry and the friendships made along the way. He has been a speaker at many IAEM and PCMA educational programs promoting the benefits of trade show marketing and how important tradeshows are to the marketing mix.

Lifetime Achievement Award is held in the highest regard and is bestowed upon those few who have taken both IAEM and the industry to new heights with their contributions, vision, and leadership.

Jim Boney has been in the U.S. Department of Commerce for 35 years, and has consistently been focused on advancing the pace and reach of international trade.

His early years as a publisher of many government business development publications, and later as a domestic trade specialist prepared him for a career in the advancement of international trade through trade shows.

His experience and extraordinary collaborative skills have converged to positively impact the growth of international participation in U.S. trade shows. For many years, he has been connected to IAEM and its members.

During his 12-year leadership of the International Buyer Program, the number of annual participating events has grown from 18 to 36, and growth in the participation of international buyers/professionals in those events has grown from less than 90,000 to over 180,000.

He has also assumed responsibility for the government's Trade Fair Certification program. All of these important activities have served to bind his efforts and skills even more closely to the needs and objectives of IAEM and its members. It is in this context where his legacy and qualifications for the Lifetime Achievement Award are most apparent.

2005 marks the end of his long and distinguished career with the DOC as he retires from public service.

The Distinguished Service Award is presented to IAEM members who have rendered distinguished service to IAEM and to the exposition industry as a whole. During the time these individuals have been members of IAEM, their extraordinary service and contributions at both the local and national level have furthered the growth and development of this organization.

When representing IAEM, these nominees have been role models for the industry.

Jane Dahlroth, CEM, CMP, a member since 1987, has been consistently involved with IAEM as a committee member, chairperson, and educator. She has recently served on the IAEM Program Committee as its Chair and is currently serving as Chair of the 2005 CEM Commission.

Most recently she was elected to the IAEM Services Board of Directors. She has participated in the Nominating Committee, Summit Club, Technology Committee, Education Committee, and consistently attends IAEM's major meetings.

She has enormous energy and is deeply committed to IAEM and furthering the growth and development of the industry.

Rick Myers has been a member of IAEM since 1979 and is "responsible for putting Atlanta on the map in the trade show industry" according to one testimonial. He works hard and devotes endless attention to service.

His accomplishments over the years can be measured by the hundreds of professional relationships he has developed. He has served on the IAEM Board of Directors, the Executive Advisory Committee, and chair of the Host Committee for IAEM's Annual Meeting.

He has been involved in the industry through the Cleveland Convention Bureau, New Orleans Tourist Commission, and Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau. He has held several high-profile positions for the industry in the Atlanta community.

He volunteers his time and energy across the industry for IACVB, PCMA, ASAE, Taxi Board (City of Atlanta), CINET, ACOM, and ACME. His level of commitment to the industry is unsurpassed.

The Merit Award is intended to provide recognition for ideas and/or work that have benefited IAEM as an organization in some special way. The candidates have made an outstanding contribution to the creation or continuation of an IAEM project at any level, and/or created or significantly enhanced a new program or project at the chapter level.

George Kocian, CEM, CMP, has been a driving force in the Central Texas Chapter for many years, joining in 1997. In 2001, he was elected to the Chapter's Board of Directors. He has a passion for mentoring new show managers and getting them involved tin the chapter.

In 1999 he was asked to be the Membership Committee Chair, and held the position in 2000, 2004, and 2005. In that capacity he initiated several programs and campaigns to recruit members and get them involved. Colleagues can always depend on him to attend all chapter meetings and social events and makes new members feel welcome.

He has coordinated sponsorship programs for the chapter, aiding in the budget process, and increasing exposure for suppliers. In 2003 he earned his CEM, the first member of Freeman to do so. He has been involved with Southwest Showcase, and continually gives selflessly of his time to IAEM.

Irene Sperling is a long-time member of the Southwest Chapter of IAEM (since 1982), and frequently volunteers her services for a wide range of activities, including repeatedly accepting responsibility for editing the chapter newsletter, Expose; serving as official photographer on a purely voluntary basis at many chapter events; and working closely with the chapter administrator to monitor functions and makes sure that badges, registration forms, and rosters are available. She is a constant supporter of IAEM and the Southwest Chapter.

Tony Lee is an active member of the New York Chapter, and has served in a variety of demanding positions for the past 10 years, including Treasurer and Chair. He gives excellent advice based on his experience and has a strong desire to excel, setting a standard for his successors. He developed effective committees, a strong newsletter, and innovative ways to support the New York area exhibition industry.

After the events of 9-11, he organized the industry community to have a luncheon and panel discussion on the immediate effects on New York-area facilities and discuss ways to deal with the impact of 9-11. His impact has been so strong that once the committee work was completed, its functions were included in the regular activities of NYC & Company.

Donna Venito is an active member of the New York Chapter. She has "done it all" participating in the Holiday, Membership, and Host Committees. She is a chapter board member and co-vice chairperson. She actively participates on the Special Events Committee, and the holiday party gives the chapter nearly all of its annual operating income.

Despite her busy schedule, she can always be relied upon to respond to any matter or provide input as to what actions should be taken to enhance the reputation of the chapter. In her role as co-vice chair, Donna serves as a principal adviser on committee assignments, non-dues revenue, board composition, and more. She is a team player, with a spirit of volunteerism and overall professional attitude.

Outstanding Achievement in Innovation in Business Solutions recognizes achievement in the creation of new and innovative business solutions.

Three different competition categories permit recognition of innovation in Marketing, Technology, and/or Customer Service. Nominations are judged upon the creativity, utility and value of the project, product or service.

Peter Lombardi has been a member of IAEM since 1985 and is a long-time and generous supporter of IAEM and its events. He is always the first to volunteer and encourages his team to become involved as well. Most recently, he has offered support to IAEM for its recent Professional Development Conference held in Rosemont.

Without hesitation, he offered to sponsor lunches and other food and beverage events to significantly reduce costs to IAEM. The event was a success mainly due to Pete's contributions.

He went above and beyond what was expected by staff and attendees. His extraordinary support of the PDC redefines sponsorship and the way other suppliers might participate in the future. Rosemont has always supported IAEM, and it is unusual to find this sort of dedication to an organization from one single supplier.

Without Pete, it would be very difficult to offer many of the valuable benefits IAEM continues to deliver to its members.

Outstanding Achievement: Marketing & Sales Show Management recognizes outstanding achievement by show managers or teams in Marketing & Sales activities including, total event revenue/profit, attendance, exhibit space sales, advertising revenue, and sponsorship revenue.

Evaluation of merit is based upon a case study analysis and will include measurable comparable metrics.

Susan Littleton is the vice president of marketing for the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) with 18 years of high-tech and tradeshow marketing experience. One of her main goals for the past year was to surpass the annual growth for the show, including an increase in international attendance and to grow the space on the show floor.

She implemented key strategies by focusing on specific categories (government, entertainment and IT) - increasing attendance by 10, 19 and 21 percent respectively. She also created several buyer-specific marketing materials (attendee show brochure, electronic mail pieces, and brochures) which generated a 17 percent increase in the number of buyers.

She increased overall international attendance and implemented a new floor navigation system to better communicate with exhibitors and attendees.

Littleton and her team made several significant contributions to the success of the show including: helping to achieve a record-breaking 1.5 million net square feet of exhibit space, and drawing 145,868 industry attendees to the show, exceeding her goal by 11 percent.