Meeting Professionals International (MPI) announced their winners for this year’s Recognizing Industry Success and Excellence, or RISE Awards. There were six awards given focusing on individual, community, and organizational achievements in the meeting and events industry. The Builders Association of the Twin Cities was awarded the RISE Award for Organizational Achievement.
The Builders Association was given the award for increasing the attendance at events, but lowering the number of events held each year. Their strategy included assessing each event based on a number of criteria that included attendee reach, member value, profitability, and staff time. In the end, the number of member events was decreased by 85 percent. Attendance wasn’t the only increase though; there was also a perceived sense of deeper unity in those who attended events.
“The 2015 RISE Awards recipients have all demonstrated how one individual or organization can create industry changing results for chapters or businesses by identifying a specific need and focusing their skillset on those efforts,” said John Ehlenfeldt, CMP chair of the RISE Awards judging panel. “The strategic initiatives of these exemplary leaders will influence industry professionals to strive to make an impact within the meeting and event industry.”
The other five awards were given as follows:
Young Professional: Kinga Socko, who played a large role in the Poland Meetings and Events Industry Report, used to prepare national and city budgets and focused on getting Poland Destination Marketing Association International (DMAI) accreditation.
Meeting Industry Leadership: David Peckinpaugh, from St. Louis and president of Maritz Travel, for his global influence on the industry and work against human trafficking.
Member of the Year: Tara Liaschenko from St. Petersburg, Florida. She is a member of the global MPI WEC Proposal Review Task Force, and works with students by offering internships and helping students achieve membership.
Community Achievement in Knowledge and Ideas: Meeting Industry Council of Colorado (MIC) for the MIC Educational Conference and Tradeshow in which they brought all organizations together for one conference instead of individual conferences, saving money and bringing organizations together.
Community Achievement in Marketplace Excellence: MPI Potomac Chapter for their Flipped Marketplace program. Started in 2010, the format connects planners to the correct suppliers, while generating engagement from non-members.
Each of the winners was recognized at a recent luncheon, during the MPI’s World Education Congress (WEC) in San Francisco.
