Barry Smith, president and CEO of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, is shown here accepting his Lifetime Achievement Award (Supplier Honoree).
Barry Smith, president and CEO of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) Foundation last evening.
Smith was named the 2017 Supplier Honouree. He was honoured along with two other industry luminaries and the winners of the Foundation’s 2017 Professional Excellence Awards at black-tie, gala event at the Marriott Marquis Washington, D.C., which was attended by more than 1,000 business events leaders.
“Our 2017 honourees and award winners’ accomplishments serve as inspiration to both industry veterans and novices alike,” said PCMA president and CEO, Deborah Sexton. “Each an expert in their profession—always endeavoring to lead the advancement of their organizations and the business events industry.”
The two other Lifetime Achievement Award honourees are:
- 2017 Meeting Professional Honouree – Martin (Marty) Balogh, Associate Executive Director, Meetings and Travel Group, American Bar Association
- 2017 Educator Honouree – Carol Krugman, MEd, CMP, CMM, Chair of the Department of Hospitality, Tourism & Events, Metropolitan State University of Denver
The 2017 Professional Excellence Award winners are:
Meeting Professional of the Year – Danielle L. Urbina, CMP, Director of Meetings and Exhibits with the American Society of Anesthesiologists
Danielle is an outstanding meeting professional who is dedicated to her work and her industry. An active member of PCMA she is passionate about medical meetings and always seeking ways to expand her knowledge and contribute to the future of the meetings industry. She is a mentor to many, serving as adjunct faculty at Roosevelt University and taking the time to truly connect with her industry colleagues – to help them grow and improve in any way she can. Not only did she lead ASA’s national meetings and headquarters conference center to another level of success, she also took on the management of ASA’s growing international meeting initiatives.
Event Designer of the Year – Megan D. Tate, CMM, Vice President, Meeting & Event Planning Manager with Wells Fargo.
Between the general sessions, breakouts and the fun night, Megan’s strategy to make the Petco Leadership Summit all about the people rather than the company. The partners returned back to their stores with a renewed passion for who they are and what they do.
Supplier of the Year – Jennifer L. Erney, CMP, CASE, Accor Hotels and most recently with ALHI
A true advocate in the industry, Jennifer is known for her consummate professionalism and strong client relationships. From increasing a client’s share by 500 percent to earning her CHSE, CASE, CMP and soon-to-be CMM certification – Jennifer continues to grow and shine as a leader in this industry.
Community Advocate of the Year – Peter C. O’Brien, CASE, Global Account Executive with Marriott Global Sales Organization
Peter has an impressive tenure as a community advocate. He is a catalyst leader who implemented Service in Sync at the Greater DC Food Bank and reinstated the popular USO Care Package assembly. This year Peter adopted DC Greens as the Capital Chapters Charity of the Year.
About PCMA
Founded in 1956, the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) has just under 7,000 members and an audience of more than 50,000 individuals. It is the world’s largest network of business events strategists. Headquartered in Chicago, IL USA, PCMA has partners and collaborators around the globe and a footprint within North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia, with activities across 37 countries.
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