Paul Miller, Managing Director, Spectra, London, UK, president-elect, receives the gavel from current president David Sand, CEO, Uwin Iwin Incentives, Johannesburg, South Africa.

A select panel of Site past presidents reflected on the years of incentive travel and how world events impacted the industry and the association. From left to right: Padraic Gilligan (2008), Ann Wold Graham, founding president, 1973; Kevin Hinton, chief staff officer, Site and Site International Foundation; and Carolyn Dow (2001).

Jane E. Schuldt, CITE, CIS, president, World Marketing Group, and president of the Site International Foundation Board of Trustees, passed the gavel to president-elect, Kurt Paben, senior vice president, Aimia, at the conference.

Rhonda Brewer, vice president, Maritz Travel Company, a Site board member and education chair for the conference, welcomes the audience.

Philip Eidsvold, Aimia, foreground, joins in giving the past president panel a standing ovation.

Past presidents of Site were invited to attend the 40^th anniversary, and were recognized at a special president’s reception as well as tapped for advice for the future well-being of Site. The Past Presidents Council met for the first time at the conference, led by Louise Hall-Ryder, who was president in 1996.

Cameron Herold, author of Double Double: How to Double Your Revenue and Profit in Three Years or Less, gave a keynote that set the tone for the educational portion of the conference.

The representatives of Holland’s incentive industry wore orange proudly during the lunch they sponsored on the final day of the conference. Next year’s annual conference will be held in Rotterdam, Netherlands, from November 14-17.

Larry Luteran, senior vice president, group sales and industry relations, Hilton Worldwide, gave an update on US Travel and the Meetings Mean Business coalition’s public relations and messaging campaign. He stepped in at the last minute when general session presenter Christine Duffy, president and CEO, Cruise Lines International Association, was grounded in the Northeast and couldn’t get to Florida.  Didier Scaillet, vice president, business development at Cruise Lines International Association, gave an update on the cruise industry on her behalf.

Kevin HInton, chief staff officer of Site, kicked off the gala awards ceremony.

The first-ever Richard Ross Past Presidents’ Award for Outstanding Service to the Incentive Travel Industry was presented to Robert Vitagliano, CITE, of V Associates. The award, named in honor of Site’s eighth president, who died in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in New York City, recognizes an individual or organization that has furthered the vision, ideals, and ethics of Site. Vitagliano was named executive vice president and CEO of Site in 1993. Vitagliano was unable to attend. Patrick Delaney, a past president, received the award from another past president, Louisa Hall-Ryder.

For the second consecutive year, Site Canada was presented with the Chapter of the Year Award in recognition of the chapter’s continued growth, program development, education programs, and persistent commitment to Site's brand pillars and mission.

Each year, the Site International Foundation awards the David Riddell Memorial Scholarship to a deserving recipient in honor of the late David Riddell of Marriott International and his commitment to education. This year’s scholarship supported the participation of Shannon Gehringer, assistant to the president at BCD M&I, in the Site Global Conference.

George Aguel, president and CEO of Visit Orlando, an event sponsor, greeted the audience at the gala dinner.

Harris Rosen, founder of Rosen Hotels & Resorts, sponsored the gala dinner.

The Site Florida & Caribbean chapter, which officially approved the bylaw change to incorporate Site members in the Caribbean, won an award for membership. From left: Presenter Jane Schuldt, World Marketing Group; Jane van der Bol, Cayman Islands Tourism Association; Wichita Villacres, ECO DESTINATION MANAGEMENT; Karen Farquharson, Miami Air International; Patricia Perez, Dominican Republic Tourism Board; Mayte Albaladejo, Visit Orlando; and Site Global President David Sands, CEO, Uwin Iwin.

Francis Purvey, Sunlark Associates, host committee vice chairman (left), and Joost de Meyer, First Incentive Travel, host committee chairman (far right), are congratulated by Site Chief Staff Executive Kevin Hinton (center) for their volunteer efforts in making the annual conference a success.

From left to right, the BI Worldwide gang at the awards gala: Abbe Coen, Mary MacGregor, Lisa Starr, and Kate Sorenson.

Jane Schuldt, World Marketing Group, and Ray Bloom, chairman of the IMEX group, at the gala dinner.

From left: Marina Parra-Flechsig, Weichlein Tours & Incentives; Jose Ferraras, DESTINOSmice in Costa Rica; Joanne H. Joham, CMP, CMM, of ICCA