Martin Balogh, Carol Krugman, and Barry Smith were in the spotlight at the Professional Convention Management Association Education Foundation’s red-carpet event at the Marriott Marquis Washington, D.C. this week. More than 1,000 people gathered to see Balogh, associate executive director, meetings and travel group, American Bar Association; Krugman, MEd, CMP, CMM, chair of the department of hospitality, tourism, and events, Metropolitan State University of Denver; and Smith, president and CEO of the Metro Toronto Convention Center, receive the organization’s 2017 Lifetime Achievement Meeting Professional, Educator, and Supplier awards at the black-tie event.
Also celebrated at the event were the winners of the 2017 Professional Excellence awards:
• Meeting Professional of the Year went to Danielle L. Urbina, CMP, director of meetings and exhibits with the American Society of Anesthesiologists, for her dedication to mentoring others as she leads ASA’s national meetings and manages its growing international meeting initiatives.
• Megan D. Tate, CMM, vice president, meeting and event planning manager with Wells Fargo, took home the Event Designer of the Year award for her strategy to make the Petco Store Leadership Summit all about the attendees.
• Supplier of the year went to Jennifer L. Erney, CMP, CASE, Accor Hotels for her advocacy work and professionalism.
• Peter C. O’Brien, CASE, global account executive with Marriott Global Sales Organization, received the Community Advocate of the Year award for his work in implementing Service in Sync at the Greater DC Food Bank, reinstating the USO Care Package assembly, and adopting DC Greens as the Capital Chapter’s Charity of the Year.
"Our 2017 honorees 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.”
