ESPA RECOGNIZES INDUSTRY ACHIEVERS

Submit your nomination today!  2024 submissions are due December 12, 2024.

ESPA’s annual awards programs recognize the superstars of our industry. Many of these great achievements come from nominations by our own members or by planners. Read below to learn how you can recognize a superstar in your life.

Event Service Professional of the Year
Leadership in Services
Executive Excellence
Meeting Professional of the Year
ESPA Member Awards

Event Service Professional of the Year

Meeting Planners: Nominate a Deserving Hotel, Convention Center or CVB Event Service Manager Today

Behind the scenes, event service professionals from hotels, convention centers and CVBs help Meeting Planners deliver memorable experiences. They connect planners with the right resources, solve problems with their expertise that covers a multitude of scenarios and educate about the ever-changing norms in each destination.

Have you held a live event in the last year? As a meeting planner, here’s your chance to recognize an event service manager that worked their magic to make you shine!

The Event Service Professionals Association (ESPA) is accepting nominations for this year’s Event Service Professional of the Year Award. If you worked with a deserving event service pro—someone who partnered with you, embraced your event, and went above and beyond to make it seamless—please tell us about it!

• Nominations for this award are only accepted from Meeting Planners who worked directly with the nominee on an event in the past year

2024 Recipient Paul Ruby, CMP
Director of Conference Services & Events
The Lodge at Gulf State Park

Leadership in Event Service Award

Who Inspired You in Event Services This Year?

Submitted by colleagues, management or peers, this Award recognizes Event Service Professionals from CVBs, Convention Centers, Hotels and Conference Centers whose leadership in the past year has been an inspiration to others.

To be nominated for this award, a person could have demonstrated leadership in a number of ways, including:

• Helping to lead their own organization in response to challenges or adversity
• Implementing an innovative program
• Taking actions that inspire and coalesce the local event services community
• Leading community service initiatives that had extraordinary impact
• Or achieving service excellence through leadership and overcoming major obstacles resulting in delighted client(s)

These individuals have a positive, can-do attitude that inspired others, or our industry, in a meaningful way.

• Nominations for this award are accepted from:  Colleagues, management, partners, or event services peers (this is not an award for nominations by Meeting Planners). 

2024 Recipient
Rhonda Whyte
Vice President of Convention Management
Events DC

Executive Excellence Award

Has your VP/GM or other Executive demonstrated superior event services support and leadership this year?

Is your Venue or CVB Executive committed to excellence in Event Services? Each year at the Annual Conference, ESPA recognizes an executive for his or her commitment and dedication to the profession of event service and to giving key support and leadership to members of their services team.

Criteria and Guidelines

• Nominee supports staff participation in ESPA
• Nominee must be an executive of an organization which has an ESPA member. Executive is defined as a VP or higher at a CVB; a member of the executive committee or GM at a hotel; or a VP, GM or Executive Director at a Convention Center.
• Nominee personally and consistently supports quality assurance in the organization’s convention services operations.
• Nominee supports staff development, growth and continuing education.

As a member of ESPA, if you feel your organization has an executive who is a mentor, an ESPA supporter and event  services advocate, if he/she encourages your team’s professional development,

2024 Recipient
Matt Robinette, ESPC, CDME, CMP
Vice President of Visitor Experience
Richmond Region Tourism.

Meeting Professional of the Year

Event Service Professionals, has your planner client shown leadership and partnership with an event in 2024?

This award was designed to recognize the hard-working meeting professional who exhibits personal and professional characteristics that create an environment that focuses on team work, as well as shows support for the event services profession.

This is your chance to recognize a planner that represents the best of the best! Event Service Professionals know better than anyone when a planner is prepared, shows professionalism and is a great leader when producing an event or meeting. Why not recognize them for their dedication and hard work?

Criteria and Guidelines

• You must have worked with meeting planner in an event services capacity , i.e. as a CSM, during the past year
• Shows superior leadership and management qualities before, during and after the meeting
• Recognizes the importance and supports the role of the CSM in the meeting planning process

2024 Recipient
Ashley Grimsley
Brasfield & Gorrie

ESPA Member Awards

Member of the Year – This award recipient is an ESPA Member who has been outstanding in his or her constant enthusiasm and support of both ESPA and the
Event Services Industry. This person is selected annually by the ESPA Board of Directors.

 

 

 

President’s Award  – Each year the President of ESPA has an opportunity to recognize a member that he or she feels has shown continued support and enthusiasm for the association. There are no specific criteria for this award—it is the President’s decision to honor a member that is deserving of special recognition for their volunteer support and efforts towards the betterment of the association.

2024 Recipient
Natalie Young, CMP
Visit Houston