Sun-drenched views of the Detroit River, fun entertainment and great camaraderie contributed to an exciting event packed with award presentations during the Michigan Meetings + Events magazine Best of 2018 readers’ choice awards.
Motown Mood
Michigan Society of Association Executives (MSAE) suppliers, members and friends started their day on Nov. 17 at the Marriott East Lansing at University Place for the Association Choice Awards Celebration (see page 56) networking brunch. Sixty-eight supplier partners that make a difference in the association community were nominated in 23 categories. Online voting by only MSAE members whittled the finalists in each category down to the winners.
More than 55 CEOs and professional staff members of the Michigan Association of Convention and Visitors Bureaus enjoyed the inspiring sights of Grand Rapids’ ArtPrize Nine during the group’s 24th annual educational conference in September.
The two-and-a-half day event, at the DoubleTree Hotel 28th Street Airport in Grand Rapids, was packed with professional content directed to destination marketing teams. It featured eight speakers and 15 vendor displays.
If there were a category called Best of Parties, the 12th annual Michigan Meetings + Events Best of party in May would be the hands-down winner.
More than 70 event industry exhibitors will display their products, talents and services during the “Fall Event Show” on Sept. 24 in metro Detroit.
The 16th annual gathering, presented by the social entertainment company Star Trax Events of Ferndale, will run from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center in West Bloomfield. It is open to the public.
Metro Detroit industry professionals came together March 30 at Silver Gardens Events Center for the annual EPIC Awards, presented by the Michigan chapters of ABC, NACE and ILEA. Sponsors included E3 Detroit, Blumz by JRDesigns, Floral and Event Professionals, Country Lane Flowers, Colonial Events, Fred Ferris Photography, Emerald City Designs, Fabulous Events, Inc., TapSnap Detroit, Lyndsey’s Linen & Chair Covers, Silver Garden Events Center and Lepenn Designs - Couture Invitations & Stationery.
May has been FOOD BOWL month in Los Angeles, a 31-day festival of curated events produced by the Los Angeles Times to celebrate the city’s dynamic and diverse culinary scene and bring awareness to food waste and hunger through programs with chefs and food-justice activists. The charity partners include No Kid Hungry, PATH & Food Forward.
Shortly after I took the helm of this magazine in 2012, I met Keri Kelp Dinica—then the president of Metro Detroit NACE—for coffee, where she explained a new awards program that the local chapters of ABC, NACE and ILEA had put together. The idea, she said, was to raise the profile of the events industry in metro Detroit and to raise the bar for it.
The Meeting Professionals International Michigan Chapter held its annual awards party on June 2 at The Henry, Autograph Collection in Dearborn. The event recognizes the hard work and dedication of Michigan’s meeting pros. This year’s individual winners were Chris Rowley, CMP, for Finest Sales Professional; Veronica Rogers, CMP, for Finest Planner; and Deb Denyer, MIM+E board member, for the 2016 President’s Award of Excellence.
