2007 SMOTY Winners to Be Honored
Staff -- Tradeshow Week, 10/22/2007
The Expo Group Show Manager of the Year Awards will honor winners at the eighth annual dinner celebration Nov. 1 at the Four Seasons Atlanta.
The awards go to individual show managers who demonstrate innovation, strong customer service, a commitment to success and an ability to overcome obstacles. There are five winners, one for each category designating a certain size of show:
- Lori Riggs, director of conferences and special events, Natl. Safety Council Greater Omaha Chapter, in the category of shows with less than 150 booths
- Nancy Jo Wiggin, vice president of sales, JD Events, 151 to 300 booths
- Melinda Kendall, general manager, IDG World Expo, 301 to 700 booths
- Claire Kilcoyne, show manager, Metalcon Intl., 701 to 1,500 booths
- Charles Olentino, executive vice president, U.S. Poultry and Egg Assn., more than 1,500 booths
According to TEG President and CEO Ray Pekowski, the SMOTY Awards are all about the show manager, not the show.
"We have a great group of people to recognize this year," he said. "We have winners who overcame shrinking budgets and competing shows, winners who created new opportunity for their exhibitors and attendees, and winners who truly grow a community for those involved with their show."
At the award dinner, honorees will receive a crystal obelisk and a $1,000 donation to the charity of their choice.
Winners were chosen by an independent panel of judges:
- Robert Dallmeyer, president, RD Intl.
- Sam Lippman, president, integrated show management & marketing
- Donna Sanford, publisher, EXPO Magazine
- Adam Schaffer, group publisher, 1105 Media, and former publisher of Tradeshow Week
- Donald Svehla, publisher, Exhibit City News
The annual awards are open to anyone in the industry responsible for producing a show, regardless of affiliation with The Expo Group. Co-workers, vendors, exhibitors, board members and the nominees themselves made nominations.
