Sherrif Karamat, President and CEO of CAE, PCMA and CEMA, is pleased to announce the 2025 Vision Award Lifetime Achievement Award recipients and Professional Excellence finalists. The annual Visionary Awards, which recognize and celebrate the top stars of the global business events community, will be held on Thursday, April 10, during Business Events Industry Week (BEIW) at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C.
Announced at the 2025 Leadership Conference in Houston, Texas, the 2025 recipients include:
Elliot FergusonPresident and CEO of Destination DC
donald gatesPh.D., Emeritus Professor, University of Calgary
Lynn Lewis SmithCEO of Business Events Sydney (BESydney)
Carol McGarryretired executive vice president, events and educational services, Smithbucklin
David PeckinpahPresident and CEO, Maritz
2025 Lifetime Supplier Winners: Elliot Ferguson |Lynn Lewis Smith
A leader in the travel and hospitality industry with 35 years of experience, Elliot Ferguson Continue to demonstrate thought leadership and advocacy for global business events and the hospitality community. His priorities include advancing the industry through diversity, equity and inclusion, not only through serving on the boards of various industry organizations, but also through the implementation of industry initiatives, including the establishment of Washington, D.C.’s innovative Tourism Recovery District to drive significant investments to support local tourism. As a result, Washington, D.C., has regained its status as one of the world’s preeminent business event destinations.
Lynn Lewis Smith She is a passionate and recognized advocate for diversity, inclusion and the empowerment of women in leadership roles within the global business events community. Lyn played a key role in this ground-breaking report, working with PCMA and PwC UK, Promote women’s participation in business activities The result is actionable recommendations for promoting inclusion, primarily addressing gender disparities in leadership.
2025 Lifelong Educator Honorees: Dr. Donald Gates
Core founder of academic research on event management, donald gatesis a researcher, author, and speaker who has dedicated his career to thought leadership through his internationally renowned textbooks that are an integral part of the study of business events. He has educated thousands of students through his academic work and has made a solid contribution to making event management a unique area of expertise in universities around the world.
2025 Lifetime Business Event Strategist Winners: Carol McGarry | David Peckinpaugh
PCMA 2019 Foundation President, Carol McGarry Played a key role in supporting the creation and advancement of scholarship programs, including five Smith Bucklin Scholarships and the Thaler Fogerty and Chris Weakin Scholarships. During her 35-year career at Smithbucklin, Carol has led a range of activities ranging from business and trading to technology, healthcare and science. Over the course of her career, Carol has hired, invested and trained more than 100 employees, further demonstrating her commitment to developing the workforce of the future.
For more than 30 years, David Peckinpah He has accelerated his career with his unwavering belief in the power of events to not only deliver superior business results but, perhaps more importantly, meaningful connections. This is further demonstrated by his decade-long service on the PCMA Board of Directors and Foundation, including a two-year term as Chairman of the Foundation Board of Directors. Maritz’s signature core value of “Taking Care of Each Other” demonstrates his commitment to culture, which has led to the company-wide “Unlocking Human Potential” initiative.
“We look forward to celebrating and recognizing the 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award recipients and Professional Excellence finalists as they represent unparalleled dedication and exceptional impact on the future of the global business events industry,” Karamat said.
The annual celebration will recognize and celebrate professional excellence finalists in seven categories for their outstanding contributions to their respective organizations and their impact on the career development of others. Categories and finalists are:
Impact Award
Kristen Cleaver, Associate Professor of Teaching Events and Recreation Management, School of Athletics, Tourism and Hospitality Management, Temple University
Mackenzie LoweFounder and CEO, Homemade in DC
Visit the Detroit Team Visit to Detroit led by President and CEO Claude Molinari, who serves as co-chair of Detroit’s local NFL Draft organizing committee
Provides outstanding service to the club or region
Christa CameronDES, Vice President, Industry Relations, Encore Canada Eastern Chapter
Sarah McWilliamsSenior Director of Global Accounts, HelmsBriscoe, Greater Philadelphia Chapter
Annette SurianiAMS Meeting Solutions Capital Chapter Leader and Chief Meeting Strategist
Business Event Strategist of the Year
Lisa AstorgaCMP, Conference Director, International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH)
Jennifer Ragan-FallChief Experience Officer, ISTE and ASCD
I’m not in St. Louis. GerrardCMP, Chief Strategy Officer, Meetings, Membership and Marketing, Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine
Digital Experience Strategist of the Year
Sina BonteCMP, DES, Founder, DigitalMind.events
Mohogany JonesCMP, DES, HMCC, Founder and CEO of Event Specialists Inc.
Brian ZambottiConexiant Vice President of Business Development for Associations and Societies
Experience Design of the Year
AAPA team Led by Anthony Maggiore, CMP, senior director of meetings and conferences, and Katie McCormick, executive director of meetings, events and conventions for the American College of Physicians
RIMS team Led by Stuart Ruff-Lyon, Chief Events and Sales Officer, Risk & Insurance Management Association.
Groundbreaking
Jeffrey FairCustomer Engagement Manager, Business Events, Tourism Canada
Lori JenellCMP, CDS, MBE, ConferenceDirect Vice President of Global Accounts
Laurie Nelson-ChoiceCGMP, Director of Diversity and National Sales, visits Baltimore
Business Event Supplier of the Year
Kelly FerenakCNTV Co-Founder and President
Alison La FolletteCMP, Mid-Atlantic Regional Director, visits Seattle
Ronette PhillipsDirector – Hilton Direct Sales, Hilton Worldwide Sales
The 2025 PCMA Vision Awards are presented by Visit Austin and the Austin Convention Center. Proceeds will benefit the PCMA Foundation, which annually funds more than $1 million in initiatives that move the global business events community forward, including more than 200 annual scholarships benefiting emerging leaders, students, faculty and professionals , to advance their careers.
Ticket and table sales for the 2025 Vision Awards Gala will begin in February.
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