The ABPCO’s annual Chairmen’s Lunch and Excellence Awards took place at the SEC Glasgow on Dec. 13. The event was attended by more than 100 guests including in-house and agency PCOs as well as suppliers from across the industry. Next year’s ABPCO Chairmen’s Lunch and Excellence Awards will take place on Dec. 11, 2019, at ICC Wales.
The winners were chosen live by an audience vote following presentations by finalists in each of three categories. The winners were ICC Belfast for “Best Industry Partner,” Diabetes UK for “Best In-house Conference Organizer” and TFI Group for “Best Agency Conference Organizer.” A special Chairmen’s Award was also given to Rob Eveleigh, from Brightelm, for demonstrating the ABPCO values of excellence, learning and belonging among his clients.
“These awards are the jewel in the ABPCO crown,” says Jo Powel, ABPCO co-chair. “It is incredible to see so many members and friends gather in one place and celebrate best practices and results. In particular, I was impressed with the way the finalists all demonstrated significant ROI and measurable goals for their clients.”
In-house winner, Diabetes UK’s Therese Dolan said, “No other awards celebrate the work and challenges faced by PCOs. My team worked incredibly hard to deliver this year’s event and I am so proud to see them rewarded for all their effort and dedication.”
Caroline Windsor from TFI Group, who won the Best Agency award, added, “Ours is a unique part of the wider events industry. The whole 24 hours in Glasgow was a fantastic experience, with great networking and plenty of opportunity to spend time with other industry leaders. I am thrilled to have won such an important award for our work with The Personal Finance Society.”
ICC Belfast’s Oonagh O’Reilly said, “Following our conferencing brand re-position to ICC Belfast, we’re still growing our venue’s profile. This win, highlighting the quality of our work, is a real feather in our cap and testament to everything the team has done to support clients as well as Belfast as a destination.”
Chairmen’s Award winner Eveleigh said, “What an incredible surprise to win an award in my first year of business. ABPCO is such a positive and inspiring environment and the last 24 hours have provided a great opportunity to network with a host of experts and leaders in the association events sector.”
Kate Sargent, ABPCO co-chair concluded, “The whole event has been a tremendous success. Well done to our worthy winners and thank you to both SEC Glasgow and Glasgow Convention Bureau, who have been incredible hosts. They welcomed us with open arms, put on an amazing event and supported the whole awards from start to finish.”
The Association of British Professional Conference Organizers, the U.K.’s leading professional body for association, conference and not-for-profit event organizations. For 30 years they have helped to facilitate conversations and knowledge sharing between ABPCO members, and these conversations lead to innovations, learning, lasting working relationships and professionalization. For more info, visit https://www.abpco.org/
