Cynthia Vannucci, Lisa Block and Gino Giancola, will be honored at the 2013 Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) Education Foundation Dinner Celebrating Professional Achievement scheduled for May 15, 2013, at the Washington Hilton in Washington D.C.
Vannucci, CHME, CHSP, CMP, is a professor for the Department of Hospitality, Tourism and Events at the Metropolitan State University of Denver and this year’s educator honoree. She brought with her years of experience in the hotel business as a sales and marketing executive. She has shown continued pride and appreciation in PCMA and has served as an advisor for 14 years. Thus far during her tenure at the university, Vannucci has brought more than 150 students to PCMA’s “Convening Leaders.” She also served on the annual program committee, the faculty task force, the early-LES training committee for PCMA.
Block is the 22-year vice president of meetings and conferences for the Society for Human Resource Management and the meeting professional honoree. She has been an active member of PCMA since 1993 and served in a variety of volunteer roles, including chair of the annual meeting program committee, chair of the Leadership Conference, director on the PCMA board and several board officer. Block has continued to support PCMA through numerous speaking engagements and committee assignments and proved to be a key contributor in guiding PCMA through post-9/11 leadership transitions.
Giancola retired from Tourism Toronto in 2007 as senior vice president of sales and industry and is the Supplier Honoree. Giancola has been an asset to Tourism Toronto’s staff since 1981 and serves as their citywide sales consultant after recently retiring as Tourism Toronto’s senior vice president of sales and industry relations. Over his 26 years as senior vice president, Toronto grew from being an “unknown” foreign destination to the most successful convention city outside the United States for U.S.-based meetings and conventions.
