The sheer breadth of talent within the events industry was championed last night at the IMEX Frankfurt Gala Dinner Awards. Held at the Sheraton Frankfurt Airport Hotel, the glittering ceremony brought together the sector's shining stars to celebrate those making a positive impact through their achievements, innovation and passion.
The 2026 awards roll call:
- American Society of Association Executives (ASAE)—Global Association Visionary Award
- Destinations International—Global Ambassador Award
- International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE)—International Excellence Award
- International Association of Professional Congress Organisers (IAPCO) Driving Excellence—Innovation Award, supported by IMEX
- International Congress & Convention Association (ICCA)—Global Influencer Award
- Joint Meetings Industry Council (JMIC)—Unity Award
- Meeting Professionals International (MPI)—Foundation Student Scholarship Award
- City Destinations Alliance—CityDNA Summer School Award
- Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE)—Jane E. Schuldt Master Motivator Award
- IMEX-Events Industry Council (EIC)—Innovation in Sustainability Award
- Paul Flackett—IMEX Academy Awards
Michelle Mason, President and CEO of the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE), was welcomed on stage to present the Global Association Visionary Award. Virginie De Visscher, Executive Director Business Events of Destination Canada Business Events, was the winner, in honor of her exceptional leadership in advancing the global association sector, elevating its visibility, relevance and long-term impact.
Destinations International’s Global Ambassador Award was given by President and CEO Don Welsh to Peter Lee, Executive Director of Goyang International Expo Foundation. A longtime champion of Destinations International, Peter has leveraged the partnership to foster stronger collaboration among his peers in the region.
Each year, the International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE) presents its International Excellence Award to a member who has made exceptional strides in advancing IAEE’s programs and presence on an international level. President and CEO Marsha Flanagan presented the award to audiovisual association AVIXA for its event, InfoComm América Latina. This new show debuted in style, exceeding all expectations and creating a thriving new regional Pro AV community.
IAPCO’s Driving Excellence—Innovation Award celebrates those at the forefront of innovation, and Mohamed Sherif, Group Operation Director at ICOM Group, Egypt, was a fitting winner. The award was given by IAPCO President Sissi Lignou for spearheading the CardioAlex Smart Shuttle System, achieving cost savings and lower emissions without compromising the delegate experience.
Ben Hainsworth was the very deserving recipient of the ICCA Global Influencer Award, presented by ICCA President, Marta Gomes. Since 2019 Ben has been Executive Director of EASL, the European Association for the Study of the Liver, an association that’s increasingly active in driving health policy change, public health awareness and patient engagement.
JMIC’s President, James Rees presided over the JMIC Unity Award which was given to Anne-Marie Baezner, CEO of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Venues. Throughout her career, Anne-Marie has consistently championed a “faire ensemble” (“do it together”) philosophy, bringing together stakeholders, destinations, associations and industry partners to strengthen the sector and its wider community impact.
Next, the awards looked ahead to the next generation of event professionals: Sofiya Soushkevitch from Vistula University in Poland received the MPI Foundation Student Scholarship Award. This award, presented by Kevin Kirby, Executive Director of the MPI Foundation, celebrates and supports the shining stars of the future as part of the IMEX-MPI-MCI Future Leaders Forum International University Challenge.
A special one-off honor was given this year—the CityDNA Summer School Award—recognizing individuals who’ve made an outstanding impact on the program by empowering participants with skills, connections and confidence. Barbara Jamison-Woods, President of City Destinations Alliance, presented the award to two worthy winners: Dennis Speet, Director at Amsterdam Convention Bureau, and Pier Paolo Mariotti, Meeting Manager at Eurac Research.
It was the duty of SITE CEO Annette Gregg to hand over the Jane E. Schuldt Master Motivator Award to Daryl Keywood, CEO of Walthers DMC. This award recognizes Daryl’s ability to lead with generosity and purpose as well as his success in advancing sustainable incentive travel across Africa.
The IMEX-EIC Innovation in Sustainability Award celebrates event professionals driving sustainability forward through innovation and collaboration. BEFuture was chosen by the judging panel with the award presented by EIC’s President and CEO, Amy Calvert. As a large, European-wide initiative providing funding to 80 innovation projects focused on climate and circularity, BEFuture demonstrates standout collaboration and an innovative model that’s set to make a genuine difference.
Finally, the Paul Flackett Academy Awards—named in honor of the former IMEX Managing Director—brought the ceremony to a stylish close. Four exceptional individuals were celebrated for their long-standing dedication to the industry and for driving forward innovation.
The 2026 line-up of Academy Award winners is:
- Ben Goedegebuure, former Chief Global Strategy Officer at Maritz and now Principal of BG Global Perspectives
- Claire Smith, Executive Director at Convention Centres of Canada
- Don Welsh, President and CEO & Foundation Executive Director at Destinations International
- Sigrid Smuda-Fröschl, Marketing Manager Conventions at Munich Convention Bureau
The Gala Dinner was sponsored by Atomic, Encore, Song Division, Marriott and Sheraton.
The 2026 edition of IMEX Frankfurt concludes today, May 21, at Messe Frankfurt.
Image left to right:
- Kevin Kirby, Executive Director of the MPI Foundation
- Viktoriia Yushkaliuk—last year's winner of the MPI Foundation Student Scholarship Award)
- Sofiya Soushkevitch from Vistula University in Poland—winner of the MPI Foundation Student Scholarship Award
- Ray Bloom, chairman of IMEX