HSMAI's Big Apple Chapter Wins "Best of the Best"
Awards and Recognition Programs at National Leadership Conference
NEW YORK, NY, May 7, 2007. HSMAI's Big Apple Chapter 2006 Awards and Recognition Committee received the "Best of the Best" award at the HSMAI Leadership Conference, held in March at The Peabody Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee. In accepting the award, Thomas J. Travers, general manager of the Hotel Beacon and president of the HSMAI Big Apple Chapter, cited the committee for its successful restructuring of the 2006 awards program that ultimately generated a first-time profit for the event.
The 2006 awards enhancements for the Big Apple Chapter's annual Frank W. Berman Tourism Achievement Awards Dinner included a streamlined, on-line nomination process, the addition of two new awards and a six-month marketing and public relations campaign to increase nominations. The restructuring and extended marketing allowed the committee to obtain new sponsors for the awards program and realize a substantial profit - a first for a program that had typically broken even in past years.
The HSMAI Big Apple Chapter 2006 Awards committee was led by Chairperson Brenda Fields, founder of Fields & Company, and included Joe Radice of Hospitality International, Anna-Lisa Hafgren of Small Luxury Hotels and Victoria Feldman de Falco, principal of Redpoint Marketing PR, Inc.
Inspired by industry visionary Frank W. Berkman, the Big Apple Chapter Annual Awards acknowledge those professionals who consistently exhibit extraordinary leadership and exemplify a love of the tourism and hospitality industry. Berkman, a former Executive VP and COO of HSMAI, is credited with establishing HSMAI as a highly influential international organization. Jonathon Tisch, chairman and CEO of Loews Hotels, was honored with the Frank W. Berkman Tourism Award.
Big Apple Chapter Annual Award winners honored in 2006 included Sales and Marketing Excellence Award winner Richard Keating, director of sales and marketing, Crown Plaza Times Square; Hotel General Manager of the Year Conrad M. Wangeman, general manager of the New York Hilton; Professional of the Year Cristyne Nicholas, (former) president and CEO of NYC & Company; Operations Excellence Award winner Vijay Dandapani, CHA, COO of Apple Core Hotels, New York City; and Hospitality Student of the Year Award winner Matthew B. Gomberg, New York University. The event was held on June 6 at New York's Rainbow Room.
Details about the Big Apple Chapter Awards and an online nomination form for the 2007 awards can be found on the Chapter's website at www.hsmainyc.org.
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