Singapore event pioneer wins PCMA award

In front of more than 4,500 industry leaders from across the globe, SACEOS president Janet Tan-Collis was presented with the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) 2017 Chairman’s Award this week at the association’s annual Convening Leaders event in Nashville.

Presented by the chair of PCMA’s Board of Directors, Mary Pat Heftman, the award recognises individuals or organisations for their unique achievements and contributions to the business events industry over the previous year.

Singapore’s Tan-Collis, who is also the CEO of East West Planners, was recognised in a dedicated ceremony on Tuesday (09 January) for her commitment to drive education opportunities for emerging event professionals in the APAC region.

Tan-Collis stood out among industry professionals for her dedication to inspire and mentor the next generation of event professionals, as well as her outstanding initiative, alongside her executive committee, to successfully create and deliver the Singapore MICE Challenge, which saw its third edition in July 2017.

Heftman said: “Janet’s long-standing experience, her mentorship and advocacy of industry education and professional development, make her the perfect honouree for this year’s award."

“The success of the Singapore MICE Forum and the Challenge is testament to the relationship between SACEOS and PCMA, uniting for the same purpose of investing into education and the future of our industry.”

As part of the Singapore MICE Challenge, teams of event management students had to produce and present a competitive event proposal. The winning team is awarded with a sponsored trip to attend PCMA Convening Leaders.

This year, for the first time, both the winning and the second placed teams were invited to attend the conference, with the opportunity to present their innovative event proposals in front of an international, industry-led audience.