Outstanding members of the MICE industry were honored at this year’s IMEX Frankfurt Gala Dinner Awards, held May 20, 2026 at the Sheraton Frankfurt Airport Hotel.

The 2026 award sponsors and winners are:

GLOBAL ASSOCIATION VISIONARY AWARD

• SPONSOR | American Society of Association Executives (ASAE)
• PRESENTED BY | Michelle Mason, president and CEO, ASEA
• WINNER | Virginie De Visscher, executive director, Business Events, Destination Canada. De Visscher was honored for her exceptional leadership in the global association sector, elevating its visibility, relevance, and long-term impact.

*Photo top of post (l-r): Mason, De Visscher, and Ray Bloom, chairman, IMEX. Photo courtesy of IMEX.

GLOBAL AMBASSADOR AWARD

• SPONSOR | Destinations International
• PRESENTED BY | Don Welsh, president and CEO, Destinations International
• WINNER | Peter Lee, executive director, Goyang International Expo Foundation. A longtime champion of Destinations International, Lee has leveraged the partnership to foster strong collaboration among his peers in the region.

INTERNATIONAL EXCELLENCE AWARD

• SPONSOR | International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE)
• PRESENTED BY | Marsha Flanagan, president and CEO, IAEE
• WINNER | AVIXA for its event, InfoComm América Latina. This award is given to the IAEE member who has made exceptional strides in advancing the association’s  programs and presence on an international level. AVIXA’s new show debuted in style, exceeding all expectations and creating a thriving new regional Pro AV community.

DRIVING EXCELLENCE – INNOVATION AWARD

• SPONSOR | International Association of Professional Congress Organisers (IAPCO), supported by IMEX
• PRESENTED BY | Sissi Lignou, president, IAPCO
• WINNER | Mohamed Sherif, group operation director, ICOM Group, Egypt. Celebrating those at the forefront of innovation in the industry, Sherif was honored spearheading the CardioAlex Smart Shuttle System, achieving cost savings and lower emissions without compromising the delegate experience.

GLOBAL INFLUENCER AWARD

• SPONSOR | International Congress & Convention Association (ICCA)
• PRESENTED BY | Marta Gomes, president, ICCA
• WINNER | Ben Hainsworth, executive director, European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL). Hainsworth has been executive director of EASL since 2019. He was honored for his association’s increasingly active role in driving health policy change, public health awareness, and patient engagement.

UNITY AWARD

• SPONSOR | Joint Meetings Industry Council (JMIC)
• PRESENTED BY | James Rees, president, JMIC
• WINNER | Anne-Marie Baezner, CEO of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Venues. Throughout her career, Baezner 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.

FOUNDATION STUDENT SCHOLARSHIP AWARD

• SPONSOR | Meeting Professionals International (MPI)
• PRESENTED BY | Kevin Kirby, executive director, MPI Foundation
• WINNER | Sofiya Soushkevitch, Vistula University, Poland. This award celebrates and supports the shining stars of the future as part of the IMEX-MPI-MCI Future Leaders Forum International University Challenge.

CityDNA Summer School Award*

• SPONSOR | City Destinations Alliance
• PRESENTED BY | Barbara Jamison-Woods, president, City Destinations Alliance
• WINNERS | Dennis Speet, director, Amsterdam Convention Bureau, and Pier Paolo Mariotti, meeting manager, Eurac Research

*This award was a special one-off honor given this year. It recognizes individuals who have made an outstanding impact on the program by empowering participants with skills, connections, and confidence.

JANE E. SCHULDT MASTER MOTIVATOR AWARD

• SPONSOR | Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE)
• PRESENTED BY | Annette Gregg, CEO, SITE
• WINNER | Daryl Keywood, CEO, Walthers DMC. Walthers was recognized for his ability to lead with generosity and purpose as well as his success in advancing sustainable incentive travel across Africa.

INNOVATION IN SUSTAINABILITY AWARD

• SPONSORS | IMEX-Events Industry Council (EIC)
• PRESENTED BY | Amy Calvert, president and CEO, EIC
• WINNER | BEFuture. This award celebrates event professionals driving sustainability forward through innovation and collaboration. As a large, Europe-wide initiative providing funding to 80 innovation projects focused on climate and circularity, BEFuture was honored for demonstrating standout collaboration and an innovative model that’s set to make a genuine difference.

PAUL FLACKETT ACADEMY AWARDS

Named in honor of the former IMEX managing director, these awards celebrate exceptional individuals for the long-standing dedication to the industry and for driving forward innovation. This year, four individuals were honored.

• Ben Goedegebuure, former chief global strategy officer at Maritz and now principal of BG Global Perspectives
• Claire Smith, executive director, Convention Centres of Canada
• Don Welsh, president and CEO & Foundation executive director, Destinations International
• Sigrid Smuda-Fröschl, marketing manager, Conventions, Munich Convention Bureau

The Gala Dinner was sponsored by Atomic, Encore, Song Division, Marriott and Sheraton.