Press Releases

MeetingTechOnline Announces Innovator Award Winners

October 8th, 2008 – Austin, TX – MeetingTechOnline is pleased to announce the 2008 Innovator Award winners.

The winners include Chris Brown for the Mentor award, Shawn Pierce for the Rising Star award, and Rajiv Jain for the Entrepreneur award.

Stephen Nold, Publisher of MeetingTechOnline, states, “The MeetingTechOnline Innovators Award is about the people behind the technology.  Each category selection was based on conversations with suppliers, show managers, association executives and meeting planners who understand and appreciate the value of the relationships required to design and execute award winning solutions in the event and exhibition industry.  Each one of these award winners, Chris Brown, Shawn Pierce and Rajiv Jain, have demonstrated their commitment to long term technology partnerships and the desire to enhance industry innovations.”

Brown, Executive Vice President of Conventions and Business Operations for the National Association of Broadcasters, seemed flattered by the award.  He states, “It is somewhat of a surprise, but very gratifying, to be recognized as an innovator in the area of technology.  I am by no means a tech-head, but I do believe strongly that technology can play a huge role in our business and as a driver in the tradeshow industry as a whole.  Hopefully this means that I have helped encourage others to push the envelope and employ technology more proactively to improve the value proposition delivered by their shows.”

Pierce, Vice President of Divisional Operations for Hanley Wood, credits the industry in general for his success.  He shares, “I am honored to accept the MTO Innovator Award. While I would love to take all of the credit for this prestigious award, that is far from the truth.  Our innovation is the result of a group effort – from the great Hanley Wood Exhibitions team and Senior Management to exceptional vendors that are dedicated to our success.”

Jain, CEO of a2z, Inc., views the award as a reaffirmation of the changing needs and trends of the tradeshow industry in the 21st century.  He expresses, “It is an honor to receive the MTO Innovator Award for 2008. The events industry is undergoing significant structural and technical advances. This award reinforces a2z’s focus on providing solutions that help our clients manage and grow their businesses at this time of great change. We at a2z will continue our efforts to deliver value to our clients and the industry at large.”

MeetingTechOnline Summit 2008, focusing on Social Media and Exhibition Tools, will fill a need in the industry to educate show organizers and meeting planners on the strategies for harnessing the power of the internet and how it impacts exhibitions and events.

Keynote speaker will be David Meerman Scott, an experience professional who has established a workable framework of rules that can be applied to the design of technology for exhibitions and events. He will offer how our show communities can break out of a confined view of the world and begin to reach a whole new audience.

MeetingTechOnline Summit 2008 is to be held at the InterContinental Chicago O’Hare Hotel, November 6th in Rosemont, IL.  Those interested in attending should visit http://summit.MeetingTechOnline.com for registration information.

MeetingTechOnline is the premier website for online education of exhibition and event technology.  For more information about MeetingTechOnline, please visit http://www.MeetingTechOnline.com or contact Crystal Lloyd at 1.512.310.0628