The Southern African Association for the Conference Industry (SAACI) has announced that its annual awards will first be made at branch level this year, where after these award recipients will compete for the national awards to be made at the association’s annual, national conference in July.

SAACI national chairperson Nina Freysen-Pretorius says the awards, which were started in 1997, recognise individuals who have made an extraordinary contribution to the enrichment and development of SAACI.  “By extending the awards to the branches, we are ensuring that the process becomes totally inclusive of the entire SAACI membership and we encourage members in the branches to nominate their candidates.”

SAACI has four branches with active members across South Africa, namely the Western Cape, Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Northern Territories, which includes the Free State, Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Limpopo, Botswana and Namibia.

Two established awards – the Fellowship and Personality of the Year Awards - will once again be made this year, while the Young Achiever Award will be made for the first time.

The Fellowship Award recognises long service and a special contribution to SAACI.  It is presented as an acknowledgement of a minimum of ten years of service, to a person who is a role model and mentor to young members and newcomers to SAACI.

The Personality of the Year Award goes to an individual who, by virtue of his or her involvement, made the greatest contribution to SAACI and the business tourism industry.  This person will have given over and above the call of duty to the association and the industry.

According to Freysen-Pretorius the Young Achiever Award has been introduced to recognise a person with a pioneering spirit, but also to encourage involvement of young industry professionals in SAACI.  Nominees for this award should be no older than 35 years and have contributed towards new developments within their own organisations or within the conference industry as a whole.

All entries must be accompanied by a supporting motivational statement and may also include further supporting documents for the judges’ perusal.

The closing date for regional entries is 30 April 2011.  After judging by regional judging panels, the respective winners will be announced at the branch Annual General Meetings in June or July.  These recipients will compete for the national awards, which will be presented at the annual SAACI banquet at the NH Lord Charles Hotel in Somerset West on 25 July 2011.

Issued by Junxion Communications