EIC Announces 2026 Hall of Leaders Honorees
By Todd McElwee
A sextet of heralded professionals are being inducted into the Events Industry Council’s (EIC) Hall of Leaders (HOL).
Elliott L. Ferguson II, President & CEO, Destination DC; Robert Priest-Heck, Retired CEO, Freeman; David Kliman, CMM, Co-founder ELX and Owner, The Kliman Group; Kit Lykketoft, Director of Convention, Wonderful Copenhagen; Weemin Ong, CEM, CMP, Vice President of Sales & MICE, Marina Bay Sands; and Annamaria Ruffini, CIS, CITP, CMP, President & CEO, Events In & Out, will be honored in Las Vegas on October 12 during an event hosted by MGM Resorts International.
“Through the EIC Global Awards, we recognize the leaders and innovators propelling the international events industry forward,” said Amy Calvert, President & CEO, EIC. “This year’s Hall of Leader inductees and award recipients reflect the rich diversity of talent defining our global community, uniting legendary leaders who anchored our industry’s legacy with dynamic new voices driving its future. Ultimately, these awards remind us that business events are a powerful catalyst for human connection, community resilience, and global innovation.”
Ferguson has been in his current role since 2009. He was U.S. Travel’s National Chair in 2019–2020, and prior to Destination DC, was vice president of sales at the Atlanta CVB. He’s served with Brand USA, is in U.S. Travel’s Hall of Leaders, and was in the Air Force National Guard from 1985–1992.
A meetings industry leader for more than three decades, Priest-Heck spent 14 years at Freeman, before retiring in 2024. In 2025, IAEE honored him with its Lifetime Achievement Award, which highlights a member who has changed the direction of the industry and made a significant impact on how it operates. He works with San Diego State University L. Robert Payne School of Hospitality and Tourism Management and is on the board at PRA.
Kliman has been recognized with the Paul Flackett IMEX Academy Award Winner and MPI’s International Meeting Planner of the Year honor. He is the co-founder of the Event Leaders Exchange (ELX) and worked closely with EIC on COVID recovery efforts. He founded the Kliman Group, whose offerings include communications consulting, in 2002.
Lykketoft is a green leader within hospitality. She’s been at Wonderful Copenhagen for nine years, has been active with PCMA, was Best Cities Global Alliance’s Chair and participated with Sport Event Denmark. Currently, she is serving on the Convene4Climate C4C Advisory Board.
Ong’s HSMAI Asia Pacific profile notes service with PCMA’s Board of Directors roughly a decade ago. It added he was the Asian meeting professional to be appointed. Prior to joining Marina Bay Sands in 2012, Wee Min was the chief commercial officer at Suntec Singapore. He has been active in the Singapore Association of Convention & Exhibition Organizers & Suppliers (SACEOS).
Ruffini started her firm in 2003, which she said has allowed her to express her knowledge and work skills to the fullest and, at the same time, to work professionally within the international scenario of incentive travel and events. In 2018, she was elected President of SITE.
EIC also announced Pacesetter Award, Social Impact and Award Adaptation and Innovation Award recipients.
The Pacesetter Award recognizes emerging leaders with a proven track record of successful leadership and who are making an impact on advancing the industry. James Filtz, CMP, CPCE, CHE, Sr. Principal Solutions Consultant, Cvent, and Evan Nielson, CMP, Sr. Event Manager, AARP, are the honorees.
The Social Impact Award highlights extraordinary effort on the part of an individual and or organization in the areas of people, planet, and prosperity aligned with UN SDGs. Anna Abdelnoor, CEO and Founder, ISLA, and Alisson Batres, CEO, Organización, S.A.
The Adaptation and Innovation Award honors extraordinary effort on the part of an individual or organization in the areas of adaptation and innovation to ensure the industry’s relevance now and into the future. Chin-Hsun (Ken) Tsai, Ph.D., Associate Professor: Program Director of Event Management Program, Iowa State University, is the recipient.
“The strength of the business events industry is built upon the passion, ideas, dedication and innovation of so many professionals,” said EIC Board Chair and President of Incentive Research Foundation Stephanie Harris. “The EIC Global Awards provide us with an opportunity to shine a light on the exceptional people and organizations that are making a lasting impact through their leadership while inspiring us as we look toward the future.”
“MGM Resorts is honored to host the EIC Global Awards once again in Las Vegas and to welcome our global business events community for this important celebration,” said Stephanie Glanzer, CMP, Chief Sales Officer and Sr. Vice President at MGM Resorts International. “This year’s recipients represent the very best of our industry, leaders and organizations whose vision, service and commitment continue to shape how we gather, connect and create meaningful impact. At its heart, this celebration is a reminder of what makes business events so powerful: the ability to bring people together, strengthen relationships and inspire progress that extends far beyond the event itself.”