Neil Pompan, President of IACC, North America and COO of EMCVenues, welcomed an enthusiastic crowd of more than 450 conferees to The Heldrich in New Brunswick for the three-day event from April 19 - 21.  This was only the second time the annual conference was held in the Northeast.  The attendance level hit a seven-year high bringing attendance back to pre-9/11 numbers.  "That's a tribute to the health of our association and the conference center industry" commented Pompan.

The conference was highlighted by the presentation of IACC's most prestigious award, The Mel Hosansky Award for Distinguished Service, to Ron Naples, a 20-year veteran of the conference center industry and President of Maple Mountain Hospitality in Manchester Center, VT.  In addition to being the first recipient of IACC's highest education award, the Pyramid Award, Naples has received the Award for Teaching Excellence from New York University and serves as an adjunct assistant professor at NYU's Preston Robert Tisch Center for Hospitality and Sports Management.  He has also served as an instructor of the IACC Cornell Course for 12 years and is instrumental in developing a similar IACC course this year at the University of Georgia.  
 
Naples' celebrated career also includes active participation in IACC's Professional Leadership Development Committee, Membership Development Committee, Internships and the University Relations Task Force, and the New York University Special Interest Groups. A past member of the Board of Directors, Naples also served as co-chair and chair of the Annual Conference in 1988 and 1989, respectively.
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Ron Naples receiving the Mel Hosansky Award

Chef Langsub with Copper Skillet

• Kathryn Hauschild, a senior at Indiana University/Purdue University Indianapolis, winner of the IACC Conference Center Industry Award.
• Chanelle Dolbeare, a sophomore at NYU, winner of the IACC-NYU Doris Sklar Scholarship.
• Matthew Ardakadian, a junior at the University of Delaware, winner of the IACC Conference Center Scholarship.
• Samantha Mora, senior at Stephen F. Austin State University, winner of the IACC Conference Scholarship.  

With great ceremonial fanfare and a cheering crowd, the fourth annual Copper Skillet Award was given to Canada's Chef Assadang Langsub of Dolce International's Spencer Leadership Centre in London, Ontario. This was the second time that a Canadian captured the the Copper Skillet Award. He captivated the crowd and the three regional judges with his masterful creation of a Thai-themed dish he called Suwanphum Platter. With more than 23 years experience, Chef Langsub has worked in Japan, Thailand, Cambodia and Canada. He has developed a love of fruit and vegetable carving that he clearly demonstrated in his artistic creation during the competition.
 
The popular Copper Skillet competition was designed to highlight the artistry and skill of the best chefs from IACC-member conference centers around the world and to honor their contributions to the share goal of providing an outstanding conference center experience.  Competing Chefs represented IACC Chapters in The Netherlands, United States, United Kingdom, Sweden, Australia, Denmark and Canada.
 
The International Association of Conference Centers, founded in 1981, is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting understanding and awareness of the conference center industry. Active members meet a stringent set of Universal Criteria and agree to a Code of Ethics. Currently, the association includes approximately 400 members from the United States, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Sweden, France, England, The Netherlands, Germany, Spain and Japan. For more information, visit the website at www.iacconline.org.