(St. Louis, MO ) – April 2011 -- At the 30th Annual Conference of the International Association of Conference Centers–Americas, President Peter Stockmann presented scholarships and awards to deserving students in hospitality programs.  The IACC Scholarship Fund is supported through a voluntary supplement to annual membership dues.

IACC Conference Center Industry Award
Leah Bernick was presented the IACC Industry Award.  She received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Virginia and is currently pursuing her Master of Tourism Administration Degree in Event & Meeting Management at The George Washington University School of Business.

Now in its tenth year, this $5,000 scholarship was established by the IACC-Americas Board of Directors as part of a broader initiative to introduce the leaders of tomorrow to the advantage of choosing a career in conference centers.  The award helps offset the growing cost of education and it includes registration fees, transportation and accommodations at the Annual Conference in the spring of the award year.

The Doris Sklar Award
Eun Jin Lee was presented with the Doris Sklar Award.  EJ is pursuing her B.S. in Hotel & Tourism Management with a concentration in Marketing & Revenue Management in the Preston Robert Tisch Center at New York University.

In 1997, IACC joined forces with NYU's Tisch School of Hospitality Management to fund this award in honor of Doris Sklar, long-time supporter of the conference center industry and highly recognized leader in the meetings industry. First awarded in 1999, each year the Doris Sklar Award provides a $4,000 grant-in-aid to a deserving hospitality student at New York University.

IACC Future Leaders Award
Each year, IACC offers individual scholarships that enable one or more students to participate in the IACC-Americas Annual Conference.  These awards are granted to students of hospitality in good standing at accredited institutions. The award package includes one conference registration, transportation to and from the conference and full CMP accommodations on-site (approximate value - $3000.00).

This year’s Future Leaders Award was presented in honor of Owen Rabourn,  a long-time executive with GTE, Rabourn spent eight years immersed in the establishment and operation of one of IACC’s earliest members, the GTE Management Development Center in Norwalk, CT.

The award was presented to Christina Mott, a senior in the Department of Tourism & Hospitality at Central Connecticut State University in New Britain, Connecticut.

A Conference & Event Services Intern at Yale University, Christina has also studied internationally in Rome and Florence, Italy; is a member of the Golden Key International Honor Society; and is a recipient of the WCSU Housing & Residence Life Academic Recognition Award.

IACC Global Scholarship
The IACC Global Scholarship was presented to Charlotte Dath, Conference Sales Manager at Dolce La Hulpe in Brussels, Belgium.  Charlotte is a graduate of Institut de préparation à l'administration générale (IPAG) in Paris with a concentration on international business with an option in hospitality management and tourism.

This scholarship was established to recognize an emerging leader who has been a full-time employee for two years and demonstrates an interest in pursuing a career in conference centers.  It is presented to a young staff member of an IACC facility to attend either the Annual Conference of IACC Americas, or the IACC Global Meeting.  The award package includes conference registration, transportation to and from the conference and full CMP onsite.

Founded in 1981, the International Association of Conference Centres is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting understanding and awareness of the conference center industry and to giving member properties the tools necessary to provide an exceptional meeting experience. Active members meet a set of stringent Universal Criteria and agree to a Code of Ethics. Currently, the association includes approximately 400 members from the United States, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Sweden, Belgium, France, England, The Netherlands, Germany and Japan. For more information, visit the website at www.iacconline.org.  IACC = exceptional meeting experiences.