CHICAGO, IL, June 17, 2008 -- Each year the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) honors outstanding individuals and organizations for their contributions to PCMA and the meetings and hospitality industry. Nominations for the 2008 PCMA Achievement and Recognition Awards are being accepted now through July 31, 2008. The prestigious awards are presented at the PCMA Annual Meeting, January 11-14, 2009, in New Orleans, LA.

This year, PCMA has created a new Environmental Leadership Award. This award will honor an individual or organization who demonstrates environmental leadership by executing an "environmentally friendly" meeting/event or integrating "environmentally friendly" business practices into their workplace. This recipient has established and implemented detailed environmental policies and a strategy to execute them.

In addition to the Environmental Leadership Award, PCMA will present the following awards at the 2009 PCMA Annual Meeting:

Distinguished Meeting Professional of the Year Award -- presented annually to a member of PCMA who exemplifies professional excellence, in recognition of their involvement, commitment and achievements over the past year.

Distinguished Convention Service Manager of the Year Award -- PCMA recognizes that the convention services department often determines the success of meetings and conventions. The Distinguished Convention Service Manager Award is presented annually to a convention service manager or convention coordinator. The nominee does not need to be a member of PCMA.

Spirit Award -- created to recognize and honor an organization that has significantly affected lives in a charitable or humanitarian way through the meetings and conventions industry.

Educator of the Year Award -- recognizing that the future of our industry depends on a well-educated, professional work force, the PCMA Educator of the Year Award honors speakers, educators, and college and university faculty for outstanding contributions to the meetings and convention industry. The nominee does not need to be a member of PCMA.

Distinguished Member of the Year Award -- for more than 20 years, PCMA has presented the Distinguished Member of the Year Award (formerly titled the Distinguished Service Award) to honor members who have made exemplary contributions to PCMA.

Outstanding Service to a Chapter Award -- honors one member who has made an outstanding contribution to PCMA through its network of chapters.

 For more information on nominating an individual or organization for PCMA's 2008 Achievement Awards, visit www.pcma.org/awards.

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 The Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) is the professional resource and premier educator for the meetings and convention industry. Founded in 1957, PCMA represents the interests of meeting management executives from associations, non-profit organizations, corporations, independent meeting planning companies, and multi-management firms who recognize the importance of meetings to their organization. PCMA empowers members with the tools they need to succeed as meeting professionals and to promote the value of the industry to their organizations and the general public. Headquartered in Chicago, PCMA has 16 chapters throughout the United States and Canada. For additional information, please visit the PCMA Web site at www.pcma.org.

The role of the PCMA Education Foundation is to support the mission of the PCMA through fundraising and grant giving focused on education and research that will benefit the meetings and conventions industry. Established in 1985, the Foundation supports educational programs to improve professionalism in the meetings industry and to provide a university-level meeting management curriculum. The Foundation funds educational programs for meeting managers, hotels, convention and visitors bureaus, and other members of the meetings industry. It also conducts ongoing research of industry issues and concerns. The Foundation continually funds new programs to encourage the highest levels of professionalism in the meetings industry.