Events Industry Icon Lois Stratemeier Passes

Lois Stratemeier, CAE, was inducted into the Events Industry Council Hall of Leaders in 1997.

Lois Stratemeier, a pioneer in the business events industry, passed away on March 30 at the age of 90. Stratemeier started as a clerk in the meetings department at the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, eventually becoming the head of the department and managing 300 meetings a year. She remained with the academy for 37 years, during which time she devoted her expertise to an industry she loved, volunteering at the Convention Liaison Council, now the Events Industry Council, and PCMA, and assuming leadership roles at both organizations. She was elected as the first woman chair of the Convention Industry Council in 1986, at a time when few women held any leadership roles in the industry. In 1980, she was elected to the PCMA Board of Directors and became president (chair) in 1988, only the third woman to hold that post.

In 1993, she received PCMA’s highest honor, the Professional Achievement Award, and was inducted into the Events Industry Council Hall of Leaders in 1997.

“Lois was a trailblazer for women in the business events industry,” said Sherrif Karamat, PCMA President & CEO. “When I first became a member of PCMA, her name was almost legendary. PCMA and the business events industry owe her a debt of gratitude for her dedication to the profession and for opening the doors for other women in the industry to assume leadership roles. Her professionalism, high standards, and warm personality helped to shape the industry. She was one of the first single contributors to the PCMA Foundation and was a Legacy Society Member.”

A memorial mass will be held at Cortelyou Commons at DePaul University Campus, 2324 N Fremont Street, Chicago, at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 14. There is a parking garage at 2331 North Sheffield.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to The Lois Stratemeier Endowed Scholarship Fund at DePaul University Chicago.

Learn more about Stratemeier’s legacy in a video created for her induction in the EIC the Hall of Leaders below.