DMC: Ovation Global Launches the Huggability Award

Tuesday, 08.12.2009
Bear. Ovation Global DMC  has unveiled The Huggability Award. Launched by Ovation Bear, the award has been introduced to recognise those individuals who make a real impact, positive and otherwise, within the meetings industry, those with the ‘huggability factor’. Commenting on the awards launch, Patrick Delaney, Managing Director of Ovation Global DMC, said “This exciting […]

Bear. Ovation Global DMC  has unveiled The Huggability Award. Launched by Ovation Bear, the award has been introduced to recognise those individuals who make a real impact, positive and otherwise, within the meetings industry, those with the ‘huggability factor’. Commenting on the awards launch, Patrick Delaney, Managing Director of Ovation Global DMC, said “This exciting new award is a way of hugging someone or congratulating them for a great achievement or for simply being a loveable pain in the ass. We are thrilled with the steady stream of nominations already received and look forward to receiving lots more”.

Some of those nominations include Brenda Anderson for ‘her work on behalf of Site and in lobbying US politicians throughout 2009 for support to the Meetings and Events Industry’ and Rob Davidson, Senior Lecturer in Business Travel & Tourism at the University of Westminster for ‘his enthusiasm, involvement and passion for the meetings industry, especially for bringing young people into this business as well as his charm and personality’. The impressive industry contribution of Andrea Michels from Extraordinary Events has also been recognised with ‘her pioneering work in bringing optimism and hope to our industry by instituting the weekly “Good News Paper” earning a nomination.

Ovation Global DMC has named Rob Davidson its Most Huggable Person of 2009. The announcement was made today at EIBTM, Barcelona where Davidson was presented with a specially commissioned award by Ovation Managing Directors Patrick Delaney and Padraic Gilligan. Senior lecturer in Business Travel and Tourism at the University of Westminster in London, Rob Davidson is equally recognised as author of extensive writings on conference and business travel and as a highly sought after speaker at international conferences on the theme of trends in business tourism.

His ‘‘enthusiasm, involvement and passion for the meetings industry, especially for bringing young people into the business as well as his charm and personality‘‘ were cited as being deserving of the Huggability Award as was the fact that he hugs with ‘‘so much enthusiasm that he lifts spirits immediately‘‘.

Presenting Davidson with the award, Ovation Managing Director Patrick Delaney said ‘‘Among the flood of nominations received, we were impressed to see not one, not two but three distinct nominations coming in for Rob and from far flung locations such as North America, Portugal and Vienna. His loyal and consistent support of the meetings industry at all levels makes him a worthy winner of the Huggability Award.

Fellow Managing Director Padraic Gilligan added ‘‘Its fitting this award be presented to Rob at EIBTM, the platform for the launch of his insightful annual report on industry trends and market share‘‘.

www.ovationdmc.com