On November 8, 2023, MEET Missouri hosted its annual MEET Up! expo in collaboration with the St. Louis Business Expo. The event, held at the St. Charles Convention Center, provided meeting professionals with expert speakers and suppliers of the hospitality industry. Concurrently, the MEET Elite Awards were presented during a luncheon where Joe Clote, Group Publisher of MEET Publications, presented three MEET Elite Awards. These awards acknowledged the outstanding contributions of industry professionals who have consistently delivered exceptional service and promoted excellence within the meetings and events industry over the years. The recipients of these awards were selected by the editors and writers of MEET Missouri and qualified by having over 10 years of experience in the business, excellence in service, and participating in industry associations designed to train and educate in best practices.
Maria Davis of Missouri Realtors was the recipient of the MEET Elite Planner Excellence Award. This accolade is a testament to her commitment and impactful contributions to the meetings and events industry over 20+ years. Maria’s passion for excellence and her ability to orchestrate successful events have set a high standard in our industry. Clote said he “does not recall a conference or training session that our industry provided, where Maria was not participating and consistently working toward self-improvement as a planner.”
KLEERTECH was the awarded the MEET Elite Supplier Excellence Award and Barbara Kramer McKye, Sales Representative and Executive Vice President, accepted on behalf of the Fenton, MO based company. Since 1985, KLEERTECH has provided event planners with high quality, low-cost meeting supplies. As the industry has grown and evolved, KLEERTECH has reinvented themselves to continuously lead the way by offering environmentally sustainable choices and registration services to meet any meeting need.
“For 20 plus years that I have known this company, they have always put the customers’ needs first and this was proven by the commitment to provide biodegradable products when the industry said it can’t be done, and they did it,” said Clote.
The St. Charles Convention Center received the MEET Elite Venue Excellence Award. The St. Charles Convention Center has provided excellence to the hospitality industry for nearly 20 years. They continue to provide outstanding service for all of their meetings and events. Mark Tenholder, General Manager of the St. Charles Convention Center, accepted the award. Clote said he remembers “how quick the St. Charles Convention Center responded to the COVID-19 pandemic and provided state-of-the-art air handlers that provided conditions for safer air to be enjoyed by conventioneers when many convention centers were shutting down.”
Congratulations to all of the recipients of the MEET Elite Awards!
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