The winners securing a place on the Meetings Industry Association’s (MIA) prestigious miaList 2024 were revealed last night, at a celebratory event held in Liverpool.
Competition for a place on the trade association’s coveted roll of honour, which rewards both individuals as well as organisations and teams who epitomise excellence in the business meetings and events sector, was extremely fierce following another year of record-breaking nominations.
As the nominees gathered alongside their industry peers at Hilton Liverpool City Centre following the association’s annual miaSummit, the celebratory event shone a spotlight on the inspiring talent working across the sector while publicly recognising their achievements, skills and contributions.
Opening the honours, a Special Recognition Award was presented to Figen Murray – the driving force behind Martyn’s Law. Following the tragic death of her son in the 2017 Manchester Arena terrorist attack, Figen has tirelessly campaigned to significantly reduce the opportunities by deterring terrorists from targeting areas where people congregate with the introduction of the new legislation.
The 10 individuals to secure a place this year were:
- Becky Andrews – Pavilions of Harrogate
- Ash Brown – Grand Hotel Brighton
- Jenner Carter – Lime Venue Portfolio
- Christie Gaskin – Hilton Birmingham Metropole
- Jo Lake – Brighter
- Rekah Lyons – Belfry Hotel & Resort
- Clair O’Mara – Radisson Blu East Midlands Airport
- Francesca Pacinella – Barbican
- Amy Phillips – ICC Wales
- Aziza Yessi – Mercure Manchester Piccadilly
Rising Star Award
Rose Griffiths – emc3
Event of the Year
Worldspan – Project Sunflower
Campaign of the Year
Valor Hospitality – Valorfest 2024
Best New Initiative
The Venues Collection – Made Without Dairy Desserts Menu
Destination Team of the Year
Liverpool Convention Bureau
Sales & Marketing Team of the Year
Edgbaston Park Hotel and Conference Centre
Event & Operations Team of the Year
Brighter (part of Clarity Business Travel)
Venue of the Year (Under 300 delegates)
Victory Services Club
Venue of the Year (Over 300 delegates)
Whittlebury Park
Agency of the Year
Eventurous
Supplier of the Year
Eventurous
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Award
Fast Forward 15
Sustainability Award
Eventurous
For the first time in the miaList’s 14-year history, a fundraising raffle was also incorporated into the proceedings that raised £3,860 for La Salle Hotel School, which is on a mission to empower young people by constructing a facility that nurtures individuals to excel in the hospitality industry.
MIA chief executive, Kerrin MacPhie, said: “On behalf of the MIA I would like to congratulate all those who have secured a place on the 2024 miaList. It is a truly remarkable achievement as they have joined a very prestigious roll of honour and a legacy of sector excellence that serves as an inspiration to us all.
“I would like to extend my thanks to our event partners and sponsors as well as our panel of judges who had the unenviable job of determining who should be the finalists and the eventual winners of this year’s miaList. Thanks to the unprecedented level of nominations, it really was no easy task to determine who was most worthy of a place this year.”
miaList nominees were assessed by an expert panel of industry professionals including iVvy’s Caroline Dawson, QEII Centre’s Mark Green, Event Wales’s Heledd Williams, Meet & Potato’s Jon Kelly, Venue Directory’s Jason Gutteridge, Leopold Marketing’s Leo Lloyd, Jigsaw Talent Solutions’ Robert Kenward, XSEM’s Caroline Medcalf, The Belfry Hotel & resort’s Katie Niland and the Event Apprenticeships Advisory Board’s Richard Waddington.
