Thursday, January 23, 2025 Sheriff Karamat, CAE, President & CEO of PCMA and CEMA, is delighted to announce the 2025 Visionary Awards Lifetime Achievement Honorees and Professional Excellence Finalists. This highly anticipated annual event, honoring the most outstanding contributors to the global business events industry, will take place on Thursday, April 10, during Business Events Industry Week (BEIW) at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.
C. Revealed during Convening Leaders 2025 in Houston, Texas, the distinguished honorees for the 2025 Visionary Awards are: Elliott Ferguson | Lyn Lewis-Smith Elliott Ferguson, with over 35 years of experience in travel and hospitality, has consistently demonstrated visionary leadership and a commitment to the advancement of the global business events and hospitality community. His efforts to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion are evident through his involvement with numerous industry organizations and initiatives such as Washington, D.
C.’s Tourism Recovery District, which has bolstered the city’s standing as a top-tier business events destination. Lyn Lewis-Smith is a recognized leader and advocate for diversity, inclusion, and gender equity in business events.
As CEO of BESydney, she played a pivotal role in initiatives like the Advancing Women in Business Events report, developed in partnership with PCMA and PwC UK, which offered actionable recommendations to bridge leadership gender gaps and foster inc.