Trade Show News Network (TSNN) is thrilled to unveil the 2023 TSNN Awards top honorees for the Industry Icon Award, Sustainability Award and DEI Leadership Award. 

All of the award honorees will be celebrated Oct. 27-29 at the 2023 TSNN Awards at the Puerto Rico Convention Center in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The two-day event will kick off with an opening party at the Sheraton Puerto Rico Resort and Casino sponsored by Discover Puerto Rico, followed the next day by an education conference at the Puerto Rico Convention Center and an awards gala at the Museum of Art of Puerto Rico and after-party at the Sheraton. 

Industry Icon Award

Bob Maricich, Chairman and CEO, ANDMORE 

Bob Maricich is the Chairman and CEO of ANDMORE – formerly International Market Centers (IMC) – the premier omnichannel wholesale marketmaker for the gift, home furnishings and apparel industries. 

Maricich was instrumental in envisioning and developing the strategy for the creation of International Market Centers, L.P. In 2011, he founded IMC with sponsors Bain Capital and Oaktree Capital Management, raising more than $1 billion to fund the purchase of the International Home Furnishings Center, the ShowPlace properties and the Market Square properties in High Point, NC, and merging them with the World Market Center in Las Vegas to form the world’s largest operator of premier permanent showroom and trade show space for the furnishings, home décor and gift industries. During the next five years, IMC built or purchased five additional buildings in High Point, NC, bringing their total to 17 buildings.

In 2017, Maricich led IMC’s transition to new ownership by Blackstone, one of the world’s leading investment firms, and Fireside Investments. In 2018, he directed IMC’s acquisitions of AmericasMart in Atlanta, and the subsequent acquisition of the Atlanta Decorative Arts Center (ADAC), creating a compelling portfolio spanning the east and west coasts of the U.S. that now encompasses more than 22 million square feet of B2B exhibition space. With the AmericasMart acquisiton, IMC also became the managing partner of LightFair, one of North America’s largest architectural and commercial lighting trade shows and conferences, as well as owner and operator of the Atlanta Convention Center at AmericasMart, which hosts dozens of outside events, meetings and conferences each year. 

In 2020, despite the COVID shutdown, IMC constructed the 315,000 sq.-ft. Expo at World Market Center Las Vegas, addressing the lack of downtown Las Vegas exhibit space. In 2022, IMC acquired luxury trade show Shoppe Object and has since expanded it. In 2023, IMC rebranded to ANDMORE, repositioning the company as a fully omnichannel marketmaker utilizing digital tools to extend the value of physical markets and fuel year-round opportunities for buyers and sellers to connect and grow.

Under Maricich’s leadership, ANDMORE serves more than 350,000 global wholesale buyers through its physical markets, design centers and digital channels. It presents some 34 apparel, furniture, gift, home décor and lifestyle markets and buying events – in permanent showroom space and trade show exhibits – in Atlanta; High Point, NC; Las Vegas; and New York. More than 2,200 exhibitors showcase their products in permanent showroom spaces. It brings in an additional 7,000 temporary exhibitors in 2 million sq. ft. of trade show exhibit space each year.

“I am honored to be the 2023 TSNN Industry Icon Award honoree,” Maricich said. “When ANDMORE was founded, my intention was to create an exceptional company of enduring value. Through periods of growth and innovation as well as disruption, we have upheld that promise. ANDMORE is proud to provide opportunities for buyers and sellers to connect, grow and prosper through physical markets, design centers and digital channels like no one else in the industry. I accept this honor on behalf of the whole ANDMORE team and our unwavering commitment to putting our customers first.”

DEI Leadership Award

Don Pietranczyk, VP, Experience & Education, Informa Markets, Fashion

With a fashion career spanning more than 25 years, Don Pietranczyk, Vice President of Experience and Education at Informa Markets Fashion, brings advanced ideas and education to life. As the mastermind behind bespoke onsite experiences and educational programming for MAGIC, PROJECT, COTERIE and SOURCING at MAGIC, Pietranczyk utilizes his deep industry connections, education certifications and fashion acumen to create powerhouse experiences that cater to all levels of the fashion portfolio.
He is the U.S. lead for Informa’s LGBTQIA+ colleague run network, Rainbow, and the fashion lead for Informa Markets’ group sustainability efforts. Pietranczyk is also a founding member of IMFC: Informa Markets Fashion for Change whose mission is to foster allyship, inclusion and equality within the fashion community through programs that nurture and spotlight minority-owned, women-owned and LGBTQIA+-owned fashion brands across men’s and women’s apparel, accessories and footwear categories. The inaugural project, The Incubator Program, sought to elevate and better support new design talent for Black-owned brands by providing complimentary booth space on the showfloor.

“It’s pretty amazing to get recognized and honored for something you love to do and truly believe in,” Pietranczyk said. “I’m grateful to be able to do the work I do for amazing company such as Informa and for our colleagues and customers. I look forward to continuing this important work and expanding the DEI messages wherever and whenever possible.”

Sustainability Award

Questex

Questex unveiled its roadmap to reducing global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for both the company and its events. The initiative – called Quest Zero – allows Questex to drive positive change across the communities it serves and live up to its mission to serve the communities that are helping people live longer and better.   

The Quest Zero initiative will help Questex reduce GHG emissions by 50% by 2030 and achieve net zero by 2050 at the latest. Questex’s timeline for reaching net zero:

2023: Measuring carbon emissions using TRACE tool. Eight events will be measured to represent the entire portfolio and provide baseline data  

End of 2023: Publish Questex’s plan to achieve its goal to reach Net Zero

2025: Systems in place to measure corporate and event footprint and sustainability criteria is embedded in all contracts    

2030: Reduce global GHG emissions by 50% 

2035: Remaining activities/items are replaced with renewable, reusable, sustainable alternatives  

2040: Residual carbon emissions are removed from the atmosphere using robust and accredited carbon capture or removal processes   

2050: Achieve net zero 

To accomplish this goal, Questex’s International Beauty Show (IBS) Las Vegas and the International Esthetics, Cosmetics, & Spa Conference (IECSC) partnered with GLO  (Green Life Organization), which provides zero-landfill recycling solutions, to educate the beauty and spa industries to reduce salon and spa waste. In North America, the salon industry produces 421,206 lbs. of waste every day, resulting in 150 million lbs. annually, according to Simply Organic. 

IBS and IECSC, which were held June 24-26 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, worked with GLO to provide recycling boxes for items such as foil, hair, brushes, gloves and different types of plastic and paper. GLO placed four different types of recycle boxes – hair recycling, mixed recycling, aerosol recycling and flammable recycling – throughout the co-located shows to encourage exhibitors and attendees to recycle the waste produced during the event. At the end of the shows, the GLO Collection Boxes were processed to avoid landfill. 

“Being given the prestigious TSNN Sustainability Award is a tremendous honor for Questex,” said Elizabeth Fantetti Trevorrow, Event and Partnership Director, Beauty & Spa Industry, Questex. “We take great pride in being acknowledged as a leader in safeguarding our natural resources and raising awareness about the possibilities trade show organizers have in promoting sustainable options and resources. We are grateful for the recognition of our partnership with the esteemed organization GLO Recycling, as this award highlights our shared commitment to sustainable practices. Thank you for acknowledging our efforts and bestowing this esteemed award upon us.”

Nominations Open

Nominations for Outstanding Show Pro and the Innovations Awards in 12 categories are still being accepted. Has your show done something truly innovative that deserves to be recognized with a 2023 TSNN Innovation Award? Are you a show organizer or do you know of one who should be nominated for the TSNN Outstanding Show Pro award? 

The finalists will be invited to attend the 2023 TSNN Awards weekend, Oct. 27-29 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. 

Here are the forms to submit:

• Outstanding Show Pro
• Innovation Awards

Deadline is Aug. 15! 

Sponsor Support

The TSNN Awards would not be possible without the support of our sponsors: Host sponsor Discover Puerto Rico, Registration Sponsor Maritz Global Events, Gold Sponsors ASP and Fern, Silver Sponsor Convention Data Services, A Freeman Company, and Expocad, Presenting Sponsors SmartSource, Expo Convention Contractors, SMT Expo and epIQ Creative Group and Media Sponsors The Photo Group and CNTV.

Supporting associations include SISO, IAEE, ESCA and UFI.

There are a limited number of sponsorships available. For sponsorship enquiries, please contact John Rice or Diane Bjorklund.

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