CHICAGO, IL, October 1, 2008 -- Bruce Harris, CMP; John Patronski; and Tyra Hilliard, CMP, JD, will be honored at the 2009 Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) Education Foundation Dinner Celebrating Professional Achievement, April 15, 2009, at the Hilton Washington in Washington, D.C.

Harris is the founder of Conferon (now Experient) and this year's Meeting Professional Honoree. Patronski is the executive vice president of GES Exposition Services and the Supplier Partner Honoree. Hilliard, a professor at George Washington University, consultant, and industry speaker, is the Educator Honoree.

"The accomplishments of these three industry leaders are truly exceptional. They've dedicated their careers to advancing the meetings industry and their passion is unmatched. I look forward to recognizing them next spring," said PCMA President and CEO Deborah Sexton.

"I couldn't be more excited about the 2009 PCMA Education Foundation Dinner honorees," said PCMA Education Foundation Executive Director Susan Salem Euritt. "These three individuals are extremely deserving of this recognition; I'm already looking forward to next year's dinner and the opportunity to recognize the honorees."

In 1970, Harris founded Conferon, which is the first full-time and largest independent meeting-consulting firm in the world. In creating Conferon, Harris truly revolutionized the meetings and convention industry. Harris is credited by Tradeshow Week magazine and many others as "helping turn meeting planning into a profession." Conferon's employee training came to be considered the industry standard. Harris is also the founder, Director, and past CEO and Chairman of PlanSoft, an internet site selection solution. In addition, he has educated thousands of meeting professionals through his numerous speaking engagements at industry events and as the author of several articles for industry publications. Harris has supported PCMA by encouraging many of his employees to serve in various leadership roles within the organization. Harris has served on the PCMA Education Foundation Dinner Task Force and has been a longtime supporter of The Hospitality Helping Hands program.

Patronski, a 30-year veteran of the exhibition and meetings industry, is executive vice president of GES Exposition Services and a member of the GES senior management team. He began his career as Operations Director of the O'Hare International Trade & Exposition Center before joining Andrews-Bartlett and Associates, which merged with GES Exposition Services in 1993. Patronski has held various management and executive positions in operations, management, sales, and marketing. He is extremely active with many industry organizations, including PCMA, PCMA Education Foundation, International Association of Exhibition & Events, the Center for Exhibition Industry Research, and the Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau. Patronski has been a panelist/speaker at national industry events, contributor to industry-related publications and is active in industry committee work. A longtime member and supporter of PCMA, Patronski has served on the Board of Directors and is a past chair of the PCMA Education Foundation.

Hilliard has taught in the Master of Tourism Administration (MTA) program at George Washington University since 2002. In 2003, she developed the first and only graduate course in risk management for events and meetings. She served as the director of the GW International Institute of Tourism Studies (IITS) from 2003-2005. Through her work and through her industry activity, Hilliard has been on the leading edge of many issues that impact meetings, including: risk management, contractual and other legal issues, and adult learning and education. As a professor, Hilliard has worked with other faculty and university administrators throughout the world to design curriculum that reflects current industry realities. She remains on the forefront of advancing virtual learning for academia and meetings. A dedicated PCMA member, Hilliard has participated on the PCMA Capital Chapter Emerging Leaders Committee, the PCMA Faculty Task Force, the PCMA Council on Education, the PCMA Membership Advisory Committee, and the PCMA Capital Chapter Education Committee. She is also a contributing author to Professional Meeting Management, PCMA's industry text adopted by more than 110 colleges and universities. She is a regular contributor to the "Legal-on-the-Go" PCMA Webinar Series.

For more information about the 2009 PCMA Education Foundation Dinner Celebrating Professional Achievement, visit the PCMA Web site at www.pcma.org/foundation.

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The Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) is the professional resource center and premier educator for the meetings and convention industry. Founded in 1957, PCMA represents the interests of meeting management executives from associations, non-profit organizations, corporations, independent meeting planning companies, and multi-management firms who recognize the importance of meetings to their organization. PCMA empowers members with the tools they need to succeed as meeting professionals and to promote the value of the industry to their organizations and the general public. Headquartered in Chicago, PCMA has 16 chapters throughout the United States and Canada. For additional information, please visit the PCMA Web site at www.pcma.org.

The role of the PCMA Education Foundation is to support the mission of the PCMA through fundraising and grant giving focused on education and research that will benefit the meetings and conventions industry. Established in 1985, the Foundation supports educational programs to improve professionalism in the meetings industry and to provide a university-level meeting management curriculum. The Foundation provides educational programs for meeting managers, hotels, convention and visitors bureaus, and other members of the meetings industry. It also conducts ongoing research of industry issues and concerns. The Foundation continually funds new programs to encourage the highest levels of professionalism in the meetings industry.