More than 1,400 members of the International Assn. of Business Communicators were present last night in the New York Hilton as nearly 300 Gold Quill Awards were handed out in eight different categories.
IABC's website published an alphabetical list (PDF) of the winners of Awards of Excellence and Merit.
Speakers were also listed as were the numerous sponsors of the event that concludes tomorrow.
Special award winners included: 2013 Sharon Berzok Student Award winner, Aimee Adams, student at Avila University; 2013 Jake Whittmer Research Award winner, Cynthia Tetaka from Hydro One Corporate Communications; Business Issue Award winner, Jane Mitchell from HarknessKennett for work on employee communications at HSBC.
IABC is seeking an interim executive director who will take over the duties of Christopher Sorek, who resigned in May after nearly a year on the job. The organization wants a "high-touch interim leader who can engage staff and key stakeholders in providing a strong and stable foundation for the Association as it implement a new strategic direction."
The IABC conference, which expects total attendance to be nearly 2,000, was $1,430 for regular members and $1,995 for non-members (the price includes one-year of IABC membership).
Springfield Lewis of newsroomink.com has urged various reforms at IABC.
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| O'Dwyer's publisher Jack O'Dwyer with Esben Hostager, senior parnter, Jop, Ove & Myrthu of Copenhagen |
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| IABC Gold Quill chair Tim Buckley (left), chair of U.K. employee comms. agency AB, Kathryn Yates of Towers Watson, who sponsored the Gold Quills, and Kerby Meyers, chair of the International Executive Board. |
| Photos: Sharlene Spingler |
IABC, reflecting declines in corporate PR employment, showed a drop in net assets from $1M in 2012 to $222K in 2016 after a dip to $14K in 2015.
Claire Watson,
The International Association of Business Communicators, which lost $529K in 2013, needs new sources of revenues and should target the 28 million small and medium-sized businesses in the U.S., says chair Russell Grossman.
A dispute with web builder that has tied up $552,067 in funds, zooming severance and legal payments from firing 16 staffers en masse, “whopping” rent of $430,000, zoomng board expenses and other financial woes were told to IABCers yesterday.
Melissa Dark, an Australian internal communications consultant and former corporate staffer, has joined International Association of Business Communicators in San Francisco as director of communication and member services.
