PHILADELPHIA — The International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE) honored Jonathan “Skip” Cox with its 2021 Pinnacle Award at this year’s Expo! Expo! IAEE’s Annual Meeting & Exhibition in Philadelphia. The award, one of the IAEE’s highest honors, was presented to Cox in recognition of his more than five decades of work in the exhibition and events industry, including as senior vice president of research and measurement at Freeman and 55 years at Exhibit Surveys, including 25 years as the company’s CEO. He is perhaps best known for his work championing the cause of demonstrating the exhibition and events industry’s return on investment (ROI).
“Skip is one of the most professional and personable industry leaders I have ever had the pleasure of working with,” said David Dubois, CMP, CAE, CTA, FASAE, IAEE president and CEO and co-chair of the Exhibitions and Conferences Alliance (ECA). “He was indeed a pioneer in research and will continue to contribute where he can in his well-deserved retirement.”
Sam Lippman, President of Lippman Connects and producer of the Exhibition and Convention Executive Forum (ECEF), Attendee Acquisition Roundtable, Exhibit Sales Roundtable, Major Show Roundtable and Digital Summit, added, “Skip Cox was a trusted partner and friend for many years. He was a great listener and always knew what to say to help me and/or my show. Skip was also very generous with his time and expertise, and the trade show industry benefited greatly from his contributions.”
The Pinnacle Award was established in memory of the late IAEE (formerly NAEM) Founder and Past President William Hunt Eisenman and is presented by the IAEE in recognition of extraordinary achievement in exhibition and event management during the recipient’s career. Recipients of the IAEE Awards, which recognize the outstanding contributions of IAEE members to the exhibition and event industry and organization, are selected after careful review by the IAEE Awards Committee and approval by the IAEE Board of Directors following an open call for nominations from IAEE members earlier this year.
Contact David Dubois at (972) 687-9204 or ddubois@iaee.com; Sam Lippman at (703) 979-4904 or sam@lippmanconnects.com