Kellen News
Stan Samples
678-303-2996
ssamples@kellencompany.com
For Immediate Release:
Alexandra Smith Ozerkis
212-297-2134
aozerkis@kellencompany.com
Kellen Company's Eric Allen Elected Chair of Convention Industry Council
Atlanta, GA (November 20, 2008) – Kellen Company announced today that Eric Allen, vice president, has been elected chair of the Convention Industry Council (CIC). Allen serves as the executive vice president for the Kellen Company client the Healthcare Convention & Exhibitors Association (HCEA). As an
As chair of CIC, Allen will provide leadership to the organization responsible for administering the prestigious Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) professional designation, which recognizes individuals who have achieved the industry’s highest standards of professionalism ; managing the Accepted Practices Exchange (APEX) initiative that is working to develop industry-wide best practices in meetings and conventions ; and managing the CIC Hall of Leaders awards, which honor those who have substantively contributed to the industry and whose efforts continue to shape it.
Allen said, “As chair, I look forward to serving CIC in its commitment to CMP, APEX, the Hall of Leaders, expanding its global impact and more. I am excited by CIC’s future opportunities and honored to be able to play a role in that.”
Allen has been a member of CIC’s Board of Directors for four years, and served as the Board L iaison to the APEX Commission for two years. “We are very proud of the leadership role Eric has taken in CIC,” said Peter Rush, Chairman and CEO of Kellen Company. “We actively encourage our executives to help make a positive contribution to any organization they join.”
Allen has played an integral role as part of Kellen Company’s HCEA management team for 16 years, serving as the chief staff executive of HCEA for the past 10 years. Under his leadership, the association has set multiple attendance records at its annual meetings and launched numerous innovative services for its members, including HCEA’s Online Directory of Healthcare Meetings & Conventions and landmark state-of-the-industry research in the healthcare convention marketplace.
According to Meetings & Conventions magazine’s 2008 Meetings Market Report, nearly $103 billion was spent on meetings in 2007. Even in today’s more challenging business travel environment, the global events industry is projected to grow at a rate of 5.5 percent through 2011, according to a recent white paper released by DeSilva+Phillips and AMR International Ltd.
About Kellen Company
Founded in 1964, Kellen Company provides association management, government affairs, public relations, meetings management, creative communications, Web site development and other professional services to associations, as well as individual companies and other organizations. Kellen serves more than 10,000 companies and 100,000 professionals worldwide, either through its more than 100 client associations or directly from offices and representation in the United States, Europe, China, the Middle East, India and Southeast Asia. For more information, please visit www.kellencompany.com, www.kelleneurope.com.