Incentive Travel Council names Advocate of the Year

Nov. 13, 2012 - PRLog -- Nov. 13, 2012 – Naperville, IL – The Incentive Travel Council (http://www.incentivetravelcouncil.org/) (ITC) has named Leo Jakobson, senior editor of Successful Meetings Magazine (http://www.successfulmeetings.com/) and executive editor of Incentive Magazine (http://www.incentivemag.com/), as its 2012 Advocate of the Year.

This marks the fourth Advocate of the Year Award presented by the ITC, which is a strategic industry group under the Incentive Marketing Association (http://www.incentivemarketing.org/) (IMA). It recognizes an individual, business, or organization that demonstrates outstanding leadership in enhancing, educating, and/or promoting incentive travel as a value driver for achieving organizational performance.

Jakobson was presented with the award at the ITC meeting, held Wednesday, Oct. 24, in conjunction with The Motivation Show. “It was really unexpected and very flattering,” Jakobson said. “It’s makes one feel good that people are reading our publications, going on our websites, and seeing value in what we do. It’s a team effort among our entire staff to cover the incentive industry, and they deserve a lot of credit for what they do.” This marks the first time the award has been presented to a journalist.

“Incentive travel is a successful form of recognition and reward because, simply, it works,” Jakobson said. “It provides a unique opportunity for individuals and groups to enjoy traveling to a new location, experiencing new cultures, and sharing great, new experiences.”

ITC President Michael Upp said, “Our industry is indeed fortunate to have individuals like Leo, who, in covering our industry, has provided research, news, and information which clearly communicates the value that incentive travel provides both to the companies and the travelers alike.”

Jakobson joins Dana Weaver of GROWMARK, Dahlton Bennington of the SFN Group and G.J. Hart of the Texas Roadhouse restaurant chain as Advocate of the Year winners.

The Incentive Travel Council, a strategic industry group within the Incentive Marketing Association (IMA) (http://www.incentivemarketing.org), is dedicated to exploring, promoting and educating about how incentive travel strategies can best be designed and leveraged to help organizations achieve better business performance. More information is available at http://www.incentivetravelcouncil.org/.

About Successful Meetings and Incentive: Written for meeting planners across all industries, Successful Meetings (http://www.successfulmeetings.com/) educates and provides resources and ideas regarding how to create and execute all types of meetings. Incentive (http://www.incentivemag.com/) is the only publication devoted exclusively to motivation and performance improvement through the use of incentive programs and consumer promotions. Both are published by Northstar Travel Media LLC.