Incentive Travel Council names Advocate of the Year

July 24, 2014 - PRLog -- The Incentive Travel Council (http://www.incentivemarketing.org/page/ITC) (ITC) has named David Peckinpaugh, president of Maritz Travel Company – which includes Maritz Travel Meetings & Incentives (http://www.maritztravel.com/) and Experient (http://www.experient-inc.com/), as its 2014 Advocate of the Year. The award will be presented at the annual Incentive Marketing Association (http://www.incentivemarketing.org/) (IMA) Summit Sunday, July 27 in Philadelphia.

This marks the fifth Advocate of the year Award presented by the ITC, a strategic industry group within the 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.

ITC President Don Killingbeck said, “David was chosen for this honor because he has led the charge, ushering in a new era in an industry coalition effort that came to the aid of our market during the heights of media, political, and public scrutiny. And, in his daily work, David’s highest priority has always been assuring that incentive travel guests have an exciting and memorable experience.”

For two years, Peckinpaugh has served as co-chair of the Meetings Mean Business Coalition, focusing efforts on uniting the travel industry and driving awareness of the value of face-to-face meetings through consistent messaging. He is a board and executive committee member of the U.S. Travel Association, a trustee of the PCMA Education Foundation and serves on advisory boards for Tourism Vancouver, the St. Louis CVC, Delta Airlines, Taj Hotels, Social Tables and the St. Louis University Hospitality Program. In addition to his industry leadership, Peckinpaugh has overseen Maritz Travel Company’s global and experiential design expansion.

“I’m honored to be recognized by the ITC for what’s become an industry-wide push to communicate the value of incentive travel in building personal connections, achieving positive business outcomes and fostering stronger communities,” Peckinpaugh said. “One of my professional goals is to encourage a unified industry voice that underscores the significance of what we collectively do. By creating meaningful, motivating and memorable experiences for incentive travel guests, the entire travel industry can reap long-term benefits.”

Peckinpaugh joins Leo Jakobson of Northstar Travel Media, Dana Weaver of GROWMARK, Dahlton Bennington of the SFN Group, G.J. Hart of the Texas Roadhouse Restaurant as Advocate of the Year winners.

About the Incentive Travel Council

The incentive Travel Council (ITC) is a strategic industry group within the Incentive Marketing Association, 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 www.incentivemarketing.org/page/ITC .

About Maritz Travel Company

Maritz Travel Company – consisting of Maritz Travel Meetings & Incentives and Experient – is one of the strongest, most diversely positioned leaders in the meeting, event and incentive travel industry within the areas of corporate, association, government and tradeshows. Through experiential design, Maritz Travel Company helps transform organizations and people through the event experience. We are committed to perfecting the guest experience to deliver leading-edge thinking, experience, and technology solutions for meetings, conventions and exhibitions throughout the world. For more information, please visit www.maritztravel.com or www.experient-inc.com, or follow us on Twitter @MaritzTravel (https://twitter.com/MaritzTravel)or @Experient_Inc (https://twitter.com/experient_inc).