In light of the current situation with COVID-19 and the recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), we have decided to cancel our next monthly meeting, scheduled for April 1st.
This decision did not come lightly for the DFW NACE Board of Directors. However, for the health and well-being of our entire community, we know that canceling the April 1st event is the best option. Those who have already signed up for the April 1st event will be refunded in the coming days.
I can’t think of a moment in time where our event colleagues have needed a hug more than a fist bump, and to come together more than being isolated. Remember that you are not in this alone. We have a strong DFW NACE community.
Our NACE National leaders are continuing to monitor developments around Covid-19 and they are providing updates and resources as they learn more. Keep an eye on your email and follow DFW NACE on Instagram and Facebook for information about our upcoming events.
We appreciate your understanding.
Be well and stay strong,
Kimberly Rhodes Owner & Event Planner at Hitched Events DFW NACE President
This year DFW NACE has chosen TeamConnor Childhood Cancer Foundation as the beneficiary for our annual fundraising event. TeamConnor is an organization that raises awareness and funds for childhood cancer research.
Cancer kills more children each year than cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy, asthma, and AIDS combined; yet, the National Cancer Institute allocates only three percent of its budget to pediatric cancer. The Cruse family established TeamConnor to help fund childhood cancer research.
Throughout the year, DFW NACE is hosting multiple prelude events leading up to our BIG fundraiser silent auction to support TeamConnor. Keep an eye out for information on our upcoming events to join us at our TopGolf Tournament, Poker Tournament, Floral Design Workshop with a twist, and an Ultimate Tailgate party with the Dallas Cowboys and Suite for a Cowboys game. At these events, you’ll have an opportunity to connect with other DFW NACE members, while also giving back to TeamConnor.
Our annual silent auction fundraiser, DFW’s Got Talent, is scheduled for Wednesday, September 2nd, 2020 at On the Levee in the Design District. September is also National Childhood Cancer Awareness month. Be on the lookout for tickets to this amazing fundraising event! It’s going to be a lot of fun with some great items at the silent auction.
Some ways you can help support DFW NACE raise awareness and financial support for TeamConnor are through corporate sponsorship, (with different levels of sponsorship), and by donating products and services for our silent auction fundraiser in September. Not every donation has to be a big-ticket item, so don’t be afraid to share what you have. We are building gift baskets and different packages our bidders can bid on, so everything helps.
If you have a silent auction donation, would like to donate your services, or interested in being one of our event sponsors, please reach out to Nate Nelson and Cammie Petty Palmer at fundraiser@dfwnace.com.
With your help, we can continue to fight for a cure, and help the families of these children. To learn more about TeamConnor, visit http://www.teamconnor.org.
Nate Nelson Director of Talent and Development for LeForce Entertainment DFW NACE Co-Director of Fundraising
Congratulations to all of this year’s winners! 2019 was a BIG year for our chapter and all of our members. And these awards prove it. Below is the complete list of DFW NACE Award winners.
Special Honors
Howard Eckhart Hall of Fame: Dawn Finley CPCE, CWP President’s Award: Leigh Tidwell, CSEP President’s Award: Chris Harmon
Member Awards
Member of the Year: Rebecca Wright, CPCE Committee Member of the Year: Amber Knowles Rising Star: Amber Knowles Business Partner of the Year: Harmland Visions
Meeting Awards
Facility of the Year: Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek (November meeting) Culinary Presentation of the Year: The Joule (August meeting) Best Meeting Decor: Freesia Dallas, Eleven Embers, TLC Event Rentals, AFR Rentals, Top Tier Event Rentals, Belle Decor, AM Linen Rentals, 5×7 Designs (October meeting) Entertainment of the Year: Brite Beauty & Center Stage Band (November meeting) Program of the Year: 4 Day Weekend for their ‘Yes, And’ Experience (August meeting) Meeting of the Year: The Joule, Lindsey Zamora Events, Allen Tsai Photography, Brown Fox Creative, Nick DiGennaro, DFW Linens, Beyond, Top Tier Event Rentals, Speed Pro Imaging, FunkyTown Donuts, Beautiful Event Rentals, Cam Event Designs (August meeting)
Industry Awards
Catered Event of the Year: CN Catering Event Photography of the Year: See Pink, Inc Team Event of the Year: Sarabeth Events Event Production of the Year: Sarabeth Events
NACE Evolve is an annual opportunity for the Leaders of each NACE chapter from across the nation to come together. It is a weekend event filled with informative education and networking amongst fellow NACE Board Members. And this year’s event was hosted in Dallas!
This year’s conference took place at the W Hotel in Downtown Dallas. We kicked off the first day by inducting the NACE National Board and Foundation of NACE followed by individual chapter award recognition. Our DFW chapter took home THREE awards! We then got into an Ice Breaker with Meghan Ely who was wonderful and got us all chatting about what we have in common on our mobile phones! We wrapped up the day with a fantastic dinner to support the Foundation of NACE at Truluck’s.
During Day 2, we learned all about growing our chapter. We were able to hear and learn from other chapters on how they go about executing creative and engaging ideas for their members at meetings. The day ended with a fun, entertainment-filled night at The Perot Museum with games, music, food, and drinks! But the evening wasn’t over yet. After, Jordan Kahn’s Orchestra escorted us to the House of Blues where we sang, danced and ate the best grilled cheese sandwiches… all night long!!
NACE Evolve was an incredible weekend. My biggest takeaway was being able to learn how other chapters host their meetings. It was enlightening and inspiring getting to hear directly from them about the creative meetings they host for their members. I’m looking forward to bringing more of those ideas to DFW NACE.
Alex Turzinski Catering Sales Manager at The Joule Hotel DFW NACE Education Chair
Every year, our DFW NACE chapter recognizes the outstanding work of our chapter members and volunteers at our annual awards gala. Our chapter wouldn’t be what it is without our members and we want to make sure we honor all of your hard work.
There are 3 main categories and a few different awards under each:
1) Member Awards, 2) Chapter Meeting Awards, and 3) Industry Awards
Member Awards
These nominations are selected by our Board and then voted on by our Chapter Members to recognize members and business partners who have had a significant impact on the success of our DFW NACE chapter.
The awards in this category are: 1)Rising Star 2)Business Partner of the Year 3)Member of the Year 4) Committee Member of the Year 5) The President’s Award
**The LAST day to vote on Member Awards for our 2020 awards gala is January 24th, 2020. If you are a DFW NACE member, check your email for your private voting link.
Chapter Meeting Awards
These awards recognize the planning, production, and execution of our monthly programs and celebrate the phenomenal work of our volunteers and sponsors who helped to produce them. These nominations are decided by the surveys that YOU complete after each meeting. One of the many reasons why it’s so important that you fill out the surveys!
The awards in this category are: 1) Facility of the Year 2) Entertainment of the Year 3) Best Meeting Decor 4) Culinary Presentation of the Year 5) Program of the Year 6) Meeting of the Year
Industry Awards
These awards recognize the outstanding event work that you do throughout the year with your clients and business. Everyone is eligible to submit their own work and submissions will be judged by a group of independent judges. Members can submit for FREE, and there is a $50 submission fee for guests. So you really have no excuse to not submit! We can’t celebrate you and your phenomenal event work if you don’t submit it!
The awards in this category are: 1) Wedding of the Year 2) Team Event of the Year 3) Event Production of the Year 4) Event Photography of the Year 5) Catered Event of the Year
You can find more information about how to submit and criteria for each award here. **Submissions for an Industry Award are due no later than January 24th at 5:00PM to be eligible for a 2020 award.
If you have any questions about submitting for a 2020 Industry Award, email our Immediate Past President, Don Mamone, at pastpresident@dfwnace.com
We’ll see you at the 2020 Awards Gala on February 5th!
We’re kicking off our second annual DFW NACE Industry Awards to be awarded at our gala on Wednesday, February 5th, 2020. (Save the date!)
We have an exceptionally talented chapter of event professionals and companies that have produced amazing work and events. Our DFW NACE Industry Awards recognize the outstanding event work that you do throughout the year with your clients and business. This is your chance to show it off and submit the incredible work that you did last year for one of the five awards in our Industry Awards category.
Dust off your writing skills and show your peers how fantastic you are! Submissions are due Friday, January 24th, 2020 at 5:00pm for consideration. All word documents, photos, and videos outlined in the applications should be sent to Don Mamone at pastpresident@dfwnace.com.
Click here to find the criteria for each award category and submission guidelines. Submission is free for DFW NACE members, and guests can submit for a one time $50.00 submission fee. Winners will receive one award for each submission. If you would like to order additional awards for partners and team members they are available for an additional $50.00 each.
Please remember to send in your submissions no later than 5:00 pm on Friday, January 24th.
Thank You, Don Mamone Immediate Past President
Photos by Kiss Me for Eternity at our annual 2019 Awards Gala
Check out our first interview with Lauren Schmidt – owner of the fabulous Freesia and the one who sponsored the hotel for our speaker for the May 2019 meeting.
Brown Fox Creative’s, digital graphic artist Kristin Hazelwood provided us with the beautiful unique menus for the DFW NACE August meeting. Check out her interview here below.
