Celebrating the 2024 SITE Chapter Excellence and Individual Award Winners

INCENTIVEWISE

Congratulations to all of our 2024 award recipients

Each year’s SITE Global Conference celebrates outstanding chapters and individual members, reflecting the “rising trailblazers” shaping the future of the incentive travel industry.

Awards presented this March in Tulum were spread over the course of three days, making up a jam-packed awards slate filled with exciting and outstanding activities that were highlighted and celebrated as a cornerstone of this year’s Conference.

Sincere congratulations to the 2024 chapter and individual award-winners, and thank you to everyone for all you do to continually support SITE and stand out as an ever-present force driving our profession forward!

SITE Member of the Year: Robyn Davis

Congratulations to Robyn Davis (SITE Southeast USA) who earned SITE’s highest honor in this year’s award celebrations.

Robyn has been championed as an exceptional leader, innovator, and advocate for incentive travel. She is a visionary leader of her own third-party agency and has orchestrated many award-winning incentive programs that have earned top industry prizes like SITE Crystal Awards.

Robyn is a cornerstone of the SITE community, having served on her local chapter board and as chapter president. She’s earned warm praise for her ability to celebrate the unique individuality of each chapter member, and her grace in ensuring everyone feels valued and respected.

Her leadership is a model for others, positively demonstrating how to thoughtfully and collaboratively spread engagement across SITE and the industry at large to leave a lasting impact and legacy.

Kevin Forde Spirit Award: Feyhan Kaprali

Embracing the attributes of the award’s namesake, Feyhan Kaprali (SITE Türkiye) was celebrated for the generosity of time and energy she consistently extends to fellow incentive professionals.

Feyhan has made remarkable contributions to SITE, including serving as a key member of the 2024 SITE Global Conference host committee — shaping exceptional pre- and post-Conference experiences, and wearing many hats behind the scenes to deliver an outstanding Istanbul event.

She brings to her work a keen attention to detail, as well as a deep passion for her home country: and is also a true team player, actively embracing the spirit of collaboration and sharing a keen commitment to her local SITE chapter.

Feyhan’s warmth, generosity, and uncanny ability to unite people make her an exemplar in the industry, widely treasured, loved, and adored the world over.

two individuals pose onstage, facing the camera and smiling

Richard Ross Past Presidents’ Award: Denise Dornfeld

After jokingly reflecting on their time making “great plans for world domination by DMCs,” former SITE President Rajeev Kohli named Denise Dornfeld as the newest recipient of this award, acknowledging her unwavering integrity, exceptional leadership, and lifelong commitment to incentive travel.

A pioneering force in the business events sector, this honor recognizes Denise’s decades-long career in the industry, including the leading role she played in transforming PRA Business Events into a global brand with millions in sales and the industry’s first franchise model.

Her service as a former SITE Foundation president resulted in groundbreaking industry research that has strengthened the case for incentive travel as a business driver, alongside other meaningful contributions she’s made to ADMEI, MPI, and the Girl Scouts Urban Campout.

Denise has also served as a mentor to thousands. Her dedication inspires loyalty in others, and she stands out for the vision and empathy — perfectly encapsulated in her remarks to others during Global Conference that “Legacy is built by those who came before us, and is now carried forward by all of us.”

Mentee of the Year: Akhona Fakudze

Akhona Fakudze received the inaugural Mentee of the Year Award, recognized for his insatiable commitment to personal and professional growth and contributions as part of SITE’s Mentoring Members program.

From the outset, Akhona’s initiative and drive to achieve SMART goals stood out, engaging deeply with his mentor to set key milestones and systemically track progress.

This dedication has already resulted in tangible business results, as Akhona has enjoyed an increase in inquiries in his region and developed new strategies to work toward building out world-class incentive travel programs.

Akhona’s future is bright, as he continues to stand out as a rising industry leader embracing the spirit of SITE’s community, expands his network, and embraces new opportunities to share his knowledge and continue to be a lifelong learner.

SITE Young Leader of the Year: Jacob Smith

Jacob Smith was the recipient of SITE’s other first-time honor presented at this year’s Global Conference, the SITE Young Leader of the Year Award.

Trekking all the way to Mexico from Sydney, Australia, Jacob was lauded for his exemplary commitment to incentive travel through his volunteer activities with the SITE ANZ chapter; his industry participation; and overall passion and enthusiasm for the industry.

Highlights of Jacob’s resume so far including embracing significant levels of responsibility early on in his career, as he transformed his family’s business and has worked to continually position himself and his organization as forward-thinking leaders within incentive travel.

He also balances his business leadership commitments with industry volunteerism, serving as the SITE ANZ board treasurer in 2024 and tapping his “get it done” approach, as well as his resilience, humility, and commitment to mentorship, to deliver formative financial reforms for the chapter.

Chapter of the Year: SITE Southeast USA

The year’s top chapter-level honor was presented to SITE Southeast USA, marking the first time the chapter has won this particular accolade.

SITE Southeast was recognized for their stellar efforts in advancing the business case for incentive travel through the chapter’s strategic leadership, innovative events, and strong community engagement — especially across a large region.

The chapter’s creative events over the past year included a songwriting session with veterans, collaborative culinary experiences, and fundraising that netted more than $50,000 to support ongoing sustainability efforts.

Rising Star: SITE Northern California

It was a remarkable year for SITE Northern California, with the chapter relaunching and reinvigorating its operations throughout the last 12 months.

Their efforts literally paid off, with the chapter able to secure more than $75,000 in partnerships (compared to $2,500 the year prior); enjoying extraordinary growth in membership; and multiple sold-out events — thanks to dynamic leadership and inspired chapter board.

Excellence in Young Leaders: SITE Ireland

SITE Ireland was recognized for the chapter’s focus on educational excellence, innovative outreach, and community impact, shaped by its Young Leaders.

The chapter’s Young Leader board collaborated with universities and tourism bodies to recruit more young professionals to the wider industry, and to educate students about the possibilities of incentive travel.

Chapter activities also included a strong emphasis on CSR, with SITE Young Leaders organizing charity fundraisers and keeping a keen eye on advancing sustainability best practices.

Excellence in Membership: SITE Mountain West

Awarding the chapter’s 32.6 percent total membership increase and retention rate that exceeded 85 percent, SITE Mountain West remains a strong, successful chapter thanks to their personalized outreach and innovative member engagement strategies.

Chapter members continue to thrive and regularly engage with events spread across four US states, refusing to let a wide geographic spread stop it from building global connections and providing unparalleled value to chapter members.

Excellence in Education: SITE Florida & Caribbean

Sustainability and other trends connect SITE Florida & Caribbean’s educational programming, with educational events that range from AI workshops to coral reef restoration projects.

The chapter’s shared focus on environmental awareness, cutting-edge technology, and community engagement — and an Olympian guest speaker, in 2024! — creates lasting value for chapter members, and reinforces SITE’s mission and vison.

Excellence in Special Event: SITE Texas

SITE Texas earned top honors this year for their four-day Tech Summit. The Summit boasted immersive cultural experiences, on-point education, and record-breaking charitable giving efforts.

The chapter’s event silent auction raised $28,000, which was given back to SITE Foundation and to a local anti-trafficking organization.

Adding to its standout event credentials, the Tech Summit was also fully paperless in 2024, and offered up to CEUs for attendees.

Excellence in Sustainable Event: SITE Canada

Top marks in the sustainable event category went to SITE Canada, for their chapter’s 2024 May Mixer. This event aligned with six of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, earning the chapter kudos for touching on multiple points of excellence.

It earned high praise from attendees in particular for strong community engagement, as well as the sustainable culinary practices integrated into the event design.

SITE Canada’s post-event survey also creatively described the event’s impact, which included reducing food miles, the impact of planting trees to offset the environmental impact of the gathering, and other purposeful steps that were carefully curated to support a sustainable shared future.

2024 Chapter Excellence Award Winners