Last week, during the IMEX Gala Dinner, SITE’s CEO, Annette Gregg, CMM, MBA honoured Michael Freedman, Vice President of Meetings & Events, AMSTAR DMC with the Jane E. Schuldt Master Motivator Award for 2023.

The Master Motivator Award is presented annually to a SITE member who upholds the highest standard of excellence and exudes energy, enthusiasm and a collaborative spirit in support of the global incentive travel community.

In 2017, the award was re-named in honor of Jane E. Schuldt, CITE, CIS, former president of World Marketing Group and past president of both SITE and SITE Foundation.

This year’s recipient of the Award is somewhat atypical within the glitzy, shiny world of incentive travel, as they studiously eschew the limelight.

Known for their generosity, reliability and big heartedness, our recipient is the real deal: a business supremo, an incentive travel maestro, but, most importantly, a human being par excellence.

Our recipient has been an extraordinary ambassador for incentive travel, and for the DMC sector in particular, as well as an unstinting supporter of SITE and SITE Foundation, assisting us with destination services and auction prizes from their many destinations.

Born on the west coast of the USA, our high-flying recipient circled around the hospitality and agency sectors for a number of years before finally landing at their present DMC organisation, where they’ve been for almost 15 years.

During that time the company has grown manifold to become a “go to” solution across the many destinations they serve, picking up two prestigious SITE Crystal Awards at SITE’s recent global conference in New York City.

Our recipient’s warmth and generosity are balanced by their integrity and honesty, meaning you’ll always get the truth but, if you join them for dinner you’ll also get outstanding wine as they like to cultivate the finer things in life – great food, quality wine and … orchids!

Father to Fernando and Yelitza, partner to Santiago, special friend to SITE and to so, so many of us here, Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Jane E. Schuldt Master Motivator recipient 2023, Michael Freedman, CIS CITP.