Celebrating 2025 Award Winners
The Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE) celebrated the power of connection while recognising outstanding membership and chapter achievements during its 2026 Global Conference, held February 12–15 at The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi, Grand Canal.
Welcoming incentive travel professionals from around the world, the four-day gathering combined education, community, and industry celebration — with the Member & Chapter Excellence Awards opening the conference on an inspiring note.
The session reinforced a clear message: incentive travel is not an optional “nice to have.” It is a strategic business lever that helps organisations attract and retain talent, strengthen culture, build partner relationships, and accelerate results when programmes are designed with intention and measured for impact.
Annette Gregg, CEO of SITE, said: “SITE Global Conference is where our community comes together to reconnect with purpose and return to our organisations with ideas we can apply immediately.”
Membership Awards 2025 Winners
Young Leader of the Year
Beatriz Sá, Portugal Travel Team DMC
Richard Ross Past Presidents’ Award
Dana Weaver
Kevin Forde Spirit Award
Norma Dominguez, Amstar DMC
Member of the Year
Raymond Qian, CR Solution China
Mentee of the Year
Riley Allen, ITA Group
SITE Chapter Excellence Awards 2025 Winners
Presented during the opening programme, the SITE Chapter Excellence Awards recognise chapters that bring SITE’s mission to life through education, leadership, inclusion, sustainability, and community impact.
Excellence in Young Leaders: SITE Northeast
Recognized for building a structured Young Leaders program grounded in mentorship, belonging, and intentional partnerships, including a flagship speed-mentoring experience that created measurable engagement and a visible leadership pipeline.
Excellence in Membership: SITE Northern California
Honored for standout membership growth and retention, supported by personal welcome and buddy systems, connection-led events that brought planners and suppliers together, and a feedback approach that ensured members felt heard and valued.
Excellence in Education: SITE Minnesota
Awarded for delivering the largest education program in the chapter’s history, an immersive, cohesive learning journey spanning topics such as AI, leadership, resilience, and productivity, with creativity and impact anchored through an Olympic-themed framework.
Excellence in Special Event: SITE Scotland
Celebrated for producing an incentive-style signature event that blended destination storytelling, supplier engagement, sustainability in action, and meaningful connection, delivering strong attendance, new member conversions, and tangible value for partners.
Excellence in Sustainable Event: SITE Florida & Caribbean
Recognized for its Earth Day 2025 program, designed to model sustainable event planning through a plant-based menu, zero-waste operations, reusable materials, and full composting. The program aligned with SITE Sustainable Event Guidelines and eight UN Sustainable Development Goals, delivering measurable reductions in single-use items and estimated CO₂ emissions.
Rising Star Chapter of the Year: SITE Spain & Portugal
Recognized for an ambitious reinvention through a strategic market merger that drove rapid growth, financial stability, and renewed regional energy, alongside a future-focused Young Leaders initiative with measurable outcomes.
Chapter of the Year: SITE Midwest
Named Chapter of the Year for demonstrating consistent leadership and forward focus across engagement, governance, and collaboration, with a strong regional ecosystem of programming, chapter-to-chapter best practice sharing, and transparent, sustainable leadership.
Gregg concluded: “It is a privilege to celebrate our chapters. They are the heartbeat of SITE, and the work they do grows careers, strengthens communities, and advances excellence across our industry. The Chapter Excellence Awards remind us that connection is not accidental — it is built through leadership, inclusion, education, and a commitment to belonging.”
