Ricoh Arena Events Manager Chris Owen has been awarded a special commendation at the Exhibition News Awards 2011.
One of the first people to be taken on by ACL back in 2005 before the stadium and conference, hotel facilities opened, the 26 year old worked his way from duty manager to senior event manager with responsibilities for all aspects of event management from meeting potential clients and preparing presentations to overseeing the operation on the day and taking part in a debrief with customers, suppliers and his team.
He was presented with a special commendation at the Exhibition News Awards 2011 for Best Venue Event Manager and beat off competition from the NEC in Birmingham and ExCeL in London.
“I was surprised but delighted to receive a special commendation at a national awards ceremony which is highly regarded by exhibition organisers,” he said to the Ricoh Arena website.
“No day is ever really the same at the Ricoh because we have so many varied and different sized conferences, exhibitions and meetings.
“It is really rewarding to work with customers from their initial enquiry through the planning stage to seeing the day of the event itself go smoothly.
“Over the last 12 months I have been working on producing a guide for exhibition organisers which answers and manages their requirements during their time with us and this has proved really popular.
“It is a real team effort here and there is no way I would have received this commendation without their help and support.”