North Liberty's annual Blues & BBQ event celebrated its fifth birthday this past summer. Recently, event organizers were given even more to celebrate. Liberty Centre Blues & BBQ was chosen as the Iowa City/Coralville Area CVB 2011 Attraction of the Year. The award was presented at the CVB's Annual Luncheon and Report. Full story...

The Cobo Center, located in Detroit, has earned Green Venues Michigan (GLM) Steward certification from the Michigan Energy Office. “Cost-saving green business practices have been extremely positive for job creation and retention in the hospitality sector,” said Martin Dober, Vice President of New Markets of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. Full story...

At last week's board meeting of the Detroit Regional Convention Facility Authority, Thom Connors, SMG regional vice president and general manager of Cobo Center, awarded Bethany Radloff, junior at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, a $1,200 scholarship for her winning design of the new Cobo Center construction mascot, COBOTRON. Full story...

Hotel Blackhawk in downtown Davenport, IA has just been named a Preservation Success Story Award Honorable Mention winner by the Historic Hotels of America – a part of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The award was officially announced December 1, 2011. According to organization executive director Thierry Roch, the award exemplifies “creative rehabilitation efforts undertaken to recapture, promote and glorify the property’s original use in a preservation sensitive manner.” Full story...

VTour, a multi-media web technology company based in Truckee, was honored with a 2011 Media Vanguard Award at the annual Advertising Age Media Evolved Conference, Tuesday night in Manhattan. The winning project was the Nike US Open of Surfing for the Huntington Beach, Calif. Convention and Visitors Bureau. Full story...

The Greater Des Moines Convention and Visitors Bureau has received the Meetings and Conventions 2011 Gold Service Award, which honors convention and visitors bureaus worldwide. This is the first time the GDMCVB has won this award. Full story...

Jim Garrett, CDME, President/CEO of the Chicago Southland Convention and Visitors Bureau, was awarded the 2011 Bruce Riley McDaniel Award for Individual Professionalism & Lifetime Achievement by the Upper Midwest Convention & Visitors Bureau (UMCVB). Garrett received this award during the 2011 Fall Conference in Brookfield, WI. Full story...

Former International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) CEO Tom Hulton received the Moises Shuster Award at ICCA's 50th Congress in Leipzig, Germany last week. The Moises Shuster Award is the association's highest honor for outstanding service in the international meetings industry, named after one of ICCA's founding fathers and past presidents. Full story...

The Aurora Staples Inn has been selected for the 2011 Best of Stillwater Award in the Bed & Breakfast Inns category by the U.S. Commerce Association (USCA).The USCA "Best of Local Business" Award Program recognizes outstanding local businesses throughout the country. Each year, the USCA identifies companies that they believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. Full story...

For more than a month, the submissions for the Great Event Photo contest have been pouring onto Cvent's Facebook page. Each photo represented not only a chance to win the $10,000 grand prize or $1,000 as a finalist, but also celebrated an event, meeting or conference that was deemed the best by someone who was involved with the event as the planner, host, or an attendee. Full story...

Dave Anderson, director of the International Association for Venue Managers (IAVM) Convention Centers/Exhibit Halls Committee, announced Richard Shaff, general manager of San Francisco’s Moscone Center and regional vice president for SMG, as the 2011 recipient of the International Convention Center Conference’s (ICCC) Lifetime Achievement Award. The award is presented to individuals recognized by their peers for outstanding contributions to both IAVM and the convention center industry. Full story...

Milwaukee was featured recently in Yahoo’s real estate section as one of “America’s Five Most Underrated Cities.” Milwaukee’s changing population trends show that the city is becoming younger, more vibrant and fun, making it a top choice for the list. The article cites several indicators of Milwaukee’s youth movement including recent appearances on the Daily Beast’s list of the Best 50 Cities for Love and Forbes’ list of Best Cities for Singles. Full story...

Sherrif Karamat, chief operating officer of the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA), recently earned the Certified Association Executive (CAE) credential from ASAE - the highest professional credential in the association industry. Karamat is one of 55 association executives who earned the CAE this summer. He joins 3,900 industry leaders worldwide with the CAE distinction, representing just 5 percent of all association professionals. Full story...

The Rochester DoubleTree by Hilton will receive the DoubleTree by Hilton CARE Cup on Thursday, January 5, for significant achievements in guest relations, team member relations and community involvement during the third quarter of 2011. The DoubleTree by Hilton CARE Cup is a traveling award that is presented quarterly to one small and one large hotel among more than 270 DoubleTree by Hilton hotels in 23 countries around the world. Full story...

For a second consecutive year, the upscale Crowne Plaza Milwaukee West, located in the Milwaukee County Research Park, has received the prestigious Torchbearer Award and been named one of the brand’s top performers for excellence in operational and customer satisfaction. Full story...

The Wisconsin Chapter of Meeting Professionals International (MPI-WI) presented awards to members making a difference for the organization at its annual Awards Gala held at the Chula Vista Resort in Wisconsin Dells on September 8, 2011. Full story...

Erin Dahl of Chicago’s Lincoln Park Zoo was named Association/Nonprofit Event Planner of the Year by BizBash’s Chicago readers in the first annual BizBash Chicago Readers’ Choice Awards. Winners were announced at an awards ceremony at the BizBash Chicago Expo & Demo Fair on August 18, at the Merchandise Mart. Full story...

TTS Logistics, Inc. was recently recognized as the Best Transportation/Freight Company at the Trade Show Exhibitors Association (TSEA) "Exhibitors' Choice" Awards. With the help of hundreds of customers, TTS came out on top this year and was recognized for its excellence in customer service and international and domestic freight shipping solutions, said Michael Hill, vice president of TTS Logistics. Full story...

Following on the heels of the market introduction of an expanded line of its NanoLumens Flex LED displays, NanoLumens today announced that it has received the 2011 American Technology Award in the category of Breakthrough Technology from the TechAmerica Foundation, handily defeating Microsoft’s Kinect device. The awards were presented in June at the ninth annual TechAmerica Foundation Technology and Government Dinner. Full story...

The Inn at Bay Harbor – A Renaissance Golf Resort has been honored with yet another award as readers of Condé Nast Traveler have named the resort’s spa among the Top 100 Resort Spas – U.S. Mainland.  The results of the 21st annual readers’ spa poll were published in the magazine’s June issue and based on three criteria: spa facilities, staff and treatments.  The Spa at The Inn at Bay Harbor was singled out as the only Michigan spa to make the list. Full story...

Chicago Michelin Guide Restaurants have ranked Kendall College the number one Chicago program for preparing students for culinary arts careers; Kendall was also ranked the number one Chicago program for preparing students for hospitality management careers by managers at Chicago’s leading hotels, according to a survey conducted by ORC International. Full story...

The International Association of Venue Managers Foundation announced Brad Mayne, CFE as the recipient of the Legacy Award. Mayne will be honored at the IAVM’s VenueConnect 2011 . The Legacy Award is the first and only award presented by the IAVM Foundation. The purpose of this prestigious award is to recognize significant financial or nonfinancial contributions by an individual or company. Full story...

For the fourth consecutive year, Splash Seafood Bar & Grill has been awarded the "Achievement of Distinction in Dining" from the Distinguished Restaurants of North America. Full story...

The Knowland Group, a leading provider of business development solutions for the hospitality industry, was recently awarded “Best Overall Company of the Year” at the 9th annual American Business Awards ceremony. Knowland CEO Michael K. McKean was also honored with “Executive of the Year.” The awards were presented to McKean during ceremonies at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City. Full story...

Sally Laukitis, executive director of the Holland Area CVB, was named “CVB Star of the Year” at the 2011 Governor’s Conference on Tourism. She was one of eleven leaders honored at the “Stars of the Industry” dinner. Full story...

The Hilton Milwaukee City Center has received AAA Four Diamond status and is one of only seven Wisconsin lodging properties that received AAA's Four Diamond Award in 2011. Of the nearly 60,000 hotels and restaurants evaluated this year by AAA across North America, just 3.5% earned the Four Diamond rating. The highest AAA rating levels are reserved exclusively for establishments that create a remarkable experience for guests. Full story...