Las Vegas, NV – Ralph Iverson, Bob Lozier, Aaron Bludworth and Mark Zimmerman received awards from the Exhibition Services & Contractors Association (ESCA) at its annual business meeting in December. The meeting was held at the House of Blues Foundation Room atop the Mandalay Bay Resort and Hotel in Las Vegas prior to the start of IAEE’s Expo! Expo! The event drew 217 industry professionals, up 55% from its 2010 attendance.
Receiving Lifetime Achievement Awards from ESCA were Ralph Iverson, a 42-year veteran of the exhibition industry, and Bob Lozier, a 40-year industry veteran.
Iverson spent his long career primarily with Brede Exposition Services and Global Experience Specialists (GES), where he worked with the Photo Marketing Association’s trade show for 41 years. He was known for mentoring others in the industry, including two sons who today work for GES. He is a past president of the Trade Show Bureau, the forerunner to CEIR, and of ESCA. During his tenure as ESCA president, he launched the Summer Conference.
Lozier made his mark with Freeman by forming a national sales group and handling many of the firm’s largest accounts. He later served on the Freeman board of directors and was recognized in 1987 with the Buck Freeman award. Don Freeman accepted the award on behalf of Lozier who was unable to attend.
Aaron Bludworth, COO of Fern Exposition & Event Services received the group’s President’s Award for his ongoing advocacy on behalf of ESCA members. He is a past president of ESCA and has spoken at countless industry events. Bludworth is also a member of TSE’s Exposition Forecasting Board. He has participated ineach of TSE’s Trending & Spending panels at TSE events as well as numerous IAEE chapter meetings coast to coast during the past four years and Expo! Expo! last month.
Mark Zimmerman, who ended six years on the ESCA board of directors and was a member of the awards committee, also was honored for his commitment to the organization. Zimmerman is a frequent speaker at ESCA, IAEE, PCMA and IAVM meetings. Zimmerman is the general manager of the Georgia World Congress Center.
Reach ESCA at (972) 447-8211.
