03/09/2012 GhostLight Productions CEO Named Top Event Planner at Connectors Choice Awards
CLEVELAND, OH- Eight days after being named the top event producer in the United States, Deborah Smythe Hermann added to her already noteworthy plaudits Wednesday night.
Hermann, the chairwoman and CEO of Cleveland-based GhostLight Productions, enjoyed a pair of victories at the fifth-annual Connectors Choice Awards at the House of Blues. The Shaker Heights resident earned Best Corporate Event Planner honors and, along with business partner David Shimp and a team of local professionals, produced Northeast Ohio's Corporate Event of the Year - the Sept. 23, 2011, dedication ceremony for the Monte Ahuja College of Business at Cleveland State University.
"The busy event season of 2011 brought some remarkable work to the forefront in Northeast Ohio, and the Connectors Choice Awards presented by CBC Magazine truly illuminated the bright future ahead for our region," Hermann said. "While thrilled to receive a CCA for Best Corporate Event Planner, I applaud all of the industry professionals who work tirelessly day in and out to create memorable and meaningful events. The CBC class of 2011-2012 is shining brightly."
Event Solutions magazine presented Hermann its 2012 Event Producer of the Year Feb. 28 at its national trade show in Las Vegas.
"I am honored and thrilled to receive such a prestigious award from industry professionals whom I have admired from the sidelines," Hermann said. "In final competition against event producers working their considerable brand of magic in the large markets of Los Angeles, New York City, Miami, and Orlando, I am especially gratified that the work we produce here in the heartland merits accolades and is just as important and award-worthy. This Cinderella tried on the slipper at the ball and showed the entertainment world that Cleveland truly rocks."
The Council of Smaller Enterprises also enjoyed a prosperous CCA ceremony. COSE earned Best Networking Organization honors while its signature event, the annual COSE Small Business Conference, Oct. 19-20, 2011, at the I-X Center, garnered Best Networking Event.
The event drew approximately 350 attendees at the House of Blues. Presented by CBC magazine and its parent company, Contempo Communications, and Corporate College, the Connectors Choice Awards annually honor the top local companies, organizations, and individuals that are involved in corporate event planning and networking.
While congratulating the 19 winners, CBC thanks all CCA attendees, sponsors, nominees, and voters.
"Of the four CCA events that I have been associated with, this was the best thus far," Thomas Skernivitz, editor of CBC magazine, said. "Emcee Andre Knott did a great job at the microphone and seemed to put everyone at ease on the stage, particularly the presenters and winners. Scott Kapp and Julie Woyma and their staff at the House of Blues pulled off the gig without any hitches, which is par for the course. And for those who stuck around after the awards ceremony, Run Avril Run was remarkable. Definitely worthy of its billing as the region's top dance club band."
