16th Hall of Leaders Gala  Monday, January 11, 2010 Fairmont Dallas, Dallas, TX

General Information | Inductees | Press Releases | Event Photos

 

M. Theresa Breining, CMP, CMM

Nominated by: Meeting Professionals International

Theresa Breining, CMP, CMM is a principal with Breining Group LLC, whose focus is facilitating, training and consulting in the meeting industry.  Terri has been in the meeting planning industry since 1976, and has been responsible for producing meetings around the globe.

Prior to forming Breining Group, Terri served as the founder and president of Concepts Worldwide, a meeting management firm headquartered in San Diego County for more than two decades. Concepts Worldwide was a recognized international leader in providing ROI measurement, consulting services, and full service strategic meeting management.   

Considered by many to be a thought leader, Terri is an activist working tirelessly on the continuous advancement of the level of professionalism in the meeting industry, and has been serving as adjunct faculty for meeting planning programs for universities throughout Southern California for over 20 years.   She is a sought after speaker, presenting educational workshops for a variety of business entities, and co-authored a book with Jack Phillips, entitled Return on Investment in Meetings and Events. 

She has been recognized professionally many times over the years, including having her firm, Concepts Worldwide, acknowledged as a "Best Company to Work for in San Diego". In addition, she was recognized by MPI as their International Planner of the Year in 2000, she has been included several times on the list of “Most Influential People in the Meeting Industry” by Meeting News Magazine and most recently, she was selected for induction into the Convention Industry Council’s Hall of Leaders for 2010.

Thomas M. Mobley, Jr.

Nominated by: Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR)

Tom Mobley has built a long and successful career in convention center operations, design and development with successful terms in Baltimore, Jacksonville, Denver, Chicago and Washington, DC. Wherever he landed, Tom brought his unique vision and talent to his city and his building. Tom has been credited with orchestrating major union changes at McCormick Place, and while at the Washington DC Convention Center, he worked with Unions to cooperatively develop a random drug test program that has been duplicated in centers around the country. Tom’s focus on meeting his customers’ needs ensured those elements survived the design and value engineering process and leading to design changes at McCormack Place which increased the meeting to exhibit space ratio.

Mobley’s even-handed manner and spirit of cooperation have served him well in introducing work place safety initiatives, resolving issues and unifying the workforce. A teacher, innovator, a peacemaker, a student of urban development, Tom has used all of these skills in his numerous leadership roles within the industry, including Chair of CEIR and the Convention Industry Council, as well as a Board Member of the Exhibition Industry and PCMA Foundations.

 

Steve Porter

Nominated by: IHG, Intercontinental Hotels Group

Until his death in 2008, Steve Porter served as President of IHG, responsible for nearly 4,000 hotels under seven IHG Brands. In his role as global leader of franchise strategy, Mr. Porter was responsible for the development and deployment of best practices in franchising for IHG’s global business. Under his leadership, IHG acquired its sixth and launched its seventh brand in both Candlewood Suites and Hotel Indigo. Mr. Porter also served as Executive Vice President, Operations for Hilton Hotels Corporation responsible for 350 hotels and 40,000 employees.

Mr. Porter efforts on behalf of the industry included chair of the Discover America Partnership, an effort by business and travel leaders to strengthen America’s image around the globe, to encourage foreign visitors to visit America, attend meetings and conventions and therefore stimulate the U.S. economy. Porter also served as Vice Chair for the Travel Business Roundtable, where he advocated for the Travel Promotion Act and laid the groundwork for efforts underway to recognize tourism as a critical component to the U.S. Economy.

 

Preston Robert Tisch

Nominated by: American Hotel & Lodging Association

Preston Robert Tisch was one of the most renowned and respected business entrepreneurs and hoteliers in the country. He was co-founder and Chairman of Loews Corporation which he and his brother Larry built from the ground up to what it is today including Loews Hotels, Loews Theaters, Lorillard Tobacco, CAN Financial, Bulova and Diamond Offshore Drilling. The brothers’ first investment together was a small hotel in New Jersey, which they quickly built into a prosperous hotel chain. Bob Tisch spent the early part of his career leading the development of their hotel business and was largely responsible for the expansion of meeting and convention space in hotels during the 1960s and 1970s.

Mr. Tisch’s contributions to the industry include an unprecedented 19 years as chairman of the NYC & Company, Chair of the New York City Convention and Exhibition Center Corporation, as well as participation in many industry organizations such as ASAE, AH&LA, SHMAI, PCMA and MPI. He established the Preston Robert Tisch Center for Hospitality, Training, and Sports Management at New York University. Mr. Tisch also had a remarkable career in public service, including an appointment as Postmaster General. In addition to all this, his philanthropic endeavors were countless and the benefits far reaching.

 

Jerry A. Wayne

Nominated by: Christine Duffy & Hugh K. Lee

Jerry Wayne has served as Vice President, Sales and Marketing at the Greenbrier since 2004. His long and distinguished career included tenures at Galt House Hotel and almost 20 years with Gaylord Entertainment Company. Mr. Wayne was a pioneer who embraced technology and its ability to transform the industry. When most associations were still on CompuServe during the mid-1990’s, Wayne encouraged and sponsored an industry association to move to the World Wide Web and changed that way national organizations communicated with members and chapters.

During his tenure as MPI Chair, Mr. Wayne embraced the formation of the Women’s Leadership Initiative. He also launched the first ever “Buy MPI” campaign which championed the contributions of supplier members to the industry. Mr. Wayne has been honored by ASAE as a Fellow, named the Top 25 Most Influential People by Meeting News, Top 100 Marketers in America by Advertising Age and in 2009 the Top 25 Extraordinary Minds in Sales and Marketing by HSMAI.