Joseph P. Benincasa
Joseph P. Benincasa, a past NYSAE Chairman of the Board and President & CEO of The Actors Fund, will receive the 2014 Tony Award Honor for Excellence in the Theatre. The award was established in 1990 and is presented annually to individuals, institutions, and/or organizations that have demonstrated extraordinary achievement in theater, but are not eligible in any of the established Tony Award categories. Benincasa oversees innovative programs including comprehensive social services, health care services, employment and training, and affordable, supportive and senior housing of The Actors Fund’. Headquartered in New York City, The Actors Fund also has regional offices in Los Angeles and Chicago, a nursing home in Englewood, New Jersey, and supportive housing residences in Manhattan and Brooklyn, New York, West Hollywood, California. He is also President of the Actors Fund Housing Development Corporation, which is building affordable, supportive and senior care residences for artists in major urban centers. He serves on the boards of directors of several organizations, including Bio-Reference Laboratories, Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, Career Transition for Dancers, Learning Ally, the Human Services Council, National Executive Service Corps, Times Square Alliance, the YMCA of New York City and the Somerset Patriots, a minor league baseball team.
Nicole Millman-Falk, CAENicole Millman-Falk, CAE, President of Millman-Falk Communications, LLC, has been named Editor of Weddings Elsewhere, a new magazine of the Association for Wedding Professionals International (AFWPI). In partnership with Apogee Publications, Weddings Elsewhere will focus on such topics as destination weddings, unusual sites, legal requirements for marriages held out of the country, travel arrangements, local resources and vendors, hidden gems, types of venues, and the use of wedding planners. AFWPI is an international organization providing quality service and a central source of information and referrals for those planning weddings and those who service weddings.
Peter Rush, Chairman & CEO, Kellen Company, announced that Kellen has acquired AGEP Association Management, joining it with Kellen Europe to create the largest management firm for food industry associations in the European Union (EU).
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Orlando World Center Marriott & Convention Center
The Orlando World Center Marriott & Convention Center has completed a multi-million dollar renovation of its suites, guest rooms, and meeting space, including tripling its bandwidth and increasing its hotspots in its meeting spaces. The property is one of five U.S. Marriott Hotel properties that is testing Meetings Imagined, an online platform providing tips from experts, showcasing popular trends, and posting inspirational images to help create a more engaging meeting experience. Planners can collaborate with participating hotels to design custom events, view signature experiences at each hotel participating, and tailor specific details. It is also a test property for Red Coat Direct. When a meeting planner books the group, all its meeting and function space is loaded into the Marriott’s system. Then the planner downloads that link to a personal smart phone or computer. This allows the planner to be in complete control of the meeting from anywhere in the complex. Room temperature can be changed, coffee can be ordered, or an unscheduled break built in last minute, all without having to first contact an event manager.