USPOULTRY Executive Vice President of Communications Gwen Venable, CEM, was awarded the International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE) Chapter Merit award in a special presentation held during Expo! Expo! IAEE’s Annual Meeting & Exhibition in Philadelphia, Pa., this week. The Chapter Merit award recognizes IAEE members whose ideas and/or work have benefited IAEE as an organization in some special way and is generally reserved for those who have stepped forward at the chapter/local level.
“It’s wonderful that Gwen was recognized by her peers at IAEE, but it is not surprising to those of us who get to work with Gwen every day,” said USPOULTRY president John Starkey. “Her professionalism and dedication to excellence is obvious in all she does, including her service to the IAEE Southeastern Chapter.”
Venable is the current chair of the IAEE Southeastern Chapter and has served on the chapter’s board of directors since 2012. She joined the chapter’s executive team in 2018. In addition to participating on the executive team, she has served as chair of the IAEE Southeastern Classic for the last three years, spearheaded the chapter’s Technology Exchange education program for the past six years and participated in various charity events held by the chapter.
For 2022, Venable will serve as an ex-officio director of the IAEE board of directors, representing the Chapter Leaders council. The Chapters Leaders council determines issues of common interest between, and to, IAEE’s leadership and IAEE’s chapters. IAEE’s policy is to promote the welfare of its chapters and to encourage cooperation between the international organization and its chapters.
Venable holds a Certified in Exhibition Management (CEM) designation, which is a globally recognized designation that demonstrates the highest professional standard throughout the exhibitions and events management arena. In addition to her responsibilities for USPOULTRY, Venable oversees the communications, public relations and marketing associated with USPOULTRY’s International Poultry Expo, part of the International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE), held annually in Atlanta. Sponsored by USPOULTRY, the American Feed Industry Association and the North American Meat Institute, IPPE is one of the 25 largest trade shows in the United States and showcases the most current technology, research, processes and products that the global animal food, meat and poultry industries have to offer.
With more than 1,400 active volunteer members, the IAEE Southeastern Chapter serves North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama and Mississippi. The chapter’s mission is to deliver relevant and highly focused services and activities designed to broaden the knowledge base, professional development and bottom lines of its members. Recognizing that face-to-face networking is the backbone of the industry, the IAEE Southeastern chapter hosts meetings or other events almost every month of the year.
