Media Contact: Fred Tibbitts, Jr.

8 March 2012

 

FRED TIBBITTS & ASSOCIATES SIXTEENTH ANNUAL

“A Spring Evening in New York with Very Special Friends”

The MetLife Building in The Vanderbilt Suites 6 March 2012

 

New York City – The Sixteenth Annual FTA “A Spring Evening in New York with Very Special Friends” at The MetLife Building in The Vanderbilt Suites proved to be another memorable event for the eighty guests, who included three of the FTA 2012 honorees, hotel and restaurant senior executives, vice presidents, managing directors, industry VIP’s, industry press and sponsors.

 

The reception was trade show style, showcasing the products and services of the sponsors.  All guests were formally announced.

 

The four-course gala dinner brought Fred Tibbitts, Jr., President & CEO of Fred Tibbitts & Associates, Inc. to the podium, who welcomed the guests and within his opening remarks, urged one and all to do more for those less fortunate.  Tibbitts then called for a Buddhist prayer by the Venerable Khenpo Pema Wangdak, Director, Vikramasila Foundation who both spoke and chanted with deep abiding serenity in Tibetan and then translated into English.

 

The nine Loyalty Toasts by several of the dinner’s VIP’s, including Eric Long, General Manager,

The Waldorf = Astoria; Cecilia Martinez, Director – New York Office, United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT); Xinggen Wang, Senior Advisor, UN & Intergovernmental Affairs Governance, UN & Multilateral Affairs UNICEF; Ronald Robinson, Career Development Officer for Senior Officers, United States Department of State; Cynthia Griffin, Regional Director-Western Hemisphere, U.S. Commercial Service, United States Department of Commerce; Kenneth Hill, President, Kenneth Hill & Associates; Brad Aldrich, Vice President, Trade Relations, American Hotel & Lodging Association; Lou Trope, Vice President of Restaurants & Bars, Marriott International and Humphry Rolleston, External Relations Manager, McKinsey & Company.

 

Fred Tibbitts asked the Venerable Khenpo Pema Wangdak, Director, Vikramasila Foundation to come forward to be presented by Tibbitts with a donation of $500.00 from the dinner proceeds for the benefit of Khenpo Pema’s work with Tibetan refugee youths in Nepal and India through Tibet House U.S.  Standing with Wangdak and Tibbitts were the FTA banking relationship managers, Diane Pedrosa-Sciacca, Vice President & Senior Premier Relationship Manager, HSBC Bank U.S., N.A. and Troy Worrell, Business Banking Specialist, HSBC U.S., N. A.

 

The 2012 FTA Hospitality Awards for Excellence were announced as follows:

 

2012 FTA Hospitality Award for Excellence as an Executive Recruiter &

Human Resources Leader

Benoit Gateau-Cumin, Chief Recruiting Officer,

The Boutique Search Firm

 

2012 FTA Hospitality Award for Excellence as an Operator – Asia Pacific

A. Patrick Imbardelli, President & Chief Executive Officer

Pan Pacific Hotels Group

Recognition Accepted by

David Sullivan, General Manager, Pan Pacific Hotel Seattle

 

2012 FTA Hospitality Award for Lifetime Excellence

Julia Stewart, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, DineEquity, Inc.

(Parent company of Applebee’s and IHOP restaurants)

Recognition accepted by

Kenneth Hill, President, Kenneth Hill & Associates

 

2012 FTA Hospitality Award for Excellence as an IT Innovator

CLKclk, Inc.

Greg Demetri, CEO

Personal Comments by

Jonathan Pryor

Director of Sales, Hospitality Solutions Group, Agilysys

 

2012 FTA Hospitality Award for Excellence as a Humanitarian

Dr. Joan Clos, MD

Under Secretary-General and Executive Director

United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT)

Recognition Accepted by

Cecilia Martinez, Director – New York Office,

United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT)

 

2012 FTA Hospitality Award for Excellence as an Operator – North America

Dan Hoffman, Director, Equipment & Beverage Specifications

Global Operations Services Food & Beverage, Marriott International

Personal Comments by

Lou Trope, Vice President of Restaurants & Bars, Marriott International

 

The 2012 FTA Hospitality Awards for Excellence will be presented along with scholarships in the names of those whom we honor for those based in Asia Pacific at Hong Kong on 9 October at The Langham, Hong Kong and for those based in North America at New York City at The MetLife Building in The Vanderbilt Suites on 13 November.

 

The menu was superbly crafted and the dinner skillfully prepared by Director, Executive Chef, Franck Deletrain, Patina Restaurant Group; while the wines were artfully paired by famed New York wine educator, Harriet Lembeck, CEO, Wine & Spirits Program.  Phillips Foods served their many of their most popular seafood specialties and famous crab at the reception as well as for the dinner First Course, “Phillips Colossal Lump Crabmeat”; Strassburger Meats served their Prime Filet of Beef as well as their “Suzy Sirloin” Berkshire Pork at the reception; as did Albert Uster Imports serve their delicious, imported finger food specialties at the reception.

 

Fred Tibbitts & Associates is a social entrepreneurship and the leading global wine, spirits and related services consulting agency for National Account chain hotels, restaurants and event management companies, based at Menands, New York and Bangkok, Thailand.

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12nyspring_mediapics.zip


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