The 65th Annual IFEA Convention, Expo & Retreat made a triumphant return this past September 19-21, 2022 in McAllen, TX, U.S.A.! And what a return it was!

The IFEA would like to thank all who attended at the Convention in addition to a special thank you to all who contributed their time, resources and efforts in making the Convention such a great success, especially the City of McAllen and their amazing team who went to great lengths to help make the Convention possible!

We look forward to seeing you again in 2023 for the 66th Annual IFEA Convention & Expo which will be held in . . . . . Watch this space for more details! Exact Location and Date to be announced soon!

The Convention May be Over - But Don't Stop the Networking!

You waited 3 years for the 65th Annual IFEA Convention, Expo & Retreat and it was well worth the wait to meet up with old friends and connect with new ones. Don't let the distance between you stop the networking! You traded business cards, you talked about great ideas, you discovered new vendors and suppliers . . . you said you'd be in touch . . . well, what are you waiting for? Pick up that phone, jot down an email, follow through and stay in touch! If you can't find where you put that business card or phone number, check out your convention attendee list. And if that doesn't work, give the IFEA a call. No matter what - if there's even one person you enjoyed chatting with at the convention this year, keep in touch . . . you never know where things will lead!

And don’t forget, many of the people you met at the Convention this year, are very active in the IFEA’s Virtual Affinity Groups offered on Zoom every Tuesday! If you haven’t popped in to any of the groups yet, stop by and say hello! They’re a great place to continue that networking and exchange ideas!

65th Annual IFEA Convention, Expo & Retreat Photos Now Available

For those of you in attendance at the IFEA Convention and even for those who couldn’t make it but are curious to see some of the happenings at the Convention, the 2022 IFEA Convention & Expo Photos are posted online!

VIEW PHOTOS HERE

(If you would like a high-resolution copy of any of the images, please copy the image you'd like and email it to nia@ifea.com to receive the higher resolution.)

Congratulations to the 2022 IFEA CFEE Graduates:

It has been a while since we have had a Graduation Celebration and we were thrilled to be able to celebrate so many students this year. Many congratulations to the the following graduating students from 2020, 2021 and 2022 who were recognized during the 65th Annual IFEA Convention, Expo & Retreat for receiving with their Certified Festival & Event Executive Certification.

• Alison Baringer, CFEE, North Carolina Azalea Festival
• David Bullard, CFEE, The Great New York State Fair
• Dr. Brianna Clark, CFEE, High Point University
• Daphne Dickens, CFEE, Des Moines Arts Festival
• Tammy Dooley, CFEE, Visit Granbury
• Jasmine Freeman, CFEE, City of Las Vegas
• Daris Gibbons, CFEE, Medieval Mayhem Entertainment
• Elizabeth Grigsby, CFEE, Lubbock Arts Alliance
• Jeremy Gross, CFEE, Town of Vail
• Kevin Grothe, CFEE, Memphis in May
• Kassie Higert, CFEE, ArtsQuest
• Eric Hjellming, CFEE, Drum Corp International
• Jessica Hodges, CFEE, National Cherry Festival
• Hayden Kramer, CFEE, Town of Indian Trails Parks & Recreation
• Nan Krushinski, CFEE, City of Delray Beach
• Holly Leiferman, City of Temple Parks & Recreation
• Eduardo Lopez III, CFEE, City of McAllen
• Julie Machon, CFEE, City of Montgomery, Ohio
• Angelique McKay, CFEE, Cultural Experience Productions
• Curt Mosel, CFEE, ArtsQuest
• Colleen Murphy, CFEE, Des Moines Art Festival
• Julie Myers, CFEE, Greater Vallejo Recreation District
• Brooke Spain, CFEE, Town of Parker
• Sarah Umlauf, CFEE, Cultural Festivals

The IFEA made a big impact on the world of Festivals and Events in September as we honored the recipients of our many awards programs. We would like to extend a huge congratulations to all of our recipients, winners and inductees! To find out who was recognized, just follow the links below:

• 2022 IFEA Volunteer of the Year
• 2022 IFEA World Festival & Event City Recipients
• 2022 IFEA Hall of Fame Inductees
• 2022 IFEA/Haas & Wilkerson Pinnacle Award Winners

To learn more about IFEA's Award Programs, Click Here.

Share Your Success with Others - Order Duplicate Awards Today!

Congratulations to all the 2022 IFEA Award winners! You are probably making arrangements this very second, to celebrate with your staff, volunteers, board, sponsors and community for all their hard work in putting on such a great event!! As you do so, why not take a moment to recognize their hard work and efforts by giving them their own Award. It's a great way to recognize all those that were involved and give them the pride of being affiliated with an award-winning event or city!

• Order Duplicate 2022 IFEA/Haas & Wilkerson Pinnacle Award Plaques Here
• Order Duplicate 2022 IFEA World Festival & Event City Awards Here

If you would like to place an order for a duplicate IFEA Hall of Fame Award, IFEA Volunteer of the Year Award or an IFEA/Haas & Wilkerson Gold Grand Pinnacle Trophy, please contact Nia Hovde, CFEE, Vice President/Director of Marketing & Communications at nia@ifea.com directly for pricing and ordering.

The Expo May be Over but the Show Goes On!

While the 2022 IFEA Expo may have come and gone, our 2022 Exhibitors are here for you year-round in the IFEA Virtual Trade Show.
We invite you to learn more about the exhibitors who joined us at our 2022 Expo, and who continue to support the IFEA and our industry through both good times and challenging ones.

Buy From Those Who Help Build Our Industry -- Those businesses who invest their time and resources to exhibit, play an important role in helping to make our convention and programs possible. Help us recognize their efforts to support our industry, by emailing one with a question or brief introduction and the chance to learn more about what they can do. You just may be surprised by the options and savings available!

Interested in exhibiting at the 2023 IFEA Expo? Details and registration links will be coming in December 2022.

Questions? Contact Kaye Campbell, CFEE Director of Partnerships, Programs & Finance, +1 208.433.0950 x8150 or kaye@ifea.com

Foundation 'Fiesta’: Una Noche Magica - A Great Success

The IFEA Foundation ‘Fiesta’ was truly Una Noche Magica as attendees travelled to Quinta Mazatlan, a treasured McAllen landmark set in a beautiful and tranquil natural setting – perfect for a special night to benefit a special cause! Complete with music, drinks and wildlife, this evening was filled with many fun memories!

The evening was made even more memorable for a few lucky attendees as we drew the winner of the IFEA Foundation 50/50 raffle. Congratulations to David Knutson from the City of Santa Clarita! Then with much anticipation, the winner of our Ultimate Experience Raffle was selected. Congratulations to Alison LeRoy from the City of Dublin who chose the “Traverse City & Mackinac Island” Live Auction Package!

The evening got even more exciting after that as bidding got underway in the IFEA Foundation Live Auction. With packages ranging from a Colorado Rockies Retreat; Backstage at the America’s Thanksgiving Parade; Celebrating the New Year at the Pasadena Tournament of Roses; attending the City of Philadelphia’s Welcome America 4th of July Experience and much more, this year’s lucky winners walked away with some fantastic once-in-a-lifetime experience packages!

Thank you to all who were in attendance for the IFEA Foundation ‘Fiesta’ and to all who helped make the evening a great success!

Thank You Auction Donors and Bidders

A world of thanks goes out to all of those who donated items to the IFEA Foundation’s Live and Online Auctions this year, and to the many excited attendees who bid on them during the Convention. Your generosity on all fronts helped to make this year for the Foundation an even more memorable one and helped to ensure that future IFEA programming and resources have support for years to come. Your participation is greatly appreciated and thank you again for taking the time to support our industry.

Thank You To our Convention Sponsors:

#IFEA65

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“As a not-for-profit 501(C)6 organization, the IFEA reserves the right to refuse or cancel the registration of any individual or organizational attendee, who, at its sole discretion, may represent/display unprofessional, unlawful, unethical, unsafe, or other actions/positions deemed contrary to the best interests of the IFEA and our global industry.”