45-Year Catering Veteran, Bill Hansen, to Receive Mike Roman Lifetime Achievement Award

Annual ACE Awards Show Names 26 Finalists Who Represent the Best in Catering and Events


LAS VEGAS, Jan. 10, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Catersource, the world’s premier educational resource and expansive network for the catering and events industry, today announced the distinguished recipient of the fifth annual Michael Roman Lifetime Achievement Award, Bill Hansen, as well as the 2018 Achievement in Catering & Events Awards (ACE) finalists. The Lifetime Achievement Award, named for the late Michael Roman, founder and leader of the Catersource brand, recognizes an individual who upholds a commitment to the craft, a dedication to lifelong learning and a level of success that adds value to the catering and events industry. The ACE awards honor and recognize caterers and event planners from around the globe who have worked tirelessly to keep clients thrilled and their companies on the cutting edge. To register as press for Catersource 2018, please visit: http://ubm.io/CS18MediaReg.

“We are very proud to honor Bill Hansen, a true thought leader, with the Michael Roman Lifetime Achievement Award. His determination and dedication to educating several generations of the catering and events industry, delivering the best service, engaging his employees and building a culture of accountability that generates true employee buy-in have all made a lasting impact,” said Scott Dominguez, brand director, Catersource. “We also want to congratulate all Achievement in Catering & Events finalists for their commitment to providing exciting and memorable experiences for their customers.”

2018 Michael Roman Lifetime Achievement Award: Bill Hansen
This year’s Lifetime Achievement Award Winner, Bill Hansen, was selected for his educational and inspirational force in the catering and events industry. Hansen earned his degree in Hotel Administration from Cornell University and his Master of Science degree in Hospitality Management from Florida International University in 1980, the same year he founded Bill’s Catering with his best friend, Bill Hendrich. At 72 years old, Hansen is the CEO of Bill Hansen Luxury Catering and Event Production and built and grew his thriving business through economic downturns and natural disasters. He is the author of Off-Premise Catering Management, a standard textbook in many classrooms, and contributes a monthly column to Catersource’s Get Fresh monthly e-newsletter. Hansen will receive the Michael Roman Lifetime Achievement Award on Sunday, February 18, prior to the Catersource keynote.

2018 Achievement in Catering & Events Awards (ACE) Categories and Finalists
The ACE Awards categories are broken down into two categories; catering or events, and then those categories are further broken down by region and annual company revenue of over $2 million or below $2 million. To enter the ACE Awards, companies select two of their events that best represent brand aesthetic and quality and occurred between November 1, 2016 and November 1, 2017. The judges then select finalists from the submissions based on event creativity, caliber, quality and the ability to meet event challenges. Winners of the ACE awards will be announced at the Spark! Awards Gala on Monday, February 19 during Catersource. The full list of 2018 Achievement in Catering & Events Awards finalists include:

Catering East Operations Below $2 Million
Blue Elephant Events and Catering
John Serock Catering
Partyman Catering & Rentals

Catering East Operations Above $2 Million
Blue Plate Catering
Connecticut Wedding Group
Hamby Catering

Catering West Operations Below $2 Million
C2 Catering
Feast on This, Inc
Sodexo at the Hollywood Bowl

Catering West Operations Above $2 Million
24 Carrots
Santa Barbara Catering
The Wild Thyme Company

Catering International
By Word of Mouth
Cocktails & Canapes Catering
Zest Cozinha Criativa

Events East Operations Below $2 Million
Jaclyn Watson Events
Sodexo at Virginia Aquarium

Events East Operations Above $2 Million
Sodexo Museum of Science and Industry
Sodexo Chicago Botanic Garden
Detroit Athletic Club

Events West Operations Below $2 Million
Kristin Banta Events
RH Event Group
Sodexo at Space Center Houston

Events West Operations Above $2 Million
CL22 Productions Inc
A Fare Extraordinaire
AOO Events

Catersource will take place February 18–20, 2018 at Caesars Palace and will be co-located with the Art of Catering Food (AOCF). The educational experience will continue with a vibrant tradeshow at the Las Vegas Convention Center from February 20–21, 2018. For more information on Catersource 2018 packages and pricing, visit conference.catersource.com.

Connect with Catersource #catersource

Top sponsors of Catersource 2018 include: Platinum Sponsors include: American Metalcraft, Inc. Cambro, Nowsta Inc., Sterno Products, US Foods, WNA; Gold Sponsors include: Front Of The House, Inc., Roland Foods, Sabert, Sparktacular, StaffMate Online, Total Party Planner; Silver Sponsors include: EMI Yoshi, Inc., TableCraft, Waring Commercial Products. For all sponsorship opportunities, visit: ubm.io/sponsorships2018.

About Catersource
Catersource is the world’s premier resource dedicated to the education and growth of catering and event professionals. Catersource provides the most expansive network relevant to the catering and events business, producing in-depth educational offerings at the largest industry conference and tradeshow. Catersource’s live education also extends itself into the digital world year-round, with rich editorial content in its e-newsletter products, its website www.catersource.com, and in its annual January show issue, printed and mailed to over 30,000 industry influencers. Catersource is organized by UBM plc. UBM is the largest pure-play B2B Events organizer in the world. Our 3,750+ people, based in more than 20 countries, serve more than 50 different sectors. Our deep knowledge and passion for these sectors allow us to create valuable experiences which enable our customers to succeed. Please visit www.ubm.com for the latest news and information about UBM. 

Contact
Ashley Womack
Catersource PR
415-947-6374
CatersourcePR@ubm.com