European Society of Cardiology CEO wins PCMA Chairman’s Award

The Chief Executive Officer of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC), Isabel Bardinet, has received the 2015 Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) Chairman’s Award. It was presented yesterday at the PCMA Convening Leaders conference in Vancouver, Canada.

The award is the highest honour bestowed by the Chairman of the PCMA. Isabel Bardinet was acknowledged for her creative involvement of the community in advancing the ESC’s mission at ESC Congress 2015. ESC staff teamed up with local partners to create the London Heart Trail, an interactive walk along London’s iconic South Bank with a specific aim of promoting awareness of heart health to the London public.

ESC Congress, the ESC’s annual event, is the world’s largest and most influential cardiovascular meeting. In 2015 the five day conference attracted 34,000 delegates to ExCeL London.

Isabel Bardinet said: “Recognition from PCMA, who is a standard setter for our profession, means an awful lot to us. The ESC’s mission is to reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease in Europe. This burden affects nearly one person in four worldwide and kills over four million people in Europe alone every year. Education, sharing and dissemination are our main tools to deal with this pandemic. The most visible of our activities is ESC Congress.”

“The Heart Trail was organised and implemented for the people in London during the congress to get the messages of prevention across to them and indirectly thereby save lives. The success of the Heart Trail was mostly thanks to London & Partners and ExCeL, without whom this would never have been possible.”

“On behalf of the London Team – that is to say London & Partners, ExCeL, ESC staff and volunteers – I would like to thank PCMA for such a wonderful reward which means so much to us all.”

Becky Graveney, Head of Associations at London & Partners, said: “The 2015 European Society of Cardiology congress, along with the Heart Trail, were an incredible success and brought a record number of delegates to the capital, which is why we are thrilled that Isabel Bardinet, ESC's CEO, was awarded the PCMA Chairman's Award. It was a privilege to work alongside the ESC and ExCeL London to organise this incredible event which took over London and brought £100 million economic benefit to the city. This shows what can be achieved when an event, a venue and a city work closely together and we are very proud to have been a part of it.”

James Rees, Executive Director at ExCeL London, said: “On behalf of ExCeL London, I would like to congratulate Isabel Bardinet on winning the PCMA Chairman’s Award. This is hugely-deserved recognition and we are thrilled for her and the ESC team. Isabel is a thought-leader in our industry who recognises, and champions, the role of events to support the missions of medical associations and leave a legacy of positive change in the destinations they select. It was a pleasure for us to work with ESC and London as a whole during 2015 to host the ESC Congress and raise awareness of the healthy changes that can be made to reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease across London and the UK.”