Congratulations to Joan Eisenstodt, meetings industry guru and listmistress of the MiForum listserv, for being named as meeting partner of the year by the National Speakers Association. From the press release:

NSA’s Meeting Partner of the Year Award is given annually to a professional who builds strong ties within the meetings industry and fosters extraordinary relationships with professional speakers. Eisenstodt was also selected for the leadership, education and integrity she contributes to the meetings industry.

“We are pleased to honor Joan with this award not only because she so well respected in the industry, but also so loved,” says NSA Strategic Partnerships Council Chair Joanne Dennison, CMP. “Meeting professionals want to be in the room with her because of her expertise, but people also appreciate her sense of humor, high regard of ethics and warmth, balanced with her no-nonsense approach.”

Eisenstodt has more than 30 years of expertise in meeting management and facilitation, meeting negotiations and program planning. She founded Eisenstodt Associates, a Washington, D.C.-based conference consulting, facilitation and training company, in 1981. Eisenstodt works with corporations, associations, professional societies, foundations, hotel companies and convention and visitors bureaus to facilitate and design meetings, negotiate contracts, provide training and conduct focus groups.