PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Laurie Singletary
(504) 524-1227
lsingletary@accent-dmc.com
ACCENT-DMC, Inc., a DMC Network Company
NOMINATED FOR FOUR PRESTIGIOUS ADMEI Awards
NEW ORLEANS, LA — January 4, 2016 - Diane B. Lyons, CMP, DMCP, President of ACCENT-DMC, Inc., a DMC Network
Company, has been nominated for three prestigious ADMEI Achievement Awards in the categories of Best Creative Activity Best Public Event, Best Creative Activity - Best Corporate Social Responsibility and Best Logistics – Transportation, and one
ADMEI Excellence Award in the category of Excellence in Site Inspection.
“We are thrilled to be recognized by this esteemed organization for our achievements in special events.” says Diane Lyons,
President of ACCENT-DMC. ADMEI award winners are known throughout the industry as ‘the best of the best’ so we are
honored to be in such company.”
In her 30-plus year career as a special event professional, Lyons has earned her Certified Meeting Planner (CMP) and Destination
Management Certified Professional (DMCP) designations and has led one of the most respected destination management
companies in the New Orleans area. In 2007, ACCENT was selected by the DMC Network as its exclusive New Orleans member
company and successfully completed the requirements for the ADME Charter Accredited Destination Company designation as one
of its charter members.
ACCENT’s first nomination for Best Creative Activity-Best Public Event is entitled, “Thirteen Days of Christmas because Twelve
Aren’t Enough”, for management of the 2014 NOLA ChristmasFest. The concept was to offer an indoor family-friendly event by
capturing as many holiday interests as possible with a strategically planned and curated menu of programs over the course of 13
days. The second nomination was in the category of Best Creative Activity – Best Corporate Social Responsibility, entitled, “How
Does Your Garden Grow?” ACCENT designed a CSR project for clients that felt connected to New Orleans from Hurricane
Katrina in 2005 and wanted to honor Katrina, yet still be relevant today with a philanthropic project. The client’s team worked on
clearing and replanting fruit and vegetable gardens and interacted with community members through the day, leaving a lasting
mark on New Orleans. The third achievement award nomination was for Best Corporate Social Responsibility and Best Logistics –
Transportation and was entitled, “Why Take a Cab When You Can Take a Carriage?” This involved a multi-day conference with
multiple components, including arrivals/departures, meetings within the host hotel, offsite tours, special events and four days of
dine arounds. The client’s aim was to highlight different neighborhoods in the city for each dinner dine-around, as well as to give
guests unique transportation experiences daily. Logistics involved multiple vendors for historic mule-drawn carriages, mini
busses, walking tour guides and a special sedan for a handicapped guests. The fourth nomination was for an Excellence Award in
the category Site Inspection and entitled,“Farming and the French Quarter: Scouting Agriculture Infrastructure in New Orleans “.
The site inspection occurred at multiple locations in the city over the course of a week. More than 40 attendees participated.
ACCENT focused on the client’s needs and spent numerous hours of pre-planning for the site and identifying solutions prior to the
client’s arrival with this overall goal in mind.
ADMEI award winners will be announced and recognized at the ADMEI Annual Meeting in Oklahoma City on February 13,
2016.
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About ACCENT-DMC, Inc., a DMC Network Company:
Founded in 1991 by Diane B. Lyons, ACCENT-DMC is a privately held corporation with the primary interest of planning,
managing and supervising group activities to include spouse/guest programs, team building activities, special events, entertainment
and décor, transportation services, speaker programs, hospitality staff and VIP services as well as children’s programs and
events. Headquartered in New Orleans, ACCENT has a management team with more than 90 years of combined destination
management experience. It is a proud member of the DMC Network, an LLC of the top performing, wholly owned DMCs through
North America. In addition to its DMC activities, ACCENT also produces FestiGals, a non-profit enrichment weekend in New
Orleans each June that brings women of all ages together, showcases the local culture, and generates awareness and funding for
causes affecting women. We are an ADMEI Charter Accredited Destination Company and WBENC-certified Women’s Business
Enterprise through the Women’s Business Enterprise Council South.
About ADMEI (Association of Destination Management Executives International):
ADMEI is the global voice of the destination management industry. ADMEI is the premier resource for education, standards and
practices within the DMC industry/profession. ADMEI has a global presence and a respected reputation for sharing the value of
DMCs to both internal and external stakeholders. Members collaborate to define and advance new initiatives and also look to
ADMEI for advances impacting the destination management industry. ADMEI is the trusted partner in the certification of
destination management professionals and the accreditation of destination management companies.