Kelleway founded registration business Info Salons in Sydney in 1990 and expanded the company internationally, into Asia and the Middle East.
“For more than 35 years, Jo-Anne Kelleway has been a driving force for innovation in our industry,” said UFI president Hugh Jones.
“As founder of Info Salons, she transformed event registration and data management, introducing new technologies that reshaped how events connect with their audiences.
“After selling her business to Freeman in 2018, Jo-Anne continued her role as an industry ambassador, something she had been in spirit since day one.
“Within UFI, she has served as a mentor, an active working group member, and an enthusiastic speaker at many events.”
After receiving the Medal of Honour at the 92nd UFI Global Congress in Hong Kong last week, Kelleway wrote on LinkedIn that she was “speechless and humbled by our extraordinary industry”.
Following its introduction last year, three others received UFI Medals of Honour this year, all past presidents of the association.
More than 600 delegates from 47 countries attended the congress at AsiaWorld-Expo last week.
“This congress was a milestone in UFI’s history,” said UFI CEO, Chris Skeith OBE.
“As we celebrated 100 years of connecting people globally, we were also looking ahead and building the foundations for the next century of our industry.”
