ATLANTA – The School of Hospitality at Georgia State University (GSU) recently named Kevin Gaffney, group show director, Medtrade, as one of its 40 outstanding alumni. The honor is part of the hospitality school’s 40th anniversary festivities, and the 100-year anniversary of GSU.
As a familiar face among exhibitors and attendees at Medtrade Spring and Medtrade, Gaffney has used his experience in sales, marketing, and strategic planning to pilot the show through challenging times. According to Debby Cannon, PhD, director of the Cecil B. Day School of Hospitality Administration, GSU, Gaffney was selected based on feedback from current faculty, past program directors, and industry board members.
Gaffney is a tradeshow expert who has directly managed the planning and execution of more than 25 trade shows in his career spanning 19 years. He currently works for Nielsen Expositions, a divisions of the Nielsen Company.
“Despite a lot of challenges, Medtrade is still the premiere tradeshow in the HME industry,” said Gaffney. “It’s my job to highlight the opportunities that still exist in this growing field, and seek out experts who can truly help providers. We are working right now to make Medtrade, held this year in Orlando, Fla, from Oct 7-10, the best Medtrade ever. We’ll know a lot about the realities of the industry five months from now, and we’ll be working to help providers thrive in that reality.”
An awards reception will be held on the evening of April 17, at the Venetian Room in downtown Atlanta.