I’ve been in two minds all week about whether to post this photo here or not. It seemed too much like own-horn tooting or trumpet-blowing.

But today I thought, what the heck, it’s a milestone event, let’s just get it up there!

So here it is – yours truly last Sunday evening June 7 with the IABC Chairman’s Award 2009:

You can click on the image if you like so you can see an even larger version.

The photo was taken by Shel Holtz right after the Opening General Session at the IABC World Conference in San Francisco, which ran from Sunday until yesterday, June 10 (there are lots more conference photos at Flickr with the ‘iabc09’ tag as well as a huge Twitter conversation connected with the #iabc09 hashtag).

The award is a handsome piece of collateral, made of some kind of treated metallic substance with a transparent acrylic slab bolted on top. The engraved words are on the acrylic. It measures about 7 inches by 9 inches (18cm by 23cm) and has a nice weighty feel to it.

At the presentation ceremony on Sunday, I had to make a short speech of acceptance. I was allowed 2 minutes. I think I did it in just over a minute and a half.

I had some notes, not on paper but on my iPhone. They served as my aide memoire so that I could get across some simple points that I wanted to say to express what I felt the award meant to me:

This year is my 20th anniversary year of being an IABC member.
Look back at milestones, other people key to making them happen.
You don’t set out to do volunteerism to get recognized.
It’s about involving others in something you believe in.
But it is nice when it happens.
I’m honoured to accept this award.
Thank you Barb.

I’m thrilled to receive this award, make no mistake!

Related post:

• IABC award: recognizing the recognizers