The Honors Gala is on Wednesday, June 11, 2025. The event officially begins with a reception from 5:30–7 p.m., followed by dinner and the main awards program from 7–8:30 p.m. Networking and the exploring the museum exhibits conclude the evening, which will end at 10 p.m.
The 2025 Honors Gala will be held at the Griffin Museum of Science & Industry (Griffin MSI), 5700 S. DuSable Lakeshore Drive, in Chicago. Opened in 1933, Griffin MSI is home to more than 35,000 awe-inspiring artifacts and hundreds of exhibits. The museum is located within the only remaining building from the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition. The Beaux Arts structure was originally the fair's Palace of Fine Arts, displaying works of art from around the world.
Complimentary parking is available in the convenient underground garage. The entrance is located at the northwest corner of the building, at E. 57th Street and S. Cornell Avenue. Taxi and rideshare service will drop guests at the front of the building. Enter the museum from the curbside entrances and take the stairs or elevator down to the Entry Hall.
Please note: The Griffin MSI underground garage is the only complimentary Museum-owned parking for guests. Other parking options, including the metered self-parking east and south of the Museum building, are managed by other vendors and are not complimentary for this event.
Once inside the museum, take the stairs or elevator to the Entry Hall.
Association Forum’s Honors Gala provides recognition to outstanding association professionals and supporting members for their role in advancing the association management profession. The award categories include:
The Honors Gala is the premier fundraising event of the Association Forum Foundation, which was founded in 1987 as a separate 501(c)(3) organization with the purpose of enhancing Association Forum's programs and services through new education, research, and scholarship initiatives.
We suggest you wear whatever makes you shine! This event will celebrate the accomplishments and achievements of the most notable leaders in our industry. Formal attire is encouraged, but the event is not black tie. Most importantly, wear something that makes you feel good!
The entire association community is invited to participate in the Honors Gala. This event attracts association professionals who support and promote the association management profession and those who celebrate the achievements of the Honorees and others. We invite staff at all levels and from all facets of the industry to participate and honor these industry icons...and have a fantastic time networking with their peers (and making new friends!) at this incredible annual event.
Association Forum is committed to a Welcoming Environment® and ensuring that all attendees are supported in having a positive experience. Please contact us at 312-924-7000 or education@associationforum.org so we can make any arrangements necessary.
Due to overwhelming demand, the 2025 Honors Gala is sold out!
Click on the “Purchase Tickets” item under the "Tickets" heading on the top right of the webpage. Next, please enter your email and click the Search button to begin. You must click on Search so your membership record can be found and obtain the proper ticket prices. If you have a profile account with Association Forum, you will need to enter the email address associated with your account to start registration. If an account was not found with your email address, click ‘New Registration’. Tickets may be purchased on behalf of another individual. Registrants will be provided a code to enter the names of the actual event attendees (at a later time).
In addition, organizations may choose to purchase an extra ticket to be donated to individuals who do not have the financial resources to participate. For more information about this opportunity (as a donor or a recipient), please see the question and answer below. Or, access our pricing page for additional information.
To make the Honors Gala accessible to all segments of the community, a limited number of tickets are available to Emerging Leaders at a significantly reduced registration fee. Emerging Leaders are those association professionals who hold positions with job titles of Director or below. The goal of this new ticket type is to welcome Association Forum members who wouldn’t typically have the resources to participate in the Honors Gala and we ask for the community’s integrity in ensuring that these tickets are directed to the proper participants. Association Forum reserves the right to deny the Emerging Leader pricing to any attendee, even after purchase, if the purchaser does not meet the intended criteria for this discounted ticket. A limited number of Emerging Leader tickets are available and once they’ve sold out, no additional Emerging Leader tickets will be made available. Please note that the Emerging Leader ticket can only be purchased as an individual ticket. The pricing for reserved tickets (Half Table Supporter for 5 tickets or Premier Table Supporter for 10 tickets) is fixed regardless of whether those tickets are given to someone who might qualify for an Emerging Leader individual ticket.
Yes! Tickets may be purchased through the standard registration process and donated to individuals who do not have the financial resources to participate. Individuals wishing to be considered to receive a donated ticket should add their names to the list here. Adding a name to the list is not a guarantee that a ticket will become available. Association Forum will match the donated ticket with a recipient, and both entities will be notified of the match. Unfortunately, ticket donors are not able to specify to whom their tickets should be donated.
Click on the “Ticket Management Center” in the top menu. To log in, use the email address associated with the registration. You can find your password in your confirmation email. Once inside your registration, edit any details pertaining to your registration and save it.
Using your Honors Gala registration and login and password (which may be different from your general Association Forum credentials and can be found in your confirmation email), login to the Ticket Management Center. At the top of the page, access the Attendee Names portal. Submit each attendee's name by entering their email address and the unique ticket code found in your confirmation email.
The early bird registration rate expires on May 21, 2025. Beginning on May 22, prices increase by approximately 15%.
Due to overwhelming demand, the 2025 Honors Gala is sold out!
Although we strongly encourage advance registration to ensure a seamless event experience, yes, attendees may register onsite on the day of the program.
Attendees will receive their name badges upon arrival at the venue. Those who are seated at reserved tables will receive instructions about the location of the reserved table.
If you have questions regarding your registration, please contact education@associationforum.org
Payment is due in full at the time of registration. Due to the nature of the event and the fundraising objectives of the Association Forum Foundation, ticket purchases are non-refundable. Refunds will not be issued in the event of a no-show.
Substitution requests can be made through the Ticket Management link on the website through June 6, 2025. After June 6, any substitution requests must be submitted to education@associationforum.org or made on-site.
In advance of Honors Gala, contact membership@associationforum.org. Onsite, you may speak with any Association Forum staff member who would be happy to tell you more about the benefits of membership.