WASHINGTON—After appearing on stage at the Grand Ole Opry 15 times, the country music duo Striking Matches will perform at ASAE’s 15th Summit Awards Dinner, October 1, at the National Building Museum in Washington, DC, to honor six outstanding associations in the community.

Striking Matches, singers and songwriters Sarah Zimmermann and Justin Davis, arrived in Nashville to play music. A professor at Belmont University paired them to randomly play for a classroom full of guitar majors, and they have been writing and performing ever since. In addition to their Grand Ole Opry appearances, they will perform during the 2014 ASAE Annual Meeting & Exposition opening night event. They have had six songs featured on ABC’s hit show “Nashville.” 

“The Summit Dinner is an opportunity for association professionals to come together to recognize and celebrate the fantastic work of their peers. The event will feature top musical entertainment provided by our longtime sponsor, Nashville,” said ASAE President and CEO John H. Graham IV, FASAE, CAE. 

Each year, Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp and Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center provide entertainment for the Summit Awards, and they are longtime supporters of the association community.

“Confirming Striking Matches for the Summit Awards is a highlight for us,” said Butch Spyridon, President and CEO of the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp. “Six songs featured in the ‘Nashville’ TV show and a new album produced by the legendary T-Bone Burnett should say it all. You won`t be disappointed!”

ASAE will have 1,000 association and nonprofit professionals and supporters of the association sector at this year’s Summit Awards Dinner, an event created to recognize the excellent work in the association community to improve the quality of life through exemplary community-based programs. The dinner also supports the Power of A fund, which increases awareness about the wealth of knowledge and resources in the association community with policymakers and other audiences.

The six organizations being honored for their work are: Society for Neuroscience, United Fresh Produce Association Foundation, Professional Ski Instructors of America – American Association of Snowboard Instructors, American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin, and the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

For more information about attending the Summit Awards Dinner, visit www.asaecenter.org/summitdinner or contact Carla Lochiatto, CAE, at 202-626-2807 or clochiatto@asaenet.org.

MEDIA CONTACT: Sabrina Kidwai, APR, CAE skidwai@asaecenter.org or 202-326-9505.

About ASAE: The Center for Association Leadership
ASAE is a membership organization of more than 21,000 association executives and industry partners representing 10,000 organizations. Its members manage leading trade associations, individual membership societies and voluntary organizations across the United States and in nearly 50 countries around the world. With support of the ASAE Foundation, a separate nonprofit entity, ASAE is the premier source of learning, knowledge and future-oriented research for the association and nonprofit profession, and provides resources, education, ideas and advocacy to enhance the power and performance of the association and nonprofit community. For more information about ASAE, visit www.asaecenter.org.