By most accounts, the 2022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony was a huge success that had some memorable speeches and performances. The Rock Hall's recent trend of having large induction classes is a necessary and positive move after years of honoring the bare minimum number of artists and the institution's general neglect of the special categories.

The only downside to large induction classes (if you can call it that) are the practical time constraints of the ceremony to honor all of these people. How do you properly create tributes to 14 inductees with video packages, induction speeches, acceptance speeches, and performances, all within a reasonable time limit? It's a difficult challenge for producers who are forced to make hard decisions about what to cut to shorten things up.

Unfortunately, at the 2022 ceremony the Rock Hall failed on even the basic minimum requirements for three of its inductees: Elizabeth Cotten, Harry Belafonte, and Sylvia Robinson. Similar to previous years, those inductees were honored with short video segments outlining the importance of their careers. But unlike every other inductee* in the history of the Rock Hall, there was not a designated person to officially "induct" them into the Hall of Fame. It's a huge missed opportunity to connect the inductees to contemporary artists and simply to welcome them into the institution. It's a troubling sign that the producers could dispose of this foundational tradition that makes the induction ceremonies special.

An absolute bare minimum ceremony segment for ALL inductees (living or dead, in attendance or not) should have the following:

• Video package describing the inductee's career
• Having someone say the words, "It's my honor to welcome [inductee] into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame"
• If the inductee is alive, they should be given the opportunity to give a speech

That's it! Adding on presenter speeches, tribute performances, or allowing family members to accept on a deceased inductee's behalf are all great too, and should happen if there's time, but are understandable to omit when there are other living, present inductees to get to. The fact that the Rock Hall decided to overlook this minimal requirement with these three inductees is extremely unfortunate, and hopefully isn't the beginning of a trend.

See also The Rock Hall's Shameful Treatment of Dire Straits from 2018

The Rock Hall also announced that the next live induction ceremony will be in Cleveland in the fall of 2021. They imply that fall ceremonies will become the norm moving forward after that.

The previous "induction season" typically followed this pattern over about 7 1/2 months:

1. September: The Nominating Committee meet in New York to create the ballot. Artists are eligible if they released a record 25 years prior this year.
2. October: The Rock Hall announces the nominees. Voting begins.
3. December: The inductees are announced.
4. April: The induction ceremony is held.

Assuming the Rock Hall holds onto the current eligibility schedule, "induction season" could be nearly a full calendar year between the creation of the ballot and the induction ceremony.

The current eligibility / induction years are already a source of confusion, although it at least makes sense based on when the nominees are announced (for example, Notorious B.I.G. is a first ballot hall of famer with the class of 2020, but his eligibility was based on 2019 — 25 years after his first record in 1994). If nominees aren't announced until 2021 (despite when the NomCom meets), it will feel strange to be talking about the previous year's eligibility class. With the culmination of an "induction season" now in November, It would be a lot cleaner the entire process is within a single year. This would require a catch up year where two years-worth of new artists would become eligible at the same time.

So when should we expect to see the 2021 ballot? Under the old induction season timeline working backwards from a November ceremony, the nominees should be announced in late April or early May, with inductees announced two months after that. But it seems likely the Rock Hall may stretch things out and announce nominees as early as February, with inductees announced in May. That would leave six full months to prepare for the induction ceremony.

Incoming Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation Chairman, John Sykes, revealed this week that the 2020 Induction Ceremony will be broadcast live on HBO. This will be the first time the event will be shown live since HBO took over broadcast duties in 2012.

Producing an awards show for a live audience is different than one that can be edited and broadcast later. The last eight ceremonies have each been four to five hours long, where inductees generally get an unlimited amount of time to speak. At the 2019 ceremony, many of the artists also performed four or five songs, knowing that not all of them would make the HBO version.

There are two different ways HBO could take the ceremony:

1. The ceremony could be streamed live on HBO Max, the new streaming service from AT&T’s WarnerMedia, which just happens to launch in the spring. In this case, the ceremony format could essentially remain unchanged, since fitting the event into a certain time window becomes far less critical. An edited version of the ceremony could still be created for regular HBO, just as it has been (although Sykes did say it would be live “instead of taped”).
2. The induction ceremony would be shown live on regular HBO and becomes a more traditional awards show like the Grammys, where the event is produced to fit a predetermined time frame (three hours?). In this case, performances would be far more limited and speech times would have to be carefully budgeted. The Rock Hall would be faced with even greater pressure than they are now to limit the number of inductees.

Given the nature of the streaming wars, we’re betting that HBO and the Rock Hall have the first option in mind, although with Sykes’s stated interest in “looking to do more in California,” that could suggest returning the induction ceremony to LA and going with a more traditional award show.

Prior to HBO’s involvement with the Rock Hall, the Fuse Network broadcast the ceremonies live on cable during their three year tenure. At the tail end of the VH1 Classic era, the 2007 and 2008 ceremonies were streamed live before airing later on TV. Given the intimacy of the Waldorf Astoria and the relatively limited audiences back then, the broadcasts didn’t seem to be overtly geared towards television. It will be fascinating to see how HBO treats it moving forward. We’ll be watching.

In 2003, Morello (and the Edge, in a separate speech) had the opportunity to induct another one of his greatest influences, The Clash.

I had the good fortune to see The Clash at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago when I was a teenager. It was an experience that changed my life. Even before the first note was played, the transformation began. I bought a t-shirt in the lobby. I was used to buying heavy metal t-shirts that had lots of pictures of garish wizards and dragons on them. But this Clash shirt was very different. It just had a few small words written over the heart. It said “the future is unwritten.” And when I saw the Clash play, I knew exactly what that phrase meant.

The Clash perform with passion, commitment, purpose, righteousness, and an unflinching political fire. There was such a sense of community in the room, it seemed like absolutely anything was possible. I was energized, politicized and changed by The Clash that night. And I knew that the future was unwritten and maybe we fans and that band would maybe write it together.

Joe Strummer was even playing through the same little amp I used when I was a high schooler. They proved to me that you didn’t need a big wall of Marshall stacks and a castle on a Scottish loch to make great rock and roll music. All you had to do was tell the truth and really, really, really mean it. I’d never seen a better band before that night and I’ve never seen a better band since. That’s very true.

The Clash were one of those rare bands that were greater than the sum of their parts, and yet the parts were awesome. Mick was the brilliant arranger and tunesmith, always looking forward musically. Let’s hear it for Mick. Right on. Always looking forward musically and pushing the boundaries of what was possible for a punk band, of what was possible for any band. Paul was just so damn cool looking. And as you’ll see, he’s still so damn cool-looking tonight. He’s running it like a pimp. And the image of him smashing the bass on the cover of London Calling, sums up the fury and beautiful force of the band. He also wove in the reggae influence that completed that Clash chemistry -- of three chords, a funky groove and the truth.

Terry Chimes provided the cavalry charge beats that propelled some of their early anthems, but it was Topper that made it all possible with his drumming. He effortlessly, and with great originality and skill, steered the band through genres undreamt of by their peers.

But really, they had no peers. Because at the center of the Clash hurricane stood one of the greatest hearts and deepest souls of 20th century music. At the center of the Clash stood Joe Strummer.

Joe Strummer died on December 22nd, 2002. But when Joe Strummer played, he played as if the world could be changed by a three minute song. And he was right. Those songs changed a lot of people’s worlds forever, mine at the top of the list. He was a brilliant lyricist with anger and wit always stood up for the underdog. And his idealism and conviction instilled in me the courage to pick up a guitar and the courage to try to make a difference with it.

In the great Clash anthem White Riot, Joe sang, “are you taking over? / or are you taking orders? / are you going backwards? / or are you going forwards?” And when I heard that, I wrote those four lines down, I put them on my refrigerator, and I answer those four questions for myself every single day. And to this day, I still do.

Joe Strummer was my greatest inspiration and my favorite singer of all-time and my hero. I miss him so much and I was looking forward to him standing on this stage and rocking with his friends tonight. And I know that he was too. I’m grateful though to have the tremendous legacy of music that the Clash left behind, cause through it, Joe Strummer and the Clash will continue to inspire and agitate well into the future. In fact, the Clash aren’t really gone at all. Because whenever a band cares more about its fans than its bank account, the spirit of the Clash is there. Whenever a band plays as if every single person’s soul in the room is at stake, the spirit of the Clash is there. And whenever a stadium band or little garage band has the guts to put their beliefs on the line to make a difference, the spirit of the Clash is there. And whenever people take to the streets to stop an unjust war, the spirit of the Clash is definitely there.

Tonight, we will honor the Clash, and Joe Strummer, with toasts and applause, but the best way to honor them is by putting the Clash’s philosophy into practice. By waking up each morning  knowing that the future is unwritten, and that it can be a future where human rights, peace and justice come first. But it is entirely up to us. To me, that’s what the Clash was all about.

They combined revolutionary sounds with revolutionary ideas. Their music launched thousands of bands and moved millions of fans. And I cannot imagine what my life would have been without them.

During their heyday, they were known as the only band that matters. And 25 years later, that still seems just about right to me.

---

Tom Morello Inducts the Clash into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Library and Archives, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum

As a prominent member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Nominating Committee, Morello, like Stevie Van Zandt and Robbie Robertson, will likely be called upon again to deliver additional induction speeches in the future.

2008 Ballot

2009 Ballot

2010 Ballot

2011 Ballot

2012 Ballot

2013 Ballot

2014 Ballot

A complete look at the 2014 ballot at LinkWray.com.

2015 Ballot

2016 Ballot

• 2018 Nominees - October 5, 2017
• 2017 Nominees - October 18, 2016
• 2016 Nominees - October 8, 2015
• 2015 Nominees - October 9, 2014
• 2014 Nominees - October 16, 2013
• 2013 Nominees - October 4, 2012
• 2012 Nominees - September 27, 2011
• 2011 Nominees - September 28, 2010
• 2010 Nominees - September 22, 2009
• 2009 Nominees - September 22, 2008
• 2008 Nominees - September 27, 2007
• 2007 Nominees - October 28, 2006

Keep an eye on our Twitter page to find all of the latest Rock Hall news and information.

The Rock Hall has picked up a tool that Rolling Stone magazine has utilized for years: The Beatles = $$$ (the Beatles have been on the cover 30 times over the years). So, the Rock Hall decided that this was the year they would finally induct the Beatles manager, Brian Epstein, in the Non-Performer category, thereby injecting some ultimate boomer nostalgia into the festivities without even having to put Ringo on the ballot. Could they coax Paul McCartney into inducting Epstein and even performing a song or two? It’s certainly possible.

The Rock Hall didn’t stop with the Fab Four. Andrew Loog Oldham, the Rolling Stones former manager, is also being inducted as a Non-Performer. (The Stones pop up on the cover of Rolling Stone regularly too -- Mick has appeared 30 times.) Will the Stones perform? You can bet they’ll be invited. Even if they won’t, the Rock Hall will be able to pull together some big names to perform a couple classic songs.

And finally, the Rock Hall decided to play one more huge card it had in its deck: finally inducting the E Street Band in the Musical Excellence category. It has been 15 years since the Rock Hall honored Bruce solo (on Rolling Stone 24 times), so this gives the Hall a great excuse to get the entire group on a stage close to home.

It appears that the Rock Hall is using the categories in which it has full control to guarantee a successful induction ceremony and HBO broadcast. The Non-Performer and Musical Excellence inductees are named by special committees and are not subject to a vote, so the Rock Hall literally could have picked any year to honor these Hall of Famers (all well deserving). So, why this year? The Rock Hall traditionally signs three year deals with its media partners, and this is the third year HBO has the broadcast rights. It seems possible that the Rock Hall decided to go all out this year to set themselves up for their next media deal. Also worth noting is that Brooklyn’s Barclays Center has a seating capacity of 19,000*, by far the largest venue they have ever tried to fill for an induction ceremony. Even with all of the Rush fans last year**, the Rock Hall had a hard time selling all of the expensive seats in the 7,100 seat Nokia Theatre in LA, so they want to maximize the number of headliners this year. They didn’t want to put the success of the show solely in the hands of a potential KISS reunion, a Nirvana performance without Kurt, or a Linda Ronstadt no-show. By including the Beatles, Stones, and Bruce, they put themselves in a can’t-lose situation no matter which performers the Voting Committee selected.

Joel Peresman confirmed that the induction ceremonies will now be on a three city rotation: New York (2014, 2017, 2020, etc.), Cleveland (2015, 2018, 2021, etc.) and Los Angeles (2016, 2019, 2022, etc.). It will be difficult for future events to top the 2014 Ceremony for sheer star power, but look at the future eligibility dates and start making plans.

* - The capacity of Barclays for the induction ceremony will end up being approximately 2,000 less than a typical concert because of all of the VIP table seating on the floor.

** - Let’s face it, even if you’re a die-hard fan of an inductee, it’s tough to shell out $350+ to see a short speech and two or three songs. This year, the Rock Hall is making that easier to swallow by including additional artists almost everyone loves. This is only the fourth ceremony that has been open to the public, so the Rock Hall is probably still trying to figure out how much they can charge for these things. The 2013 Los Angeles ceremony was considerably more expensive than either of the Cleveland ceremonies in 2009 and 2012.

*** - This year’s ceremony still won’t rival the Rock Hall’s 25th Anniversary Concert from Madison Square Garden. Check out the lineup and set lists for that one.

**** - Read also last year’s take on HBO’s involvement, still as relevant as ever.

The Rock Hall also announced that HBO will be broadcasting the 2013 induction ceremony. HBO and the Rock Hall began their relationship in 2009 with two star-studded 25th Anniversary Rock & Roll Hall of Fame fundraising concerts which were held at Madison Square Garden. The show was enough of a success that after Fuse’s broadcast rights expired in 2011, the Rock Hall signed an agreement with HBO to broadcast the 2012 induction ceremony, and now the 2013 broadcast.

One thing in common with all three of the HBO / Rock Hall events so far, is that the concerts have been in large venues, filled with rock fans. There is a very different energy to the induction ceremonies when there are fans screaming, cheering, and booing (sorry, Axl) for the inductees. The broadcasts from the private Waldorf-Astoria events have always seemed awkward on television, especially the performances in front of the (usually) seated tuxedoed crowd. On the other hand, HBO’s broadcasts have captured the electricity of the events, much of which has been provided by the fans. For 2013, it would appear HBO isn’t interested in rocking the boat, preferring to broadcast a rock concert, rather than a dinner at the Waldorf-Astoria.

But why Los Angeles? First, this allows the Rock Hall to tap into West Coast philanthropists that may not make it to New York events. Secondly, there is a rich talent pool to draw from to be in the induction ceremony, as either presenters or performers.

HBO’s first induction ceremony this year was packed with big names as presenters and performers. They took full advantage of six performer inductees, the most since 2004, plus all of the backing groups which were part of a special induction. HBO also benefitted from a young-demographic-friendly slate of inductees, including the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Guns N’ Roses and the Beastie Boys. Green Day even had the unprecedented honor of opening the show with one of their own songs, even though they weren’t being inducted. This all made for great television. It’s unclear how successful the show was ratings-wise, but the ceremony was rebroadcast often throughout the summer.

Assuming the induction ceremony moves back to New York for 2014 (Nirvana!), HBO will likely want use a venue like Radio City Music Hall rather than going back to a hotel ballroom, with significant performance limitations (sets, lighting, cameras, etc.). We’re going to bet that we have seen the last of the old Waldorf, at least as long as HBO is involved.

Things are a little cramped at the Waldorf induction ceremonies

Cleveland’s Public Auditorium is old, but large enough for a professional production.

LA’s Nokia Theatre is a modern venue built for big-time televised events.

* - We’re assuming the Rock Hall will make tickets available to the general public as they did in Cleveland in 2009 and 2012, since the Nokia Theatre has a seating capacity of 7,100, but that hasn’t been announced (Cleveland’s Public Auditorium held roughly 5,000 fans). We’re also assuming tickets won’t be the $50 bargain that they were in Cleveland. For example, ticket prices for the American Music Awards range from $95 to $2200.

** - So what is driving the decision to move the induction ceremony away from its home in New York at the cozy (and invite-only) Waldorf-Astoria? Selling dozens of $30,000 to $100,000 tables at the New York induction ceremony has traditionally been the primary fundraiser for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation. With the music industry in the tank, perhaps the money just isn’t there anymore.

*** - The Rock Hall has long relied on selling the TV rights of the induction ceremonies to partners such as VH1 and VH1 Classic (pre-2009), and more recently Fuse (2009-2011) and now HBO (2012-2013). Lately, the Rock Hall hasn’t been interested in broadcasting the Induction Ceremony live on the internet. Let’s hope they reconsider.

• This is one of the strongest ballots in years. All of the nominees are defendable choices and the Nominating Committee deserves credit for finally acknowledging some of its blind spots.
• HBO will be broadcasting the 2013 Induction Ceremony again, this time from Los Angeles. More thoughts on this later, but this is important.
• The Rock Hall is making a symbolic gesture towards the public by allowing the fans to vote for the first time. An online poll is being conducted, and the results will be sent in as the “fans’ ballot” and added to the other 600 ballots. Expect Rush fans to dominate this one (you can see voting percentages here). Credit Eddie Trunk for getting Joel Peresman to consider adding a fan element to the voting. (The Trunk/Peresman interview is a must read.)
• ZOMG! Rush has finally been nominated!
• ZOMG! Deep Purple too!
• Seriously though, Deep Purple has had the highest fan approval on this website for years (currently 94%). This is a long overdue nomination to say the least. Rush have the most vocal fans on the internet, so this will should pacify them for the moment. Having recent inductees such as Slash and Metallica publicly champion Deep Purple and Rush likely had an effect on the Nominating Committee because the NomCom actually does respect the views of other Hall of Famers. That is how you get people nominated.
• As nearly everyone expected, Donna Summer returns to the ballot, this time posthumously.
• Public Enemy and N.W.A were the only names on the ballot of the newly eligible artists. Public Enemy was a lock to be nominated (and likely inducted). N.W.A less so, but certainly worthy of a nomination.
• Heart and Joan Jett & the Blackhearts return to the ballot after seeing their first nomination last year. Both will be fan favorites to be inducted.
• Kraftwerk makes its triumphant return to the ballot in a year where EDM has been in the headlines constantly.
• Randy Newman also returns to the ballot after an 8 year absence. This time though, the induction ceremony is in Los Angeles. It’s not hard to imagine Newman belting out “I Love L.A.” to close out the show. Interesting.
• Albert King’s nomination feels all too reminiscent of the Freddie King debacle from last year. Freddie King was nominated as a performer, but then inducted as an Early Influence, making a mockery of the process. Look for it to happen again.
• Chic is back on the ballot for a seventh time. Is there still a “seven year rule”?
• The Paul Butterfield Blues Band is also nominated a second time, after the public support from Jann Wenner and Paul Shaffer.
• The Meters hadn’t been nominated since 1997, but they are back to compete in a very strong field.
• The Marvelettes of “Please Mr. Postman” fame are up for their first nomination. They were the only artist that wasn’t on the vital “Previously Considered” list, so it’s a surprise to see them jump straight to the ballot.
• Procol Harum are your 1960s rockers this year.
• So what is there to complain about? Well, you can go read the comments on the Rock Hall’s Facebook page if you really want to know. It’s turning into a YouTube-comments-section level of discourse over there. Ugly.
• Following the deaths of Whitney Houston and Davy Jones, many people thought those artists would finally be nominated. Didn’t happen this year.
• So, how did we do in our predictions? We correctly predicted seven out of the fifteen nominees. In the comments section, Casper has the breakdown. Congrats to Greg F. who also predicted seven, the highest we have seen anywhere on the internet.
• Vote in our poll! The votes don’t count, but they are pretty decent predictor of who will actually be inducted in April. Our poll is also the only one out there which provides results in a meaningful way, listed as a percentage of ballots, not total votes.
• The Rock Hall doesn’t list how many inductees there will be this year, but it’s a safe bet there will be more than five, even though voting is restricted to just five names.

Here is the ballot in order by the number of times nominated, including this year (thanks again, Casper):

• Chic - 7 (2003, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013)
• Donna Summer - 5 (2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013)
• The Paul Butterfield Blues Band - 2 (2006, 2013)
• Heart - 2 (2012, 2013)
• Joan Jett & The BlackHearts - 2 (2012, 2013)
• Kraftwerk - 2 (2002, 2013)
• The Meters - 2 (1997, 2013)
• Randy Newman - 2 (2005, 2013)
• Deep Purple, Public Enemy, Albert King, The Marvelettes, N.W.A., Procol Harum, Rush - 1 (2013)

Much more to come….

Presumably, this line in the article that prematurely announces the '09 "inductees" is a mistake, although it is a highly plausible list:

The 2009 inductees include Run-DMC, Metallica, Jeff Beck, Little Anthony and the Imperials, and The Stooges.

And I think it's wonderful to be here tonight, but I also think it's sad that there are other people who aren't here tonight. And, uh, those are the people who have passed away, those are the obvious ones. But the other not-so-obvious ones are people like Paul McCartney, who couldn't be here tonight because he's in a lawsuit with Ringo and Yoko. That's what he sent a telegram to some, uh, high priced attorney in this room, you know. And that's a bummer, because we're talking about harmony, right, and the world. If we can't get it together in America and in England, and harmony within our groups. I mean, believe it, you can believe it the Beach Boys have their own [unintelligible] or whatever you call it, squabbles. But that's a bummer when Ms. Ross can't make it, you know?

The Beach Boys have continued to do, about, we did about 180 performances last year. I'd like to see the Mop-Tops match that! I'd like to see Mick Jagger get out on this stage and do "I Get Around" versus "Jumpin' Jack Flash", any day now. And I'd like to see some people kick out the jams, and I challenge the Boss to get up on stage and jam.

[during Mike's pause, someone in the house band plays the theremin line of "Good Vibrations" during the crowds tepid response] I wanna see Billy Joel, see if he can still tickle ivories, lemmee see. I know Mick Jagger won't be here tonight, he's gonna have to stay in England. But I'd like to see us in the Coliseum and he at Wembley Stadium because he's always been chickenshit to get on stage with the Beach Boys.

Given the minimum 25 year waiting period for eligibility, it's unlikely anyone will break Michael Jackson's record anytime soon. We can't think of anyone else who began their career at an age younger than 13 who has any chance at future induction. Any contenders out there?

Eddie Vedder inducting the Ramones in 2002

To create the trophy, a model was sculpted in clay to match a sketch provided by the Hall of Fame. The form comprises a stylized human figure, its arms reaching over its head to hold a circular disk representing a record. Next, a plaster model was made from the clay design and sent back to the foundation for approval. Once R.S. Owens received the go-ahead nod, the plaster pattern was sent to a Chicago foundry, where hand-finished steel molds were made. "Then you're ready to go into production," Prohaska says of the initial set-up process. The steel dies will last for years - or until a client changes the design.

The award's metal pieces are crafted one at a time by skilled tradespeople, Prohaska says. A 980-degree Fahrenheit zinc alloy is poured into the mold, hardening within seconds. When the form is removed from the mold, its rough edges are sanded down. In preparation for the plating process the award is polished by hand with a buffing wheel to a mirror-like finish so there are no visible seams. As the award heads into preplating, it is degreased in a tank to remove any unwanted coating. Then it's ready to be dipped into four different metal baths: copper, nickel, silver and, finally, black nickel. After a rinse, it's coated with an epoxy lacquer.

The Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame Award is electroplated in black nickel with a satin finish, complete with a 3x3-1/4-inch gold-plated record. The record disks (which are not cast) are added to the award between the figure's hands and mounted with an adhesive. The figure is then placed on a 3-1/2-inch-square black and white marble base, personalized with a plate that's engraved with the recipient's name. When complete, the trophy stands more than 15 inches high.

Each year, the number of individual trophies R.S. Owens manufactures for the Hall of Famers fluctuates, usually from around 30 to 40, plus some spares, just in case. "The quantity varies depending on the number of people who are inducted each year," Siegel points out. The company also does trophy repair or replacements, if necessary. Siegel recalls one incident early in the award's history when the records held by the trophy figure were made of solid gold. Three heavily celebrating winners managed to misplace the records from their awards during the plane ride home. R.S. Owens replaced the lost discs; now the records are gold-plated.

About six to seven hours of skilled labor go into making each trophy, Prohaska estimates, and along the way the award passes through about eight different departments, ending with shipping. "The greatest thing to me is getting them out the door in time," Prohaska laughs. The finished awards are shipped by truck in a form-fitted shrink-wrapped Styrofoam box. Fully insured, the trophies arrive well before the festivities and are locked in a secured room at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City, where the Hall of Fame ceremony is held. The company takes pride in the entire process and never loses sight of what the award itself represents. "There's a lot of prestige," Prohaska says. "The recipients are Hall of Famers. For us to participate in that is a great honor."