The MBCA Foundation's 35th Annual Installation & Awards celebration, held this year at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic honoring Jim Allen.About this Event
The MBCA Foundation is gearing up for its 35th Annual Installation & Awards celebration, held this year at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City, 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23, and we've given it a fresh new look and feel as our Fall Gala and Dinner Dance.
With the evolution of the MBCA Foundation's mission to beautify Atlantic City and make it a better place to live, work and visit through park installations, beautification projects, and scholarships for our future leaders we are truly Rooted in Atlantic City.
Perhaps no one is more Rooted in Atlantic City than Hard Rock International and Hard Rock Digital Chairman and Seminole Gaming CEO Jim Allen, whom we will proudly honor with our 2026 Community Spirit Award.
Rooted in Atlantic City promises a night to remember: a lavish cocktail hour, a superb sit-down dinner, and dance music by the band Sidestory offering the perfect danceable soundtrack all evening long.
We'll install our 2026 Board of Directors and Advisors, and yes, there are a few surprises in store, including a major announcement.
We've reimagined this event to be livelier and less formal, with more dancing and fewer speeches, because we want our guests to have a genuinely great time while supporting a great cause and honoring a great man.
Allen is a hometown hero turned global icon, instrumental in Atlantic City's evolution and the Linwood native has never forgotten his roots. He started as a line cook and restaurant inventory control clerk at Bally's Park Place in 1979; nearly five decades later, he leads one of the premier hospitality brands in the world. Alongside his recognition for regulatory compliance, responsible growth and competitive integrity in gaming and hospitality, Allen is equally known for his humility, kindness and philanthropy. He embodies Hard Rock's mission to Love All, Serve All across 318 locations in nearly 80 countries. His devotion to Atlantic City shines through the Atlantic City Hard Rock itself, a $500 million reimagining that rose from the ashes in 2018 to become a premier boardwalk megaresort. Among his many honors, Allen is an East Coast Gaming Congress Lifetime Achievement Award recipient and a Hall of Fame inductee with the American Gaming Association, where he recently served as Chairman of the Board.
Allen agreed to be honored by the MBCA to help fund future MBCA parks, like the one recently unveiled at the corner of North Carolina and Pacific avenues.
Also, a portion of the night's proceeds will be donated to The Community Food Bank of New Jersey, Southern Branch, to make an even more significant impact for South Jersey and Atlantic City.
Mayor Marty Small, Sr. will install the MBCA Foundation's 2026/2027 board.
Tickets are priced at $150 per person, and $1,500 per table of 10 that includes reserved seating with signage. Tickets and tables can be purchased here on Eventbrite or by emailing Executive Director Scott Cronick at [email protected]
Sponsorships also available
The MBCA Foundation has unveiled new sponsorship tiers this year, so your donation can go directly toward future parks in addition to our traditional sponsorship packages, which remain the same price as always. This is THE business and social event of the year, and it has helped us award more than $500,000 to regional charitable and civic projects, along with nearly $400,000 in scholarships to residents across the Greater Atlantic City area.
If you are interested in sponsoring, please contact Executive Director Scott Cronick at [email protected]
Event venue
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City, 1000 Boardwalk, Atlantic City, United States
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