Colleen Bagnasco, CAE, CMP is the Executive Director, Strategic Event Management at Association Management Center (AMC). With 30 years of experience, she leads a team of eight and oversees strategy around the development and delivery of events for AMC’s clients.
Lisa Goecke Malikow is the Senior Vice President, Event Operations & Programming for the Exhibitions Division of Winsight, LLC, which owns and operates the National Restaurant Association Show.
Rob Hamlin has been in the event industry for more than 25 years as a solutions provider. Today, Rob is a Regional Vice President at Cvent, celebrating six years with the company with a focus on providing event management and event marketing solutions for associations and other not-for-profit organizations.
Monte Evans is guided by a passion to design innovative and comprehensively built products that embrace consistency. He is currently the General Manager of Warpwire for CadmiumCD, and prior to Warpwire’s acquisition, served as the educational video company’s co-founder and Chief Technology Officer.
Crystal Sparks’ bright smile, high energy, and real-life TV news experience gives her presence a unique and polished edge. Before earning her masters degree in communications, Crystal reported and anchored the news in Columbia, Missouri (NBC); Jackson, Mississippi (ABC); and Grand Rapids, Michigan (NBC).
Michel Sayo is Hublio’s U.S. Partnerships Manager, where he is helping the platform build the future of business events through virtual, hybrid, and in-person event technology as well as grow an ecosystem of platform partners, event agencies, production AV, DMCs, DMOs, EMCs, venues, and event tech apps. Â
Mia Monroe, MTA, CSEP, CMP, DES has more than 20 years of experience in event planning and producing, with her skills running the gamut from small, intimate dinners to large-scale, multi-day conferences, citywide concerts, festivals, and everything in between.
Jen Salerno is the Host and Moderator for JTS Connect and The Room Block Podcast. She is a 20-year veteran of the hospitality and events industry and has worked with and consulted for many of the biggest trade shows in the country.
Donna Kastner is a conversation catalyst who facilitates dynamic peer-to-peer forums that reveal what’s top-of-mind for customers. She’s also the founder of Retirepreneur, a think tank for executives striving to design fulfilling encore careers.
With his business partner Pádraic Gilligan, Patrick Delaney is Managing Partner at SoolNua, a specialist MICE agency helping destinations, hotels, and venues with strategy, marketing, and training based on six decades of expertise as global leaders in the industry.
Denise Naguib is the Vice President of Sustainability and Supplier Diversity for Marriott International. She was born in Cairo, Egypt where she lived for half of her childhood before moving to Michigan, Minnesota, and finally Oregon. She attended the University of Oregon, earning a Bachelor of Science in Geography with an emphasis on biological and human impacts on the environment.
Collin Tokosch is a 10-year event industry veteran with experience encompassing various technology products. His growth in event tech began in 2011 with mobile app startup Core-apps, where he helped introduce the industry to event mobile apps and build Core-apps into a global leader.
Tim Groot is the Founder and CEO of Grip. He graduated with a BBA in International Management from the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences and the Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
Peter J. O'Neil, FASAE, CAE, is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of ASIS International, the largest global membership organization for security management professionals that crosses industry sectors, embracing every discipline along the security spectrum from operational to cybersecurity.
Peter Hackes is the founder of Performedia, which is based in the Washington, D.C. area, but provides hybrid and virtual event services all over the US, and in other countries, as well.
Joe Faulder’s role as Director of Creative & Strategy at Projection is to offer strategic insight in all planning phases of Projection clients’ events, and he is constantly thinking of new ways to leverage audiovisual technology to help clients with their long-term goals.
Sven Bossu joined AIPC as CEO in May 2020. Together with the Board, the Members, and the Business Partners, he is spearheading a transformation programme, which will result in an entirely new value proposition to Convention and Exhibition Centres across the globe.
Paul Pomerantz is CEO of the American Society of Anesthesiologists®(ASA®). He received a Master of Business Administration specializing in health administration from Temple University, after which he served in executive roles at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and Medical College of Pennsylvania (now Drexel).
Kerry Crockett is the Chief Executive Officer at the Insurance Accounting and Systems Association (IASA), where she and her team strive to grow membership and develop educational offerings that will shape, influence, elevate, and strengthen the insurance industry.
Josh Hotsenpiller is a premier thought leader on human connection. As a TEDx alumni and U.S. Department of State speaker ambassador, Josh travels globally equipping and inspiring people across all sectors to re-learn and resurrect the power of human connection and soft skills.
Ryan is a 15-year veteran of the meeting and event industry, having worked for a destination marketing organization (Visit Indy) and a global event agency (Freeman). Ryan currently serves as Senior Account Manager at Morressier.
Donny Neufuss has been working on emerging and innovative technology for almost 20 years. He started in the music industry in the early 2000s, working on some of the largest online initiatives for the music industry. He is now the Director, Business Development & Strategic Partnerships at Sonic Foundry.
Lakshman Rathnam is an innovator and product manager with expertise in human-machine interfaces, acoustics, and audio. An author of more than 25 patents, Lakshman founded Wordly to leverage AI-powered, real-time translation to improve accessibility and inclusivity at live meetings, webinars, and events. Lakshman was named a 2021 Trendsetter by Meetings Today Magazine.
Alex Culley is the Executive Director of the Institute for Executive Development, a consulting firm based in Las Vegas, Nevada specializing in Leadership Development, Strategic Planning, and Executive Coaching.
With more than 20 years of experience in event sales, operations, and management with a focus on nonprofit environments, Janelle Doig has a solid foundation in all aspects of hospitality and offers a unique perspective to the industry.
Mike Waterman became Chief Sales Officer for Visit Orlando in August 2019. Prior to that, he was President and CEO of the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau (GHCVB), also known as Visit Houston. The hospitality veteran has more than 30 years in the industry and started his career in Orlando.
Council President Shannon Hardin is committed to building an equitable future that works for every resident. As Columbus grows, Council President Hardin is focused on fostering an inclusive economy by partnering to build mass transit and affordable housing, empowering small and minority businesses, and bridging opportunity gaps for boys and young men of color.
After years of designing experiences of all kinds (events, conferences, trade shows, learning programs, pop-ups, training, and more) for some of the world’s most discerning audiences, Mallory Gott, Founder and Creative Director of G+A, realized that her approach was anything but typical.
Julie Lynch is no stranger to the event marketing industry, having spent the last quarter-century in the midst of the fun and chaos of all we love and do. Julie just recently joined F5 (a tech company focused on software and security) in September of 2020.
Greg Oates is SVP of Innovation at MMGY NextFactor. He works with the public and private sectors to align community, tourism and economic development strategy to drive overall destination performance
Tracy Judge is an entrepreneur, marketer & thought leader in the meeting and event industry. She is the Founder & CEO of Soundings, a talent platform that serves anyone with a people-first ethos seeking synergistic work partnerships in and beyond the business events, hotel and travel, and association and nonprofit industries.
Elizabeth Sage is an Experience Design Strategist at the Design Studio, by Maritz Global Events. She is an award-winning event strategist whose purpose is to create safe spaces and impactful experiences where humans can connect.
Megan Finnell is an award-winning event design strategist with a varied and diverse background in the performing arts and the delivery of large-scale conferences. With a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from TCU, Megan blends art and science in all her work.
Juliet Velazquez is a Tourism and Destination Development Associate with JLL’s Hotels & Hospitality Group. Juliet assists clients with developing strategic plans for destination growth, developing ways to optimize the effectiveness of tourism assets, and overall destination positioning.
Megan Angle is a creative storyteller who loves to bring ideas to life. As a Senior Creative Media Producer in the Encore Coppell office, Megan brings nearly 20 years of experience, producing content including broadcast commercials, long-format docu-style programming, live event media, and virtual meetings content.
Alexis Kereluk is a co-founder and partner of ConnectSeven Group, an innovative firm using tourism and events to create positive global change. Through regenerative event design and destination development, Alexis is a strong driver of triple-bottom-line tourism, working to lead North America in regeneration as a means to destination and community recovery.
José Arana is the Marketing Manager for Discover Puerto Rico, the island’s Destination Marketing Organization. José provides guidance, assistance, and support at the organization’s tradeshows, conventions, and events.
Dan Noyce is the Senior Relationship Manager for IMEX Group, where he is responsible for delivering the Hosted Buyer Program for both IMEX Frankfurt and IMEX America.
Bree Nidds is Vice President of Sales at Discover Lehigh Valley, where she oversees the business events and sports tourism strategy, along with the Certified Tourism Ambassador Program.
Ori Lahav is the President of IAPCO and Vice President of Clients & Operations at the Kenes Group. He joined Kenes in 2013 as VP Marketing, bringing more than 15 years of marketing experience to the management team.
Erin Uritus is the CEO of Out & Equal, the world’s premier organization working exclusively on LGBTQ workplace equality. Her professional experience includes work in change management and strategic communications consulting with Booz Allen Hamilton, where she served a variety of government clients as well as the firm’s global Board Diversity Initiative and co-leadership of GLOBE- the LGBTQ employee resource group (ERG).
Heidi Voorhees Haneberg is currently the SVP of Strategic Projects at MCI USA, where she leads executive-level program, organizational, talent management, and change initiatives across all of MCI USA’s business units.
Tim Simpson is a global creative marketer with roots in a variety of industries and practices, bringing something unique to any organization looking to build an iconic brand and foster smart, original programs and initiatives.
Jay Weintraub is the CEO of Connectiv, an events studio and holding company whose portfolio consists of HR Transform, Blueprint and Manifest.
Andrea Meriwether is a 10-year hospitality and spirits professional who honed her career through craft bartending at the historic Pendennis Club, leisure, bourbon and cultural tourism at the Louisville Convention and Visitors Bureau; operations management for a host of fine dining establishments; and experiential development for hotel brands including Hilton and Historic Hotels.
With more than 40 years in the fitness industry, Ellen Latham, M.S., has built a billion-dollar brand out of a lifelong passion. In 2010, Ellen co-founded Orangetheory Fitness, an international franchise licensed in 23 countries. Forbes named Orangetheory one of “The Fastest Growing Woman-Owned Businesses” in 2017, and it has been recognized by Entrepreneur Magazine, Inc., Bloomberg, and the New York Times for its disruptive science-backed exercise concept.
Best-Selling Author & Former CEO and Chairman of PepsiCo
Nicole is a "business-minded creative, "a 20-year veteran she has led the strategy, experience design, and multi-disciplined creative teams for large associations, corporate events, and global brands. She is the Vice President of Creative & Strategy at The Expo Group.
Michael Guillory is VP, Marketing and Communications at The Expo Group. He is no stranger to pushing the envelope on branding, and as a result, he's been recognized as an American Marketing Association’s Marketer of the Year and is listed in the DCEO “Dallas 500 most influential business leaders” directory.
Alain is the Founder and CEO of SYLVAIN, a strategy and design consultancy that provokes progress for companies, people, and society at large. Clients include Google, American Express, Spotify, Airbnb, Blackrock, Amazon, Diageo, GM, the NBA, UBER, New York Times, Nike, Apple, and others.