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Register for Eventex Awards 2025 until Jan 31

The Most Influential People in the Events Industry

These are the people who left a mark on the events world with their creativity, vision, capacity for innovation in 2021. The list recognizes exceptional industry figures from around the globe. Event professionals from 27 countries made the top 100, based on over 20,000 public votes that determined who deserves the honor of being recognized as one of the Top 100 Most Influential People in the Event Industry.

Nomination period

Closed

Voting

Concluded

Announcing the results

See below

Top 100 Most Influential People

Aaron Kaufman

Aaron Kaufman

President

Fifth Element Group

Adam Parry

Adam Parry

Co-founder & Editor

Event Industry News

Adrian Segar

Founder

Conferences That Work

Alina Banasiak

Alina Banasiak

Head of Communications Italy & Spain

eBay

Alon Alroy

Alon Alroy

Co-founder and CMO

Bizzabo

Amanda Engler

Amanda Engler

CEO

Amanda V Engler LLC

Amber Anderson

Amber Anderson

Business Coach

Refine for Wedding Planners

Anna Górska

Anna Górska

Board Advisor

Symposium Cracoviense

Anna Nowakowska

Anna Nowakowska

CEO and Founder

MICE & Venue Consulting

Anna-Marie Trzebinski

Anna-Marie Trzebinski

Founder & Creative Event Director

AMTEvents

Annamaria Ruffini

Annamaria Ruffini

President & CEO

SITE global, Events In & Out

Audrey Alloul

Audrey Alloul

VP Sales & Business Development

Kenes Group

Benoit Sauvage

Benoit Sauvage

CEO

Connect DMC

Brianna Culberson

Brianna Culberson

Associate Director of Summer Conferencing

University of Denver

Carina Bauer

Carina Bauer

CEO

The IMEX Group, Regent Exhibitions

Carly Silberstein

Carly Silberstein

CEO

Redstone Agency

Christoph Tessmar

Christoph Tessmar

Director

Barcelona Convention Bureau

Colja M. Dams

Colja M. Dams

Owner / CEO

VOK DAMS Events & Live-Marketing worldwide

Corbin Ball

Corbin Ball

Owner

Corbin Ball & Co

Courtney Stanley

Courtney Stanley

Global Keynote Speaker | Event Emcee | Virtual Event Presenter

Courtney Stanley Consulting

Dagmara Chmielewska

Dagmara Chmielewska

CEO

Events Industry Association - Poland

Dahlia El Gazzar

Dahlia El Gazzar

Tech Evangelist

DAHLIA+ Agency

Dan Rivlin

Dan Rivlin

CEO

Kenes Group

Danielle Cirami-Gillis

Danielle Cirami-Gillis

Vice President Strategic Partnerships

PRA Business Events

David Adler

David Adler

Chairman and Founder

BizBash

DeShawn Wynn

DeShawn Wynn

Chief Meeting Architect

Wynning Touch Event Design

Diogo Rebelo Rodrigues

Diogo Rebelo Rodrigues

Senior Catering Manager

Penha Longa Catering

Elizabeth Sheils

Elizabeth Sheils

CEO

Rock Paper Coin

Ellie MacPherson

Ellie MacPherson

Senior Vice President

Creative Group Canada

Elliott Ferguson

Elliott Ferguson

President & CEO

Destination DC

Erin Schneiderman

Erin Schneiderman

Clinical Assistant Professor

Arizona State University

Gina Samuels

Gina Samuels

Managing Director

The Production House Events

Hans Etman

Hans Etman

Owner

Masters in Moderation and ConsensIQ

Ines Antti-Poika

Ines Antti-Poika

Manager, Business Events

Finland Convention Bureau

Irina Graf

Irina Graf

Founder

The MICE Blog

Ivo J. Franschitz

Ivo J. Franschitz

Founder & Owner

ENITED business events

Jaime Bennett

Jaime Bennett

Regional Director

PCMA

Jalpa Mehta

Jalpa Mehta

Owner

Four Group Event

Jaroslaw Marciuk

Jaroslaw Marciuk

Digital Conciërge

Word of MICE

Jason Dunn

Jason Dunn

Chairman

National Coalition of Black Meeting Professionals (NCBMP)

Jayne Samuels

Jayne Samuels

Senior Director, Broadcast Production

Hartmann Studios, Inc.

Jennifer Hanratty

Jennifer Hanratty

Co-Founder

Breastival

Jens Kahnert

Jens Kahnert

Managing partner

Eventadvisory GmbH

John Martinez

John Martinez

Chief Executive Officer & Founder

Shocklogic

John O'Shaughnessy

John O'Shaughnessy

Creative Director

Verve Live Agency

Jonathan Brigden

Jonathan Brigden

Managing Director

Studio Giggle

Jose Garcia-Aguarod

Jose Garcia-Aguarod

Founder

Grupo eventoplus

Julius Solaris

Julius Solaris

VP of Marketing Strategy, Events

Hopin

Juraj Holub

Juraj Holub

Marketing Leader

Cisco

Jutta Heinrich

Jutta Heinrich

Director

Frankfurt Convention Bureau

Kadri Karu

Kadri Karu

Managing Director

Estonian Convention Bureau

Karen Nedbal

Karen Nedbal

Executive Director

Association of Collegiate Conference and Events Directors - International

Karina Grützner

Karina Grützner

Chairwoman Central European Chapter

ICCA

Kate Patay

Kate Patay

Chief Strategist

Patay Consulting

Keneisha Williams

Keneisha Williams

Founder

Black in Events Network

Kerry Mulloy

Kerry Mulloy

Director of Events and Operations at The ACC Liverpool Group & Deputy CEO

ACC Liverpool Group

Kevin Finke

Kevin Finke

Founder | Chief Experience Officer

Experience Willow

Kim Gishler

Kim Gishler

President & CEO

CEMA

Kim Kopetz

Kim Kopetz

President

Opus Agency

Kris Nelson

Kris Nelson

CEO

London International Festival of Theatre

Kristina McCoobery

Kristina McCoobery

Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer

INVNT

Laura Schwartz

Laura Schwartz

Emcee and Keynote Speaker

Laura Schwartz Live

Liz Caruso

Liz Caruso

Virtual & Hybrid Experience Creator, Collaborator & Community Builder

Liz King Events

Lukasz Klimczak

Lukasz Klimczak

Member of the Board

Bespoke

MARCIN MĄCZYŃSKI

MARCIN MĄCZYŃSKI

General Secretary

Chamber of Commerce of Polish Hotels

Magdalina Atanassova

Magdalina Atanassova

Marcom Director

Kenes Group

Mahoganey Jones

Mahoganey Jones

Founder CEO

Event Specialists

Marta Chmielewska

Marta Chmielewska

Managing Partner

EWENEMENT Brand Experience Workshop

Mia Choi

Mia Choi

Co-founder and CCO

MAS

Michael Nagy

Michael Nagy

Director

Fairmont Rio de Janeiro Copacabana

Michaela Jeffery-Morrison

Michaela Jeffery-Morrison

Chief Executive Officer, Founder of the Women in Technology World Series

Ascend Global Media

Natasha Layal

Natasha Layal

Co-Founder

Expocast

Nikki O’Brien

Nikki O’Brien

VP of Accounts

MAS

Nora Sheils

Nora Sheils

Co-Founder

Rock Paper Coin

Olga Krzemińska-Zasadzka

Olga Krzemińska-Zasadzka

President

Power Sp. z o.o.| SOIT | RPSiWTugether

Ori Lahav

Ori Lahav

VP Clients & Operations

Kenes Group

Padraic Gilligan

Padraic Gilligan

Managing Partner

SoolNua

Patrick Bontinck

Patrick Bontinck

CEO

VISITBRUSSELS

Paul Van Deventer

Paul Van Deventer

President & CEO

MPI

Paula Fanderowska

Paula Fanderowska

Chairman of the board

Polish Conference & Congress Association (SKKP)

Rafael Hernández

Rafael Hernández

Chairman

World Meetings Forum

Raymond Brown

Raymond Brown

COO

MAS

Roger Helms

Roger Helms

Founder & CEO

HelmsBriscoe

Rolando Espinoza

Rolando Espinoza

Creative Director

Champagne Experiential Studios

Rosa Garriga Mora

Rosa Garriga Mora

Meeting Architect

Kenes Group

Rutger Hoorn

Rutger Hoorn

VP Global Sales & Strategic Partnerships

Ovation Global DMC

Sam McNeill

Sam McNeill

General Manager - UK/Europe

SongDivision

Sandrine Camia

Sandrine Camia

Deputy Director

Monaco Government Tourist Authority

Savas Kazantzides

Savas Kazantzides

CEO

Beyond Experience Virtual

Sherrif Karamat

Sherrif Karamat

President & CEO

Professional Convention Management Association

Shumovich Alexander Vyacheslavovich

Shumovich Alexander Vyacheslavovich

Director, Managing Partner

Eventum Premo

Stephanie Dubois-Cannon

Stephanie Dubois-Cannon

Head of Event Operations

SAP

Tahira Endean

Tahira Endean

Head of Events

SITE

Tara Higgins

Tara Higgins

Senior Vice President, Commercial & President

Encore, Hargrove Inc.

Tess Vismale

Tess Vismale

CEO

iSocialx

Tracy Judge

Tracy Judge

Founder and CEO, Soundings

Soundings

Will Curran

Will Curran

Chief Einstein

Endless Events

Zaneta Berus

Zaneta Berus

Founder and CEO

In2Win Business Consulting

Zuzana Adamson

Zuzana Adamson

Director

MICE Central & Eastern Europe

Łukasz Adamowicz

Łukasz Adamowicz

Vice President

BFC Group / SOIT/ RPSiW