Ambassadors

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Found 45 Ambassadors

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Aileen Crawford

Head of Tourism and Conventions, Glasgow Convention Bureau

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Aileen has worked in the meetings industry for over 20 years, initially in venue sales for Glasgow Museums, then in a variety of roles within the Conventions team at the Tourist Board, Glasgow City Marketing Bureau and is currently the Head of Tourism and Conventions at Glasgow Convention Bureau, Glasgow Life. The Glasgow Convention Bureau…

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Alexander Alles

Executive Director, Joint Meetings Industry Council (JMIC)

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Alex Alles joined JMIC Joint Meetings Industry Council in August 2022. There he is responsible for the overall operations of the association as well as the project office of the Net Zero Carbon Events. NZCE is an industry-wide initiative aiming to help stakeholders of the meetings and events sectors to decarbonise. Before joining JMIC, Alex…

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Amelia Roziman

Chief Executive Officer, BESarawak

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Amelia is a pioneer of BESarawak with over 21 years of branding, marketing and PR experience whose career in the sector began as a sales coordinator. Within 12 years, she helms the organisation as a CEO. Coming from the indigenous Bidayuh tribe of Sarawak, she is passionate about developing her homeland and providing opportunities for…

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Anna Look

Founder, Look Ahead Consulting

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Anna is a business event and tourism professional with European and Canadian expertise. She studied for her career at the University of Brighton in the UK and subsequently worked for international tour operators Thomas Cook and Cosmosair group before emigrating to Canada in 2005. British Columbia was her home for the first eight years, honing…

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Barbara Jamison-Woods

President, City Destinations Alliance

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Barbara Jamison Heads up the European Business Team at London & Partners (London Convention Bureau), the Mayor’s official promotional agency for London. Barbara’s experience in the industry has covered every aspect of tourism in Global markets… youth and educational tourism, tour operating, Destination and Event Management, Major Events including the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic…

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Bettina Reventlow-Mourier

Deputy Convention Director, Copenhagen Convention Bureau

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With more than 20 years’ experience in the meetings industry, Bettina has extensive knowledge on working with association congresses and in creating close collaboration between associations, academia, organisations, companies and government. AMCs in attracting international association congresses, meetings and exhibitions to Copenhagen. In her last 7 years as Deputy in the Convention department and Head…

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Carina Bauer

CEO, IMEX Group

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A passionate and dedicated leader, Carina Bauer is the CEO of the IMEX Group – an organisation responsible for organising the leading global trade shows for the international business events industry. Carina is passionate about the business events sector and its impact on the world, taking a particular interest in issues around sustainability, diversity and…

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Claudia Hall

Exhibition Director, IBTM World

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Claudia Hall has been the Exhibition Director for leading global trade show, IBTM World since November 2023. With over 15 years’ experience in the meetings and events industry, she is responsible for the management and strategic planning of IBTM World. Claudia has a proven track record for inspiring the events world to deliver exceptional experiences…

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Elisabeth Van Ingelgem

Director Strategy & International Development, visit.brussels

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Elisabeth Van Ingelgem is the current Director of Strategy & International Development at visit.brussels, holding the role since June 2020. In this role, she oversees the strategic direction and international growth of the organization, focusing on enhancing Brussels’ visibility and attractiveness as a global tourism, cultural, and business events destination. Prior to this, she held…

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Fiona Pelham

CEO, Positive Impact Events

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Fiona launched not for profit Positive Impact in 2005 to provide education and collaboration opportunities to create a sustainable event industry. She was the youngest female to chair an ISO standard when, in 2012, ISO 20121 a management system for event sustainability was created. In 2014 Fiona received an honorary doctorate from Leeds Beckett University for services to…

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Flavie de Bueil

COO, City Destinations Alliance

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Flavie de Bueil has more than 20 years’ experience in the Tourism and Meetings Industry. She began her career with diverse experiences in customer relations in the insurance and hospitality sectors and then decided to specialise in tourism, mixing her avid passion for international relations, people and cultures. Having graduated in Tourism Management and Culture…

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Gary Grimmer

CEO, GainingEdge

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Gary has over 30 years’ experience in the convention industry. In 2004 he founded GainingEdge, a global consulting company that offers advisory services in relation to destinations, convention bureaus and convention and exhibition centres. It also provides convention and incentive sales representation services in all of the world’s key markets. The company’s services are end-to-end,…

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Gemmeke de Jongh

International Association Expert, VISITFLANDERS

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Gemmeke has over 15 years of experience in the meetings industry. She advises especially international associations on how to develop positive impact on the longer term with their conferences or events within Flanders (Northern Belgium) and Brussels together with the different stakeholders in the Quadruple Helix. Based in the capital of the European Union, Gemmeke…

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Geneviève Leclerc

Co-founder, #MEET4IMPACT

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Geneviève is a Canadian industry professional based in Montreal. She has 26 years of experience in congress management and consultancy services for national and international associations and has managed international events in over 20 countries. Geneviève has been active at elevating the industry’s capacity in sustainability and value creation since 2006, when she was an…

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Geoff Donaghy

CEO, International Convention Centre Sydney, & Group Director, Convention Centres, ASM Global (APAC)

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Geoff Donaghy is CEO of Australia’s premier convention, exhibition and entertainment venue, ICC Sydney, which since its opening has been successfully attracting local, national and international visitors with its focus on high quality events, local produce and commitment to service excellence. He is also the Group Director of Convention Centres for leading venue management specialists,…

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Greg Newton

Executive Vice President, Conventions, Events & General Manager – BMO Centre, Calgary Exhibition and Stampede Limited

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Born in Toronto, Canada, Greg has divided his life between living in Calgary, Toronto and Ottawa. More than 25 years in the hospitality industry, Greg has spent time in Management of a high-end independent mountain resort property (The Rimrock Resort), Hyatt Hotels and the Intercontinental group before moving over to convention centres. Greg had the…

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Guy Bigwood

Chief Changemaker & CEO, Global Destination Sustainability Movement

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For the last 15 years, Guy has been delivering award-winning consulting services focused on helping cities, governments, corporations and associations step up, scale up and speed up their sustainability programmes and regenerative practices. Guy’s pioneering work has been recognised with 22 sustainability awards including the Events Industry Council Pacesetter Award, and recognition as a Fellow…

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Jack Johnson

Chief Advocacy Officer, Destinations International

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As Chief Advocacy Officer, Jack Johnson manages the overall public policy operations at Destinations International including member advocacy education and training, development of destination tools and best practices, coalition work with peer organizations, industry research and related public affairs activities.  He also oversees the board governance, the Destination Management Accreditation Program (DMAP) and the DestinationNEXT…

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James Lancaster

Editorial Director, Northstar Meetings Group

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James Lancaster is the editor of AMI Magazine, amimagazine.global and Intellectual Capitals, part of the CAT Media portfolio owned by Northstar Travel Group. James gained his experience as a journalist in various reporting and editing roles on business magazines after starting his career as reporter on a newspaper in the UK. He joined CAT Media…

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James Rees

President of JMIC, Executive Director - ExCeL London

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James has 25 years’ experience in event organisation and major venue management. He began as a conference organiser for UK-based Water Research Centre organising national and international events then made a move into venue management, joining Wembley Stadium Ltd as an event manager across Wembley’s Stadium, Arena and Conference & Exhibition Centre venues, managing international…

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Jane Cunningham

Managing Director, Cunningham Consulting AB

Jane loves life in the Nordics and the spirit of Scotland. Her expertise is based on 20 years of experience across the global meetings industry. Over this time she has been fortunate to have gained wonderful experience and friends from working for some great hotels, a convention centre, a destination marketing organisation, a PCO, and…

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Jane Vong Holmes

Senior Manager – Asia, GainingEdge

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Jane Vong Holmes is Senior Manager – Asia of GainingEdge, GainingEdge, a consultancy specialising in the business events industry since 2004, and a proud Partner of The Iceberg. Jane has been part of the consulting team on several GainingEdge projects in Asia, working with bureaus, tourism offices and convention centres in Hangzhou, Japan, Malaysia, South…

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Kai Hattendorf

Managing Director / CEO, UFI

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Kai Hattendorf is Managing Director / CEO of UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry. As such, he is responsible for UFI activities and events globally, as well as the operation of its offices and presences in Paris, Brussels, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Dubai, and Bogota. From 2019 to 2021, Kai served as Honorary President…

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Lesley Williams

Consultant, GainingEdge

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Lesley joined BestCities in 2017 as Market Development Director, and was Managing Director from January 2020 to July 2023, following the decision of BestCities to award extending the management contract to GainingEdge. Lesley is a strong supporter and advocate of the beyond tourism impacts of meetings.  In 2017 BestCities formed a collaboration with ICCA to…

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Loren Christie

Managing Director, BestCities

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Loren Christie brings more than 25 years of experience in Tourism & Hospitality to his role as Managing Director of the BestCities Global Alliance. He held various leadership positions with Starwood Hotels & Resorts during his 17 year career with them including Director of Sales for International Congress, Business Transient and Leisure Sales at the…

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Lyn Lewis-Smith

Chief Executive Officer, Business Events Sydney

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Lyn Lewis-Smith is CEO of BESydney and leads a global team of professionals spanning Europe, North America and Asia who are charged with securing global meetings of strategic, economic and social benefit to Sydney, Australia. The organisation works across sectors which include infrastructure, technology, professional services, advanced manufacturing, education and health. Lyn has led transformation…

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Marta Gomes

President, ICCA

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Marta Gomes has spent nearly 20 years working in the international events and meetings industry. She has collaborated extensively with professors, association executives and destination partners to attract international congresses to Paris, one of the leading global destinations for international events. As Deputy Executive Director Sales, she is charge of sales and business development for…

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Martin Sirk

Founder & Owner, Sirk Serendipity

Working out of both USA and Netherlands; projects in Asia, Europe, Middle East and North America, with a mix of clients including IMEX, UFI, SITE and other international associations and meetings companies. Expert Advisor to tech start-up Kubify, Strategic Relations Advisor to IASP, the International Association for the Study of Pain, and International Advisor to…

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Matt Pearce

CEO, Talk2 Media & Events

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Matt is the CEO and co-founder of Talk2 Media & Events. Talk2 ME owns and runs a variety of trade and consumer exhibitions throughout Australia. Every year Talk2 ME works with some of Australia’s best brands as partners on exhibitions that attract almost 200,000 highly engaged visitors through their doors. Talk2 Media & Events was…

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Melissa Riley

Senior Vice President, Convention Sales & Services, Destination DC

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Melissa Riley serves as the Senior Vice President, Convention Sales and Services at Destination DC (DDC), the official convention and tourism organization for the nation’s capital. A 26-year veteran of the travel and hospitality industry, Riley leads a team of more than 30 who work in concert to generate a positive economic impact for the…

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Natalie O’Brien AM

Chief Executive, Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC)

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Natalie O’Brien AM is Chief Executive of Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC), where she is responsible for the strategic direction of the business. She also has oversight of planning and future management of the new Geelong Convention and Exhibition Centre (GCEC) opening in 2026. Natalie is a former CEO of Food + Wine Victoria,…

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Natasha Richards

Head of Advocacy & Industry Relations, IMEX Group

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As Head of Advocacy & Industry Relations, Natasha oversees all industry partnerships, sponsorships, pan-industry initiatives and strategic alliances for the IMEX Group. Natasha plays a key part in business events industry advocacy efforts on behalf of the IMEX Group including the prestigious IMEX Policy Forum. In this capacity she is responsible for bringing together national…

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Nigel Brown, CICS

Director, Marketing & Partnerships, BestCities Global Alliance

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Nigel started his career at the head office of the International Congress & Convention Association (ICCA) in Amsterdam. He was part of the event organizing team of the association and served 7 years organizing a host of events on all continents. During his tenure he gained extensive project management skills and was responsible for implementing…

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Patrick Bontinck

CEO, visit.brussels

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After four years of study at the Ecole Hôtelière (Hotel School) in Lausanne (Switzerland), it was quite natural that his career should be oriented toward this sector. From 1998 to 2009, he worked with Martins Hotels, overseeing the development, management, and acquisition of hotels. His diverse expertise spans business management, hotel development, marketing, and team…

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Paul Vallee

Executive Consultant, GainingEdge

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Paul is Executive Consultant with GainingEdge, an international leader in meetings, conventions and business events consulting and management. Paul has provided advice on assignments in Canada, the United States, Denmark, Brazil, Colombia, Puerto Rico, Aruba, Panama, and Thailand, and has been an invited speaker in Asia, Europe, North America and South America. Through GainingEdge, Paul…

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Peng Ee Ooi

Founder & CEO, 49travelmice.com

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As the Founder and CEO of 49travelmice.com, Peng Ee leverage over four decades of expertise in the media, travel and MICE industries to deliver strategic consultancy and tailored solutions for the business events and travel sectors. His passion lies in mentoring high performance teams, and driving growth for clients by providing valuable insights, facilitating industry…

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Ray Bloom

Chairman, IMEX Group

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Ray Bloom is the chairman and founder of the IMEX Group, which organises worldwide exhibitions for the incentive travel, meetings and events industry in Europe and the USA. IMEX in Frankfurt takes place at Messe Frankfurt, Germany, every spring; while IMEX America takes place at the Las Vegas Sands Expo each autumn. Bloom is also…

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Remi Deve

Chief Editor, Boardroom

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A specialized journalist in the association management field, Remi has been active in the meetings industry for more than 15 years. Together with Cecile Koch, he launched Boardroom in 2017, a niche publication specialized in association management and events. Boardroom covers a wide spectrum of issues of interest to associations based globally and is specifically targeting association…

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Samantha Glass

Director of Corporate Affairs, Communication and Sustainability, International Convention Centre Sydney

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A founding member of ICC Sydney’s leadership team, Sam developed the communications and marketing strategies that have resulted in establishing one of the business events industry’s strongest brands. Storytelling, building emotional connection and strong stakeholder engagement have been core to ICC Sydney’s successful brand development throughout its pre-opening, launch and operational phases. Sam steered the…

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Sarah Fleming

Founder / Managing Director, SFA Connect

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Managing Director and owner of SFA Connect (trading name for Sarah Fleming Associates Ltd), Sarah has over 25 years’ experience in the Meetings Industry.  She was a board director of a leading UK PCO for ten years where she handled numerous large, high-profile events all over the world. Through this work she gained an in-depth…

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Senthil Gopinath

Chief Executive Officer, ICCA

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Senthil Gopinath has over 20 years’ experience in the meetings, association and leisure industry. He has held a wide range of positions, including CEO of Sri Lanka Convention Bureau, and Vice President of Kuoni. In 2006 Senthil moved to Dubai to work for Congress Solutions International, the Professional Congress Organiser (PCO) arm of Emirates Group….

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Sherrif Karamat, CAE

President & CEO, PCMA & CEMA

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Sherrif Karamat, CAE, is President and CEO of PCMA and CEMA, the world’s largest community for Business Events Strategists, providing senior-level education, networking, and market intelligence for the global business events industry. Karamat leads the vision, mission and promise for PCMA’s global family of brands. He is a prominent business architect, enabling communities to become…

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Sven Bossu

Chief Executive Officer, AIPC

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Sven joined AIPC as CEO in May 2020. Together with the Board, the Members and the Business Partners he will be spearheading a transformation programme which will result into an entirely new value proposal to Convention and Exhibition Centres across the globe based on the changing needs of the members and the challenges they are…

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Tommy Goodwin

Vice President, Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance

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Tommy Goodwin is Vice President for the Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance (ECA), a newly-formed association dedicated to the recovery and advancement of the business events industry. In this role, he leads ECA’s advocacy and member engagement work on behalf the interconnected ecosystem of exhibitors, show and event organizers, suppliers, venues, and destinations that comprise the…

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Virginie De Visscher

Executive Director, Business Events, Destination Canada

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Having lived and worked in Asia, Africa and Europe before moving to Canada in 2010, Virginie is the Senior Director of Business Development – Economic Sectors for Destination Canada Business Events (DCBE), Virginie is responsible for leading the development and implementation of DCBE’s global economic sector strategy and team to increase overnight visitations to Canada…

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