PCMA Announces ‘20 in Their Twenties’ Class of 2021


CHICAGO, Illinois, USA – PCMA has identified 20 of the brightest and most talented global professionals from the next generation of business events leaders for its annual “20 in Their Twenties” class.

The class of 2021 represents strategists, suppliers and destinations from the U.S., Europe and Australia. “Each of these emerging leaders has demonstrated an extraordinary gift for leadership that spans creative thinking, problem solving, and spearheading teams that achieve ambitious goals,” said Meredith Rollins, PCMA’s chief community officer and executive director of the PCMA Foundation. “We continue to be impressed every year by the caliber of business events professionals in this generation.”

The “20 in Their Twenties” class of 2021, supported by PCMA Foundation and Experience Columbus, will be honored at the PCMA Convening Leaders conference Jan. 11-15.

Class members are selected by a committee of veteran industry professionals and “20 in Their Twenties” alumni. Applicants were required to provide examples of industry leadership, a video statement and professional references. They can be no older than 29 as of Jan. 11, 2021. Applicants were not required to be full-time employees in the business events industry this year, in light of the pandemic.

In addition to receiving a scholarship to participate in Convening Leaders, PCMA’s annual signature event, “20 in Their Twenties” members receive complimentary registration to PCMA’s EduCon event, PCMA membership and access to PCMA educational products. The 2021 “20 in Their Twenties” class will also be featured in PCMA’s Convene magazine, and have exclusive opportunities to participate to network with business events industry leaders.

Here is the PCMA “20 in Their Twenties” class for 2021:

Taylor Abbate, CMP

Meeting Planner
American Public Works Association
United States

Colleen Bingle

Meetings, Exhibits, and Sponsorship Manager
American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry
United States

Bob Chain

Strategic Account Manager, Founder & Host
Swapcard and (RC)2 Podcast
United States

Carolyn Cooper, CMP, DES

Senior Events Manager
Bipartisan Policy Center
United States

Ben Cramer, DES

Sales Manager
Global Experience Specialists
United States

Byanca Ellul

Coordinator, Meeting Services
Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, Inc.
United States

Basha Ferdinand

Accelerator Program Manager
Tampa Bay Wave
United States

Stephanie Geddis

Business Development and Client Marketing Manager
ICC Belfast
United Kingdom

Mariya Georgieva

Delegate Service Specialist
Kenes Group
Bulgaria

Rachel Keyes

Site Selection Manager
Meeting Expectations, Inc.
United States

Simona Milenkova

Marketing and Social Media Lead Coordinator
Kenes Group
Bulgaria

Bree Nidds, CTA

Vice President of Sales
Discover Lehigh Valley
United States

Dan Noyce

Senior Sales Executive
IMEX Group
United Kingdom

Jack Owens

International Association Conferences
Fáilte Ireland
Ireland

Farah Parkinson

Marketing Manager
Saxton Speakers Bureau
Australia

Christina Pino, CMP, DES

Conference Logistics and Design Manager
Stellato Meeting Solutions
United States

Jean Thomae, CMP

Formerly Account Executive, Capitol Services, Inc.
United States

Marcus Urquhart, CMP

Event Marketing Manager
Georgia State University, J. Mack Robinson College
United States

Felix Willert

Authorised Officer/Head of Events
Innovate GmbH
Germany

Derrick Williams

Communications Analyst
Deloitte
United States


For media queries from the Americas, APAC, EMEA, and requests for interviews with Sherrif Karamat, please contact: Meghan Risch, PCMA Chief of Staff, Vice President, Corporate Communications

About PCMA

PCMA, PCMA Foundation and CEMA educate, inspire, and listen, creating meaningful experiences where passion, purpose and commerce come together. We are the world’s largest community for Business Events Strategists, providing senior-level education, networking, and market intelligence for the global business events industry. Our mission is to drive social and economic progress through business events. Headquartered in Chicago, IL PCMA has 17 North American Chapters, regional communities in APAC, EMEA and LATAM, and members in 59 countries. The Corporate Event Marketing Association (CEMA), a PCMA subsidiary, advances strategic event marketing and marketing communications for senior-level event marketers and industry professionals. Visit us at pcma.org.

About PCMA Foundation

The role of the Foundation of PCMA is to support the mission of PCMA through fundraising and grant-giving focused on scholarships, education and research that will advance the business events industry. Annually the Foundation funds over $700K in impact, and since 1985 has funded over 2,500 scholarships, 100 research studies and education programs, and $2.7M in charitable giving.

About CEMA

The Corporate Event Marketing Association (CEMA) is the eminent community for senior event executives, association peers and industry partners and is an integral component of the Professional Convention Management Association’s (PCMA) brand collective. CEMA promotes professional networking opportunities, facilitates peer-to-peer knowledge sharing and drives industry standards. Through strong relationships with strategic partners, CEMA fosters both finding innovative solutions to business issues and continuous focus on members’ career growth. For more information, please visit http://www.cemaonline.com.

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