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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 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. 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 $900K in impact, and since 1985 has funded over 2,500 scholarships, 100 research studies and education programs, and $2.7M in charitable giving.About PCMA
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