PCMA Announces 2018 ‘20 In their Twenties’ Class


These top young professionals will be honored at Convening Leaders in Nashville, TN
January 7-10, 2018

The 20 in their Twenties program, supported by the PCMA Education Foundation and Visit Seattle, is designed to engage the best and brightest young professionals in the business event industry. By recognizing emerging leaders, and their talents, PCMA helps to support a new generation of business event strategists around the world.

“The 20 in their Twenties program is a great way to recognize and engage rising stars in the industry,” said Rob Hampton, Senior Vice President of Convention Sales and Services for Visit Seattle. “It gives young professionals the opportunity to build camaraderie among their peers and gives us—the veterans in the industry—a chance to hear fresh ideas and perspectives and nurture new talent. This is a program Visit Seattle is proud to support.”

 

20 in their Twenties Class of 2018

Alexandra Adsit, CMP, CEM
Meeting Planner
AAMC
Charlottesville, VA

 

Chloe Armstrong
Bid Executive
Melbourne Convention Bureau
Melbourne, Australia

 

Sina Bünte, DES
Events Manager
ICCA
Amsterdam Netherlands

 

Erica Critzer, CMP
Regional Director of Sales
Visit Dallas
Arlington, VA

 

Patrick Crosson, CMP
Producer
agencyEA,
Chicago, IL

 

Carmen Ferrari, CMP
Events and Marketing Manager
European Photonics Industry Consortium
Amsterdam, Netherlands

 

Idil Findikoğlu,
Marketing Manager
Kenes Group
Amsterdam, Netherlands

 

Karin Hagemann
Head of Convention Bureau
Montreux-Vevey Tourisme & Convention Bureau
Bern Area, Switzerland

 

Caitlin Hume, CMP
Business Events Manager
Risk and Insurance Management Society, Inc (RIMS)
New York, NY

 

Chloe Lai
Conference Producer
Medical Conference Partners
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

 

Annamarie Luccarelli
Associate Meeting Planner
Harborside Press, LLC
Trenton, NJ

 

Samantha Mele
Proposal & Product Developer
JPdL
Toronto, ON

 

Cahal Mowery, MBA, CMP, CTA
Director of Sales & Catering
JW Marriott Houston Downtown
Houston, TX

 

Brittany Saylor
Senior Meeting Planner
Right Hand Events
San Diego, CA

 

Barrie Schwartz
Founder/CEO
My House Social
New Orleans, LA

 

Allison Shebek
Associate Director of Experience Design
AlliedPRA
Phoenix, AZ

 

Kyle Smith, DES
Digital Event Strategist
Conference Consultancy South Africa
Johannesburg, South Africa

 

Sara Stehle, CMP
Conference Specialist
International Association of Fire Chiefs
Washington, DC

 

Andrew Sykes
Assistant General Manager
FMAV
Halifax, Nova Scotia

 

Rasheena Wilson, CMP
Meeting and Exhibits Coordinator
American Society of Nephrology
Washington, DC

“This is our fifth class of the twenty brightest talents in the industry worldwide. Each year we continue to be inspired by the passion and insights these individuals bring to the business events community. It is our honor to recognize the excellence of these emerging innovative leaders,” said Deborah Sexton, PCMA President and CEO. 

Criteria for applicants was to be employed full time in the business events industry, be 29 years old or younger at the time of recognition and to demonstrate ways they consider themselves to be industry leaders. Applicants were not required to be PCMA members.

A committee made up of veteran industry professionals and 20 in their twenties alumni reviewed approximately 50 applications in detail before deciding on the class.

The individuals will selected will receive a scholarship registration to attend PCMA’s signature event, Convening Leaders this January in Nashville, TN; complimentary registration for PCMA’s June conference in Cleveland, OH in June 2018; as well as one year of PCMA membership. In addition, recipients will receive membership and registration discounts for the next two years.

Recipients will be recognized at Convening Leaders this January, as well as in Convene Magazine and other PCMA communications.


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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