Elli Riley, CEM, is taking the helm of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Global Conference & Exhibition in her new role as Vice President, Events and Exhibitions. Riley, who has been with the organization for more than 20 years, most recently as Exhibits Manager, Exhibits and Meeting Services, has overseen the doubling of both sponsorships and exhibitions with the HIMSS Global Conference & Exhibition over her tenure — and she was part of the core team that launched the HIMSS international events in Europe and AsiaPac in 2006 and also their regional U.S. events. And she’s just getting started.

Lacey Gautier, Vice President of Events at the Boulder, Col.-based New Hope Network, a division of Informa Markets, has helped lead the success of both Natural Expo Products West and Natural Expo Products East. Lacey spoke with TSE about her collaborative approach to event production and New Hope’s innovative initiatives in both sustainability and DEI. 

Patrick Martell, Informa Markets CEO and Informa Group Chief Operating Officer, discusses his passion for the industry, the company’s sustainability and DEI initiatives, and offers insights into how he will lead Informa Markets into the future.

Jennifer Collins, President and CEO of JDC Events, is on a mission to create events that spark change. Jennifer started JDC Events 25 years ago in a basement apartment in Washington D.C., where the company is based today. JDC Events provides event management services and event planning strategies to top-tier companies such as Reuters Events, which produces the energy show Downstream USA; FirstNet (First Responder Network Authority); and the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) flagship Conference – BIS Update on Export Controls and Policy, among others.  

Jennifer also authored the book “Events Spark Change” to help show organizers design powerful and engaging events with meaningful outcomes, and is using that philosophy with JDC, which is creating two new events for 2023 – Equipped and Fuse.

Jay Weintraub, CEO and Co-Founder of Connectiv Holdings, the event studio and holding company behind Blueprint, Cumulus, Manifest and Medicarians, is a master of invention. Jay and his team have created and sold four events — LeadsCon, Mobile Apps Unlocked, HR Transform and InsureTech Connect — and are continually organizing new show for a variety of industry sectors, from logistics to agriculture. Trade Show Executive spoke with Jay about his entrepreneurship and keys to success.

Industry veteran Dennis Smith discusses his new ventures as incoming Chair of IAEE and Vice President of Business Development at AAHOA, the Asian American Hotel Owners Association, and what plans he has in leading both in the upcoming year. 

Ed McNeill, Vice President of Informa Markets’ newly formed USA Beauty portfolio, discusses the appeal of the beauty industry and an upcoming expansion, as USA Beauty extends to more locations and readies for best-in-class shows in 2023 and beyond. 

Roy Turner, Senior Vice President at Emerald, and director and manager of Surf Expo, the largest and longest-running watersports and beach lifestyle trade show in the world, divulges secrets to the show’s success and where he sees opportunities for growth. 

RX CEO Hugh Jones, who oversees trade show industry stalwarts like JCK and the National Hardware Show, discusses how data-centric innovation is a vital force driving the future of the exhibitions business.

Carrie Freeman Parsons, Chair of Freeman, discusses her mission to keep the global full-services event solutions company on the edge of innovation while maintaining a values-based, people-first corporate culture.