NEW ORLEANS – The 2019 Board of Directors of the International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE), including a new Chairperson and four new members, was introduced to the trade show industry at IAEE’s 2018 Expo! Expo! in New Orleans.
Tom Cindric, Senior Vice President at Informa Global Exhibitions, Infrastructure Events, was elected Chairperson for 2019, succeeding Daniel McKinnon, Vice President, Client Solutions – Global, FreemanXP, who will assume the role of Immediate Past Chairperson. Robert McLean, Executive Vice President of the Promotional Products Association International, is the new Chairperson-elect for 2020. Carrie Ferenac, President, CNTV (Convention News Television), returns as Secretary/Treasurer.
“I am looking forward to seeing IAEE experience great growth through new initiatives and collaboration with our industry partners,” said Cindric. “We plan to take full advantage of new opportunities before us supported by a strong foundation set by my predecessors.”
In addition to serving as Chairperson-elect, McLean will also be the 2019 Chairman of the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) with Cindric as Immediate Past Chair. “I am honored to be the chairperson of such an important organization and look forward to working with its dedicated staff and board members,” McLean said. “CEIR provides invaluable research to the tradeshow industry, from research on attendee retention and the changing environment of the tradeshow industry, to the annual CEIR index.”
The board members all serve one-year terms, except the Secretary-Treasurer, who serves two years. Joining Cindric on the board are four newly elected Directors:
- Marie Browne, Group Vice President, LaunchPad, Reed Exhibitions
- Kimberly Hardcastle-Geddes, President and Chief Account Strategist, mdg
- Buffy Levy, Director, Event Services, SmithBucklin Corporation
- Tim McGuiness, Staff Vice President Global Expositions, International Council of Shopping Centers
The board agenda for 2019 includes focusing on the continuing changes and overall evolution of exhibitions. “I am very excited about the coming year,” Cindric told Trade Show Executive. “IAEE continues to make great strides in many areas that we have focused on the past few years like our Women’s Initiatives, advances in our education program, introduction of an advanced CEM program, and our global outreach to grow our international presence.”
The returning Directors include:
- Antonio Manuel Brito, CEO, Newevents – Organizacao de Feiras e Eventos, Lda
- Julie Coker Graham, President & CEO, Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau
- Chuck Grouzard, Executive Vice President, Exhibition Sales, GES
- Justine McVaney, Senior Vice President Event Planning & Operations, National Association of Broadcasters
- Yulita Osuba, Deputy Director, Orange County Convention Center
- Dennis Smith, President & CEO, Messe Frankfurt North America
- Janet Sperstad, Program Director, Meeting and Event Management, Madison College.
Ex-officio Directors are:
- Xuebin Gu, Founder and CEO, WeMeet representing the IAEE Asia Council; Tom Gattuso, Tradeshow Director, Specialty Equipment Market Association, representing the Chapter Leaders Council;
- Kelly Kilga, Vice President, Meetings & Events, Association for Print Technologies, representing the IAEE MATSO Council; Chris Meyer, Vice President of Global Business Sales, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, representing the Past Chairpersons’ Advisory Group;
- Joe Cascio, Senior Vice President Sales & Marketing, SMT Expo, representing the IAEE Consumer Events Council;
- and Alysia Roden, Associate Director of Sales, Visit San Antonio, representing the Robert L. Krakoff Seat.
Reach Tom Cindric at (972) 536-6371 or tom.cindric@informa.com; David DuBois, IAEE President & CEO, at (972) 458-8002 or ddubois@iaee.com; Bob McLean at (972) 258-3085 or bobm@ppai.org.
