Tom Pasha has been recognized as one of the top event planners in the planning industry. Starting in hotel operations positions as a caddy, bellman, bartender and cook, Tom began his management career as a Hyatt management trainee in Chicago. He held sales management positions throughout the Hyatt organization, working in 12 Hyatt hotels over 20 years. Tom was director of sales at Hyatt hotels in Greenville, San Antonio and Chicago O’Hare, and as director of sales, he started the National Sales Office for Hyatt hotels in Omaha. He won sales manager of the year, sales director of the year and the Donald M. Pritzker Award for Excellence.

Tom went into meeting planning and founded CONTACT Planning, a national meeting planning company with headquarters in Orlando, Florida. Tom’s company books over 100,000 room nights annually, working with corporate and association clients.
In addition to his planning responsibilities, Pasha teaches “Meeting Planning Mastermind,” a two-day class that focuses on teaching meeting planners every aspect of a hotel that delivers 15 hours of continuing education credit.

Please contact Camille Moore with any questions about this session.

Tom Lambregts is the marketing manager for BCD Meetings & Events. Previously at Grass Roots, he produced and co-edited the award-winning Meetings Industry Report. Starting his career at Clarion Events, he then went on to become head of marketing at Earls Court and Olympia London where he directed and delivered the award-winning rebranding of the venues. Tom specializes in digital and content-led marketing and maintains a keen interest in music and reading.

Please contact Camille Moore with any questions about this session.

As founder of Endless Events, Will Curran has been named one of the 40 under 40 event industry leaders, 35 entrepreneurs under the age of 35 and Inc Magazine’s Coolest College Start-Up all before graduating college. Will has been producing events since high school when he started his first company and has now worked in production of large event clients, such as Emerald City Comicon, Anheuser-Busch, Color Run, Morton Salt and Uber. His team’s mission is to simplify the event planning process by creating the equation for an event’s perfect solution. They also relentlessly seek to be the name in customer service in the events industry. From event logistics to business development to technical production, Curran has a diverse background in growing events and companies to the next level.

Please contact Camille Moore with any questions about this session.

A lover of automation, ice sculptures and pie, Lindsay joined Pathable Event Apps in 2016, aiming to bridge the gap between events and technology for associations, corporations and nonprofits. She started her career as an events manager and marketing consultant at an independent events company, Nifty Method, nearly 20 years ago. Along the way, she got her CMP, worked with companies like Ford Motor Company, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, Sirius XM and the Nonprofit Technology Network, and realized she could never go to a concert again without asking herself, “How does that rigging attach to that floating stage?”

Please contact Camille Moore with any questions about this session.

Lisa Sommer Devlin's legal practice has concentrated in hospitality law for 25 years. She drafts standardized contracts, provides legal training and handles meeting related litigation for chain and independent hotels. Meeting News magazine named her one of the 25 most influential people in the meeting industry in 2002 and 2006, saying: “More than anyone else, she is the legal voice for the industry.” She speaks at countless industry events and was named a 2012 “Best in Class” speaker by PCMA.

Please contact Camille Moore with any questions about this session.

Mahoganey Jones is versatile, results-oriented certified meeting professional and digital event strategist with proven skills and track record in all aspects of meeting management. Specializing in associations and medical meetings, she produces exceptionally planned and revenue generating educational events.

As an entrepreneur herself with hundreds of events under her belt, Mahoganey is passionate about bringing event ideas to life and building a stage for others to showcase their brands and expertise. By taking care of the details and breathing personality and life into each event, Mahoganey is able to produce an experience that is a direct reflection of her clients.

Her event-planning career began with hospital fundraisers, university brand awareness campaigns and even weddings. She quickly learned that all events begin with a purpose and need more than a pretty logo to be successful. Events are opportunities to generate positive buzz about your brand and should be produced with that goal in mind. Mahoganey’s motto is do what you love and to love what you do. This motto can be seen in the attention to detail and drive she has to ensuring every event is a success.

Please contact Camille Moore with any questions about this session.

With decades of experience as a provider of entertainment and event management services, Michael shares a wealth of knowledge gained through his career in the business events industry. His company, EventGenuity, LLC, produces business events throughout North America.

Michael is a frequent presenter at industry conferences and learning institutions, speaking on what’s now and what’s next in meetings and events. He has published articles in Meetings and Conventions, Convene, Meeting Mentor magazine, Connect magazine, Plan-It Tennessee, The Meeting Professional, Meetings Focus and Successful Meetings magazines and as a guest columnist for The Tennessean and Nashville Business Journal. Michael was recently awarded the MPI RISE Award for Meetings Industry Leadership and was recognized for Lifetime Achievement by MPI Tennessee.

Please contact Camille Moore with any questions about this session.

Brian D. Avery is a life safety speaker, professor, expert witness and author who specializes in protecting the people that comprise the events, tourism and attractions industries. Brian’s career spans 25 plus years and his background is comprised of three areas of expertise: risk and safety management, event design and execution and education.

Brian is an advocate for safety and communicating the importance of improving personal safety and organizational awareness. Direct from the pages of Brian’s reports, his experience, and research, Brian shares the lessons learned from tragic, yet avoidable incidents and hazards that he has investigated worldwide… all in an effort of prevention and progress.

Please contact Camille Moore with any questions about this session.

What do Lance Armstrong, Chris Christie and Vladimir Putin have in common? Traci Brown’s revealed their secrets to the world. She’s told the world what they’re not saying. NBC, CBS and Fox have asked this body language expert to reveal secrets hidden in plain sight. Traci is not only a master lie detector, but she’s a persuasion expert. Her persuasion system landed her a lucrative product deal with Kevin Harrington, a Shark from ABC’s hit TV show Shark Tank, and took her on a wild ride to the big-time consumer markets of TV shopping channels, infomercials and beyond.


She is the past president of the National Speaker’s Association Colorado chapter and the author of four books including her latest, “How to Detect Lies, Fraud and Identity Theft.” She is a three-time U.S. Collegiate Cycling Champion and former member of Team USA. She holds a business degree from the University of Colorado and is a certified master practitioner of neuro linguistics, hypnosis and Hawaiian Huna.

Please contact Camille Moore with any questions about this session.

As founder of Endless Events, Will Curran has been named one of the 40 under 40 event industry leaders, 35 entrepreneurs under the age of 35 and Inc Magazine’s Coolest College Start-Up all before graduating college. Will has been producing events since high school when he started his first company and has now worked in the production of large event clients, such as Emerald City Comicon, Anheuser-Busch, Color Run, Morton Salt and Uber. His team’s mission is to simplify the event planning process by creating the equation for an event’s perfect solution. They also relentlessly seek to be the name in customer service in the events industry. From event logistics to business development to technical production, Curran has a diverse background in growing events and companies to the next level.

Please contact Camille Moore with any questions about this session.

John Nawn is the founder/CEO of The Perfect Meeting, which designs formal and informal learning and content strategies that help organizations grow revenues and increase market share. John has served as chief learning officer for several multinational corporations and associations across different industries. Unlike most learning professionals, John specializes in monetizing learning. His learning programs have generated over $200 million in revenues and cost savings.

Please contact Camille Moore with any questions about this session.

James Spellos is the president of Meeting U., a company specializing in helping people become more productive and comfortable with technology.

Jim is certified as a Microsoft Office Specialist. He delivers over 150 seminars annually on how to use technology more efficiently. Jim is an adjunct faculty member at New York University, teaching in the School of Professional and Continuing Studies since 1990. He has been honored with both its Award for Teaching Excellence and its Outstanding Service Award. Jim was also named one of the hospitality industry’s trendsetters in 2015 for his technology education.

In 2014, Jim joined the Board of Directors for Rock and Wrap It Up, an anti-poverty, anti-hunger think tank, which supports over 43,000 agencies in North America. Jim co-created for them their Whole Earth Calculator app, which helps organizations identify the quantity of food donated and carbon footprint reduced by an organization helping to recover excess food from events.

Jim is also an accomplished musician and songwriter, playing guitar, keyboard and singing for the New York City rock band Contraband. They released their first CD, “Welcome to the Neighborhood” in late 2008 and is perpetually in the recording studio working on their next project.

Please contact Camille Moore with any questions about this session.

Darrell Hammond completed a degree in business management after earning an athletic scholarship. After college, he continued playing basketball and traveled around the world, playing exhibition basketball, keynote speaking and providing custom training. A silver medalist for Team USA, he has experience on a variety of high-performing teams, on and off of the court.

Please contact Camille Moore with any questions about this session.

Tom Pasha has been recognized as one of the top event planners in the planning industry. Starting in hotel operations positions as a caddy, bellman, bartender and cook, Tom began his management career as a Hyatt management trainee in Chicago. He held sales management positions throughout the Hyatt organization, working in 12 Hyatt hotels over 20 years. Tom was director of sales at Hyatt hotels in Greenville, San Antonio and Chicago O’Hare, and as director of sales, he started the National Sales Office for Hyatt hotels in Omaha. He won sales manager of the year, sales director of the year and the Donald M. Pritzker Award for Excellence.

Tom went into meeting planning and founded CONTACT Planning, a national meeting planning company with headquarters in Orlando, Florida. Pasha’s company books over 100,000 room nights annually, working with corporate and association clients.

In addition to his planning responsibilities, Pasha teaches “Meeting Planning Mastermind,” a two-day class that focuses on teaching meeting planners every aspect of a hotel that delivers 15 hours of continuing education credit.

Please contact Camille Moore with any questions about this session.

Darrell Hammond completed a degree in business management after earning an athletic scholarship. After college, he continued playing basketball and traveled around the world, playing exhibition basketball, keynote speaking and providing custom training. A silver medalist for Team USA, he has experience on a variety of high-performing teams on and off of the court.

His 30-year career in human resources led to many years in increasingly responsible executive positions. He has over 15 years experience as a master trainer and executive coach. Advisor and consultant to boards, executives, teams, corporations, numerous government agencies, elected officials and nonprofit leadership teams, Hammond has expertise and passion for teambuilding, leadership and organizational effectiveness. He is known for his energy, humor, analogies and straight-talking style.

Please contact Camille Moore with any questions about this session.

Debi Tengler is an honors graduate of the College of Biblical Studies, receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in Biblical studies with an emphasis on Biblical counseling. She is also a licensed and ordained minister with World Ministry Fellowship.

Her career also exemplifies her belief that “With God, ALL things are possible.” Tengler has gone from event planning, where she coordinated picnics of fifty people to multiday motivational seminars in the Astrodome with 15,000, and then on to helping birth and lead the Alpha Houston office, an evangelism outreach ministry and the first regional office in the United States. Tengler now serves as the Chief Relations Officer, overseeing development, marketing, and church and community relations, of the premier child placement agency Arrow Child & Family Ministries.

When the opportunity arose to assist Arrow with its development needs, she knew it was the right fit, as the basis and core of Arrow aligns with Tengler’s heart. Her Christian counseling background and great desire to inspire hope perfectly converge with Arrow’s heart of helping children and families in crisis, further confirming that Arrow is the place for her to serve.

Arrow Child & Family Ministries is a Christian provider of child welfare and education services for abused and neglected children and at-risk families. Through the engagement of both government and the local church, Arrow provides an array of services, including foster care, adoption, child sex trafficking rehabilitation and specialized education. All programs and services advance the well-being of children, families and communities while promoting Christian responsibility and a commitment to strengthen family life.

Please contact Camille Moore with any questions about this session.

Crystal Washington works with organizations that want to leverage technology to increase profits and productivity. She is known as the “technology translator.” Infusing humor, she shares only the practical applications of social media, apps and the web. Crystal’s clients comprise Fortune 500 companies, including Google, Microsoft and General Electric. As a sought-after keynote speaker, she has educated and entertained audiences across North America, Africa and Europe. She regularly appears on major television networks and in business publications for her expertise. Crystal is the author of the books “One Tech Action” and “The Social Media Why”. Outside of technology, Crystal considers herself to be a travel fanatic and afro-puff aficionado.

Please contact Camille Moore with any questions about this session.

Debi Tengler is an honors graduate of the College of Biblical Studies, receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in Biblical studies with an emphasis on Biblical counseling. She is also a licensed and ordained minister with World Ministry Fellowship.

Her career also exemplifies her belief that “With God, ALL things are possible.” Tengler has gone from event planning, where she coordinated picnics of fifty people to multiday motivational seminars in the Astrodome with 15,000, and then on to helping birth and lead the Alpha Houston office, an evangelism outreach ministry and the first regional office in the United States. Tengler now serves as the Chief Relations Officer, overseeing development, marketing, and church and community relations, of the premier child placement agency Arrow Child & Family Ministries.

When the opportunity arose to assist Arrow with its development needs, she knew it was the right fit, as the basis and core of Arrow aligns with Tengler’s heart. Her Christian counseling background and great desire to inspire hope perfectly converge with Arrow’s heart of helping children and families in crisis, further confirming that Arrow is the place for her to serve.

Arrow Child & Family Ministries is a Christian provider of child welfare and education services for abused and neglected children and at-risk families. Through the engagement of both government and the local church, Arrow provides an array of services, including foster care, adoption, child sex trafficking rehabilitation and specialized education. All programs and services advance the well-being of children, families and communities while promoting Christian responsibility and a commitment to strengthen family life.

Please contact Camille Moore with any questions about this session.

Tom Pasha has been recognized as one of the top event planners in the planning industry. Starting in hotel operations positions as a caddy, bellman, bartender and cook, Tom began his management career as a Hyatt management trainee in Chicago. He held sales management positions throughout the Hyatt organization, working in 12 Hyatt hotels over 20 years. Tom was director of sales at Hyatt hotels in Greenville, San Antonio and Chicago O’Hare, and as director of sales, he started the National Sales Office for Hyatt hotels in Omaha. He won sales manager of the year, sales director of the year and the Donald M. Pritzker Award for Excellence.

Tom went into meeting planning and founded CONTACT Planning, a national meeting planning company with headquarters in Orlando, Florida. Pasha’s company books over 100,000 room nights annually, working with corporate and association clients.

In addition to his planning responsibilities, Pasha teaches “Meeting Planning Mastermind,” a two-day class that focuses on teaching meeting planners every aspect of a hotel that delivers 15 hours of continuing education credit.

Please contact Camille Moore with any questions about this session.

Naomi R. Angel is a partner with Howe & Hutton, Ltd., a law firm that specializes in the representation of individuals, firms and organizations in the travel, tourism, hospitality, incentive and meetings industries, as well as nonprofit organizations, including trade associations, professional societies and other related organizations.

Angel works with individuals and organizations in the meetings, travel and hospitality industries, including corporate and independent planners. Additionally, she serves as general counsel to national and international trade associations of manufacturers, suppliers and professionals, providing guidance in the areas of antitrust, intellectual property, standards development, certification and accreditation, governance, contracts, international business and organizational issues, product liability, and risk management.

Angel has appeared before federal and state agencies and worked with national research laboratories, advocating positions on behalf of client associations. She is a trained mediator with extensive commercial litigation experience at state and federal levels and is admitted to practice before Illinois Supreme Court; the Trial Bar of the U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois; and the U.S. Court of Appeals, 7th and Federal Circuits.

Angel is a member of the American Society of Association Executives and serves on ASAE’s Associations Now Law and Policy Committee; the Association Forum of Chicagoland; and The Chicago Bar Association, where she was chair of the Chicago Bar Association’s Trade and Professional Association Committee. Angel is a graduate of UCLA and DePaul University College of Law.

**Please contact Camille Moore with any questions about this session.

Alex Plaxen, president and founder of Little Bird Told Media, began his career in events while studying at The George Washington University. While studying, he worked with the Capitol Concerts events team producing mega events in Washington, D.C. He also worked with the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology and RedPeg Marketing.

After graduating with a master's degree in tourism administration, Plaxen was the director of marketing for EventRebels. In fall 2015, he left EventRebels to start his own company, Little Bird Told Media, a consulting firm focused on social media strategy and implementation for conferences. He has been recognized as a top social media influencer at Inbound 2015 and 2016, Dreamforce 2015 and MPI WEC 2016.

In addition to his industry work, Plaxen has been an active member of PCMA and MPI. He currently sits on the Potomac Chapter of MPI's Board of Directors. He has been honored locally and internationally as an emerging leader in the events industry and was recognized as a Connect Association 40 under 40 in 2017.

**Please contact the editor with any questions about this session.

Meet Your New Nerdy Best Friend, Beth Ziesenis—author, speaker and nerd. Although the only real trophy she ever won was for making perfect french fries at McDonald’s in high school, Ziesenis has been featured on best speaker lists by several industry publications. Since her first Commodore 64 computer, Ziesenis has made a verb out of the word “nerd.” She helps computer users all over the country filter through thousands of apps, gadgets, widgets and doodads to find the perfect free and low-cost technology tools for business and personal use. She does this through presentations and penning books like her latest, “Nerd Know-How: The 27+ Best Apps for Work and How to Use ‘Em,” available on Amazon.

**Please contact Camille Moore with any questions about this session.

During his 20-plus-year career building high-performing marketing and biz development teams at variety of nonprofit and for-profit companies, Keith Chamberlain has found best successes come from aggregating teams and resources, while simultaneously building collaborative relationships. Chamberlain is also president of KEROSENE Marketing, a consultancy providing strategic marketing services to organizations.

The original bad boy of ops, Garth Jordan is an energized and insightful leader-of-leaders. He guides teams through thick and thin, bringing out the best in people and ensuring organizations reach their full potential. Jordan serves as senior vice president of corporate strategy at Healthcare Financial Management Association, where he has brought design thinking and experience design to the forefront of the organization's strategic planning and execution.

**Please contact Camille Moore with any questions about this session.

Scott Frankel is president of Animatic Media, a full-service event production company, and a leader and speaker at many industry events. Frankel founded Animatic in 1996 with the idea of offering agency-style service without the agency price tag. Frankel and his team have produced thousands of events for clients of all sizes, from Fortune 500 conferences with thousands of attendees to smaller road shows. Frankel insists on perfection and is an innovator in the event technology business. In 2010 he started Conference-On-Demand, a leading platform for on-demand conference video, and recently launched MeetingLeader.com, a content management, web registration and audience response web platform for corporate event planners.

**Please contact Camille Moore with any questions about this session.

Michael J. Lyons is an author, professional speaker, actor, entrepreneur and former hospitality industry executive. Lyons spent more than 40 years in senior-level management roles in the meetings/travel industry, including stints with CIGNA, Carlson Wagonlit Travel, Global Events Partners and EGR International. Before going out on his own in 2014, he was exhibition director of IBTM America, a premier trade show organized by Reed Exhibitions—the world's largest trade show management company—based in London.

As a prolific and experienced professional speaker, Lyons delivers talks in the U.S. and abroad on how to achieve goals, pursue your passion and enhance your personal brand, among other topics. His easygoing style and humorous anecdotes, coupled with fun exercises and interactive group involvement, keep audiences engaged throughout his presentations. In 2017, Lyons released his book "Set Yourself Free: Daydream it... Believe it... Achieve it!" to widespread acclaim.

**Please contact Camille Moore with any questions about this session.

Robyn Mietkiewicz, CMP, CMM, is senior director of global meeting services at Meeting Sites Resource. MSR is a global strategic meeting management solutions organization with a 23-year track record of meetings excellence. This includes global hotel sourcing, custom contract negotiations, meeting project management and SMM consulting.

Mietkiewicz contributes articles to trade publications and speaks at many industry events. She also presents custom strategic education for planning and procurement teams. Mietkiewicz has served on many hotel and CVB advisory boards, is a past president of the MPI Orange County Chapter and was recognized as the 2014 MPI RISE Award–Member of the Year.

**Please contact Camille Moore with any questions about this session.

Janice Anderson uses her corporate background in communications, marketing and public relations to equip leaders with a strategic approach to organizational growth and expansion. Anderson has supported hundreds of leaders from myriad arenas. Her clients include pastors, ministry leaders, corporate and nonprofit leaders, C-level executives and entrepreneurs. She helps leaders identify and overcome the growth barriers in organizations by implementing strategies that allow them to build, brand and expand their visions.

Anderson and her team have created powerful mentoring, coaching and consulting programs, workshops and products that equip leaders with the tools necessary to increase their influence, impact and income without compromising their message or their mission. Meet Anderson at moruwa.com.

**Please contact Camille Moore with any questions about this session.

Simone Morris is president and founder of Simone Morris Enterprises LLC. Her company offers employee engagement consulting, leadership training, career management coaching and speaking services. She is an award-winning diversity and inclusion leader who has been recognized by Diversity Best Practices, DiversityMBA and Diageo.

Morris previously spent two decades in corporate America. She has extensive leadership experience and holds an MBA from the University of Connecticut. She also holds the Associate Certified Coach credential from the International Coaching Federation, as well as the certified Project Management Professional distinction from the Project Management Institute. She also serves as an adjunct faculty member for the American Management Association.

**Please contact Camille Moore with any questions about this session.

Carolyn Browning, CMP, CMM, is chief solution strategist at MEETing Needs, LLC. She began her career in the meetings industry on the corporate side, handling customer events and sales meetings at both Sprint and GE Capital. She then ventured out on her own and never looked back.

Passionate about meetings and education, Browning seeks to share her knowledge and experience with others by leading prep classes for CMP certification, speaking to planners about how to improve their meetings to engage and inspire audiences, and helping clients design and execute impactful events.

**Please contact Camille Moore with any questions about this session.

Larissa J. Schultz, CMP, MHA, is an advocate of continuing to grow through learning and forward momentum. She has been actively involved in the meeting management industry for more than 19 years and is the founder and owner of LJS Meeting Strategies, a meeting management, training and consulting company based in Los Angeles. Her background and experience as a meeting planner includes working with corporations and associations planning both domestic and international conferences and meetings.

**Please contact Camille Moore with any questions about this session.

At 17, Austin Johnston started an event lighting company and scaled it into his first business, X Events, which he then left to work for an enormous theme park lighting company. He started design, management and production company AKJohnston Group in 2008, and despite launching during the Great Recession, his company has grown 300 percent every year for the last eight years. Part of that success may be attributed to having technical production and custom fabrication capabilities under one roof. He manages a talented team of designers and engineers who push the envelope when it comes to design and materials, and meld them both with out-there technology. Though based in Orange County, California, Johnston has worked in seven countries and 20 states for the likes of Gucci, Keurig, Rolls-Royce, Toyota and Vitaminwater.

**Please contact Camille Moore with any questions about this session.

Tyra Hilliard is a speaker, writer and coach, as well as a professor of business, hospitality and event management. She has been honored for her professional achievement as an educator and uses her diverse and unique background to reach learners young and old, from college freshmen to seasoned professionals.

Tyra is one of the only people in the world with a law degree, a Ph.D. in hospitality and a CMP. Her industry experience includes working as an attorney, a meeting planner, a catering manager and a CVB sales manager.

**Please contact Camille Moore with any questions about this session.

Jared Beard has been a super nerd from the minute he and his evil twin brother hacked away at the innards of their Commodore 64. With more than 20 years as a youth leader, educator, paradigm shifter and IT mega-geek, Beard has been at the bleeding edge of all the good and bad the Internet has offered. As a Web/media business owner, information technology director and instructor in MBA and MSIS programs at Kelley School of Business at Indiana University, Beard entertains and challenges audiences while sneaking in just enough theory and real-world knowledge to help planners hash out their next steps into this brave new world.

**Please contact Camille Moore with any questions about this session.

Dean Savoca, M.Ed., BCC, spent his early career in the hospitality industry as a travel director and account manager for Maritz for nine years, and as a general manager of a Colorado-based destination management company. Now a performance management and results expert, Dean works at the company and association level as a keynote speaker and conference facilitator; at the team and department level as a management and sales trainer; and at the individual executive level as a coach. Whatever the format, Dean guides people through processes that focuses their attention on core issues and rallies them to action. The result is a better bottom line that’s boosted by improved performance, higher productivity and more cohesive teamwork.

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A speaker, consultant and hospitality and events industry trainer, Tracy Stuckrath, CSEP, CMM, CHC, is president and chief connecting officer of Thrive! Meetings & Events. Her firm specializes in educating the meetings industry to reduce risk, maximize budgets and improve customer experiences through safe, delicious and healthy F&B, specifically with special dietary needs.

Based in Atlanta, Stuckrath serves on the Slow Food Atlanta board of directors and recently chaired the FARE Walk for Food Allergy Atlanta and the 2015 Allie Awards.

Stuckrath has been named one of the top 25 women in the meetings industry and a 2014 meetings trendsetter. She also has won awards for best corporate/association event and best public fair or festival.

**Please contact Camille Moore with any questions about this session.