New York, New York - November 24, 2003 - BiZBash Media recently announced the top event planners behind 2003’s biggest events and smartest marketing strategies in New York, including the Grammy’s official after-party, America Online’s Dave Matthews Band concert in Central Park for 95,000 people and the first American version of CeBIT, the world’s largest technology trade show. BiZBash published its list of the top 15 planners in the latest issue of the BiZBash Event Style Reporter.

“We chose a diverse group of planners who represent industries such as fashion, finance, entertainment and media, and who use event marketing as a powerful tool to build brands—and return on investment—for their companies and clients,” says Chad Kaydo, editor in chief of the BiZBash Event Style Reporter.


The Top 15 Event Planners of the Year include:

David Shackley, Vice President of Corporate Events at AOL
This past September Shackley managed to gather 95,000 people in Central Park for a free Dave Matthews Band concert to roll out AOL 9.0. During the rest of the year, he plans more than 600 events, ranging from employee motivation and education seminars, to trade show dinner parties.

Lynda Garvey, Director of Meeting Management at ING
ING became the first title sponsor of the New York City Marathon this year, and Garvey and her team planned 13 different events surrounding the race. The rest of the year, she plans meetings and conferences in the U.S. and abroad for the financial services company’s sales agents and executives.

Mark Dineen, Managing Director at CeBIT America
Dineen oversaw the spin-off of the CeBIT trade show from Hanover, Germany, to the United States, bringing an American version of the world’s largest technology trade show to New York.

Laura Aviva, Creative Projects Director at Travel & Leisure
Aviva plans more than 50 events for the affluent travel magazine, including promotional parties and V.I.P trips with once-in-a-lifetime experiences for big customers.

Branden Chapman, Senior Director of Production and Process Management for the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
The California-based Chapman is the man behind the Grammys telecast and its big, official after-party for 5,000 guests, held this year in New York.

Elyse N. Kroll, President of ENK International
Kroll brought style to the 18 trade shows she produced this year, including September’s ENK International Fashion Coterie show, which attracted more than 12,000 attendees.

Keith Harvey, Regional Marketing and Sales Director at Absolut
During Fashion Week this past September, Harvey produced Absolut Lifestyle, an ambitious alternative space for fashion shows at Gotham Hall sponsored by Aboslut and Honey magazine, which also showcased a suite of complementary brands.

Mauricio Padilha, CEO, and Roger Padilha, Creative Director, at MAO Public Relations
This brother duo PR team went up against the big New York Fashion Week players with their own alternative space for young designers’ shows called MAO space.

Michelle Mutter, Producer, Events Division, at CMJ Network
Mutter plans the CMJ Music Marathon, bringing together 10,000 attendees from all aspects of the music industry at more than 50 venues throughout the city.

Peter Rosenberger, Director, Special Events Marketing at ESPN
Rosenberger plans about 100 events a year, including weekend-long parties for customers around big sporting events and client entertaining.

Alison Brod, Owner and CEO of Alison Brod Public Relations
An up-and-coming PR pro, Brod plans 50 to 60 events a year from product launches to promotional parties to fashion shows for a range of clients including LVMH, the Gap, J.C. Penney and Escada.

Tony Berger, President of Strategic Group
Berger and his fellow co-founders of Strategic Group went from promoting parties to producing strategic marketing pushes for big brands. Now Berger plans about 70 marketing events for clients including Stuff magazine, Allied Domecq and Reebok.

Kathleen Moore, Global Events Manager at JPMorgan Treasury Services
Moore organizes more than 120 global events for JPMorgan, including client events and industry events such as trade shows and conferences.

Jaqui Lividini, Senior Vice President of Fashion Merchandising at Saks Fifth Avenue
Lividini is responsible for all events at Saks’ 62 stores in the United States, and planned 1,500 events this year from in-store parties to Key to the Cure, a new benefit for the Women’s Cancer Research Fund.

For a copy of the latest BiZBash Event Style Reporter with full-length stories on the top 15 event planners, contact Jill Musguire at 646.638.3600 ext, 104 or jill@bizbash.com.

About BiZBash Media
Since its founding in 2000, BiZBash has become the “go to” place for anyone who plans, designs or influences the thousands of corporate and nonprofit events held each year. BiZBash is where planners and marketers “peek over the fence” to see how others are doing events and learn about fresh ideas. The BiZBash Meeting & Event Expo is the ultimate gathering for professional event planners in New York City, and attracts more than 190 exhibitors and 2,700 planners and marketers. BiZBash.com and the BiZBash Event Style Reporter feature behind-the-scenes coverage of the event planning and marketing industry, as well as industry news and resources to help planners organize their next event, meeting or trade show. BiZBash has also expanded into other markets with the launch of BiZBashFla in Florida and BiZBashT.O. in Toronto.