Speakers
David Adler
C.E.O. and founder, BizBash
Melanie Altarescu
head of strategic initiatives, WIRED
Lance Broumand
founder and C.E.O., UrbanDaddy
Dennis Cheng
chief development officer, Clinton Foundation
Lawrence Coburn
C.E.O. and founder, DoubleDutch
Mitch Colleran
partnership manager, Eventbrite
Cheryl Gentry
founder and president, Glow Media
Julia Hartz
co-founder and president, Eventbrite
Kevin Hartz
co-founder and C.E.O., Eventbrite
Lauren Kane
special events project manager, charity:water
Tamara Mendelsohn
vice president of marketing, Eventbrite
Sean O'Connell
director, Hangout Music Festival
Jeff Ramos
social media manager, MKG
Mallorie Rosenbluth
vice president of client services, Likeable Media
Anna Sekula
editor in chief, BizBash
Brian Solis
principal, Altimeter Group
Andrew Stevens
creative director and co-founder, We Came in Peace
Bronson van Wyck
founder, Van Wyck & Van Wyck
David Adler
C.E.O. and founder, BizBash
David Adler, a lifelong media executive, is the C.E.O. and founder of BizBash, the leading trade media for the event and meeting industry. He has also been an advisor to the State Department in areas of protocol and events. Previously, he was vice president of corporate communications for Primedia and Macmillan Publishers. Upon graduating from American University, he founded, operated, and successfully sold a society and political magazine for the nation’s capital called Washington Dossier.
Melanie Altarescu
head of strategic initiatives, WIRED
Melanie Altarescu is the head of strategic initiatives at WIRED. She oversees a team that specializes in custom campaigns and activations spanning all of WIRED’s platforms, including print, tablet, smartphone, digital, social, and events. She works with clients in all categories of business, from automotive to technology to luxury goods. Her background includes more than 10 years in consumer publishing, digital and new media, broadcast television, public relations, and retail.
Lance Broumand
founder and C.E.O., UrbanDaddy
Lance founded UrbanDaddy in 2005 as a luxury e-mail newsletter for men, catering to affluent audiences overlooked by the emerging digital media industry. Lance has overseen the growth of UrbanDaddy into a multibrand, multiplatform business, which incorporates editorial, e-commerce, mobile, experiential and digital experiences. Lance has been named a New York Finalist in the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards. Prior, Lance practiced corporate law at Willkie Farr & Gallagher.
Dennis Cheng
chief development officer, Clinton Foundation
Dennis Cheng is the chief development officer at the Bill, Hillary, and Chelsea Clinton Foundation. Prior to joining the Clinton Foundation in 2011, he served as deputy chief of protocol of the United States, where he was responsible for overseeing the official visits of foreign heads of state and for organizing bilateral and multilateral summits hosted by President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. Cheng also served as national finance director and New York finance director for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign.
Lawrence Coburn
C.E.O. and founder, DoubleDutch
Lawrence Coburn is the founder and C.E.O. of DoubleDutch, a company that is exploring the convergence of mobile technologies and big data in an event setting. DoubleDutch has raised more than $7 million in venture funding from top investors such as Floodgate, and its roster of clients includes UBM, IDG, Lowe's, SAP, Cisco, and more. A frequent public speaker, Coburn has spoken at CTIA, Dreamforce, IAEE, E2, and CITE, among others. Lawrence is also a guest editor for the Next Web, a mentor for University of California, Berkeley, computer science students, a mentor at IO Ventures, and a member of the Enterprise 2.0 vendor board.
Mitch Colleran
partnership manager, Eventbrite
Mitch has a been at Eventbrite for 3 years and leads Partnerships and Integrations. In his role, he speaks with 100s of companies in the event tech space -- which provides a front row seat for seeing what is coming around the corner and technologies that are too early for their time.
Cheryl Gentry
founder and president, Glow Media
Gentry has crossed the globe supervising, coordinating, and executing hundreds of events, bringing a full range of energy, expertise, and enthusiasm to each project she takes on. Founded in 1998, Gentry has led Glow Media and touted clients such as Dupont Lycra®, the New Jersey Nets, Kaiser Permanente, Allianz, and FIFA, to name a few. Her flawless execution and innovative strategies garnered ISES Esprit Awards for Best Corporate Event for Allianz. Gentry and Glow garnered even more nominations including Best Event Planner, Best Association Event, and Best Non-Profit Event. In 2009, she was inducted into the YWCA/New York City Top Women Executives. Most recently, Glow Media was nominated for the New York Enterprise Report’s 2013 Small Business Award in Customer Service. Gentry is the co-creator of the Diversity and Inclusion Awards (DANDI Awards), which herald individuals and organizations that demonstrate outstanding commitment to creating a more diverse and inclusive world. Gentry is on the board of the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE), and is the president of the New York Chapter of the Senior Planners Industry Network (SPIN).
Julia Hartz
co-founder and president, Eventbrite
Julia Hartz focuses on the happiness, productivity, and growth of the team at Eventbrite. Prior to co-founding Eventbrite with her husband, Kevin Hartz, she worked in television development at MTV Networks and FX Networks where she was a part of shows such as Jackass, Nip/Tuck, and The Shield. She graduated from Pepperdine University and has served on the board of the Village Well, a nonprofit organization that supports slow parenting, and she has been active in the Full Circle Fund.
Kevin Hartz
co-founder and C.E.O., Eventbrite
Kevin Hartz is the co-founder and C.E.O. of Eventbrite, a company that enables event creation, promotion, and ticket sales and helps people discover events that match their passions. He was previously the co-founder and C.E.O. of Xoom Corporation, an international money transfer company that serviced more than 30 countries worldwide. Hartz began his career as a product manager and later co-founded ConnectGroup, a start-up providing high-speed Internet access to the hotel industry. In his spare time, he advises university students on entrepreneurship through Youniversity Ventures.
Lauren Kane
special events project manager, charity:water
Lauren Kane is the special events project manager at Charity: Water, a nonprofit devoted to bringing clean and safe drinking water to the 800 million people living without it. In just 7.5 years, Charity: Water has provided clean and safe drinking water to more than four million people and has raised more than $125 million. Kane manages and produces all of the organization’s events and has most recently planned a 2,300-person gala that raised more than $4 million. Formerly, she was the events manager at Teach for America in the Bay Area where she got her start working in fund-raising and operations with the organization.
Tamara Mendelsohn
vice president of marketing, Eventbrite
Tamara Mendelsohn leads marketing for Eventbrite, focusing on customer acquisition, retention, and branding. She loves live music events and tech events focused on positive social change. Prior to Eventbrite, she was a senior analyst with Forrester Research, an independent technology research and consulting firm. As an expert on eCommerce technology, multichannel retail, and trends in how consumers integrate technology into shopping, Mendelsohn authored research reports and worked with both retailers and technology vendors to help them shape their strategies. She is a graduate of the M.I.T. Sloan School of Management and received her bachelor's degree in comparative literature and economics from Wellesley College.
Sean O'Connell
director, Hangout Music Festival
Sean O’Connell is the director of the Hangout Music Festival, overseeing business operations, marketing, sponsorship, and booking for the award-winning beach festival in Gulf Shores, Alabama. Before joining the Hangout Music Festival, O’Connell handled marketing and promotions for festivals including Outside Lands, Bonnaroo, 10,000 Lakes, and the Mountain Oasis Festival. He has also consulted musicians such as Justin Timberlake, Ani DiFranco, Aimee Mann, and Jack Johnson on establishing and promoting their own record labels. O’Connell is a founder and board member of Creative Allies, an online community of more than 70,000 designers who collaborate with brands, bands, and events to create crowdsourced art and designs.
Jeff Ramos
social media manager, MKG
Jeff Ramos is a social media manager at the experiential marketing agency MKG. His favorite campaigns include launching Evian’s U.S. Open Tumblr featuring custom animated GIFs by Mr. GIF, as well as partnering with The Walking Dead'‘s lead artist, Tony Moore, for Season 2 of IFC's Maron. Previously, Ramos was the community and content manager at Games for Change, where he led the growth of its online communities and was instrumental in selling out its landmark festival two years in a row. Additionally, he was one of Skillshare.com's Master Teachers in the New York City area.
Mallorie Rosenbluth
vice president of client services, Likeable Media
Mallorie Rosenbluth is the vice president of client services at Likeable Media. Prior to joining the team, Rosenbluth was a marketing consultant at Wegmans Food Markets. Her previous roles at Likeable include director of small business and managing director of new client strategy. She now oversees account service and ensures clients have a “likeable” experience. Her speaking credentials include Social Media Week and Digital Summit. Rosenbluth was a 2011 recipient of the Social Media Society’s Social Media Star Award and was named a 2014 Rising Social Media Star by Schaefer Marketing Solutions.
Anna Sekula
editor in chief, BizBash
Sekula leads a team of editors and reporters who cover events and meetings, watching for news, trends, and innovation in the industry and producing content for BizBash.com, BizBash magazine, and its social media platforms. Raised and educated between Hong Kong, New Zealand, and England, she moved to the U.S. after studying social economics and politics at the London School of Economics, and joined the BizBash team in 2004. In addition to covering major events—including New York Fashion Week, the Olympics, and election night—she has also produced feature stories, such as the 15 Most Innovative Meetings, and spoken at industry conferences.
Brian Solis
principal, Altimeter Group
Brian Solis is principal at Altimeter Group, a research firm focused on disruptive technology. A digital analyst, sociologist, and futurist, Solis has studied and influenced the effects of emerging technology on business, marketing, and culture and is globally recognized as a prominent thought leader. His new book, What’s the Future of Business, explores the landscape of connected consumerism and how business and customer relationships unfold and flourish in four distinct moments of truth. Solis is also the author of The End of Business as Usual and Engage.
Andrew Stevens
creative director and co-founder, We Came in Peace
Andrew Stevens is the creative director and co-founder of We Came in Peace, an experiential design and production agency that builds connective spaces and experiential campaigns. We Came in Peace has produced temporary environments and experiential campaigns for brands such as Toyota, Interview magazine, Roberto Cavalli, Virgin Mobile, Condé Nast, and Nike. As designers and storytellers, WCIP builds immersive worlds and invites guests to create the narratives. Past work includes art installations, pop-up shops, branded environments, fashion showrooms, event design, and production for the some of the most high-profile happenings around the country.
Bronson van Wyck
founder, Van Wyck & Van Wyck
Bronson van Wyck is one of the world’s leading authorities on hospitality, celebrated for a style of entertaining that combines wit and sophistication with the gracious warmth of his Southern upbringing. He graduated from Yale with a degree in history and went to the State Department as a protocol aide to Ambassador Pamela Harriman in Paris before heading to Hollywood to design and decorate sets. He and his mother, Mary Lynn, founded Van Wyck & Van Wyck, which has grown into one of the country’s premier event design and production houses. He has worked with Presidents Obama, Vera Wang, Beyoncé, Chanel, and Salvatore Ferragamo. The award-winning van Wyck is a founding member of the Friends of the High Line and contributes to various other charitable organizations.