In an industry that’s constantly in flux—with a steady stream of style trends, technological developments, and new ideas—staying ahead of the curve is difficult, but required. Here are the event professionals who rise to that challenge. They use events to advance business goals, they delight guests in unexpected ways, and they move the industry forward.
![Innovative Coverboxes Final2png](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/03/innovative_coverboxes_final2png.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Photos: Dan Hallman for BizBash
Noelle Provencial
![Noelle Provencial](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/03/noelle245png.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Experiential marketing and events manager, Groupon, Chicago, 28
To-do list: Provencial manages all of Groupon’s experiential marketing and events in North America. Her projects have included a 1,500-guest hangover brunch at South by Southwest in Austin in 2011 and hometown holiday parties for more than 3,000 employees.
Claim to fame: Provencial stages massive, quirky, press-friendly events, including an 8,500-guest screening of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off on Wrigley Field in October 2011 for the film's 25th anniversary. “People were allowed to come and sit on the uncovered field and watch the movie on three jumbo screens facing the outfield.”
Up next: An urban adventure that sets the fun of summer camp against a big-city backdrop. “With Camp Groupon, we hope to take the standard event expectations—a two- to three-hour experience in a single space—and transform it into something that can last for days, is full of surprise and delight, and is affordable to people of all ages.”
To-do list: Provencial manages all of Groupon’s experiential marketing and events in North America. Her projects have included a 1,500-guest hangover brunch at South by Southwest in Austin in 2011 and hometown holiday parties for more than 3,000 employees.
Claim to fame: Provencial stages massive, quirky, press-friendly events, including an 8,500-guest screening of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off on Wrigley Field in October 2011 for the film's 25th anniversary. “People were allowed to come and sit on the uncovered field and watch the movie on three jumbo screens facing the outfield.”
Up next: An urban adventure that sets the fun of summer camp against a big-city backdrop. “With Camp Groupon, we hope to take the standard event expectations—a two- to three-hour experience in a single space—and transform it into something that can last for days, is full of surprise and delight, and is affordable to people of all ages.”
Photo: Dan Hallman for BizBash
Billy Melnyk
![Billy Melnyk](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/03/billy072png.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Experiential/digital marketing manager, Bacardi, Miami, 39
Claim to fame: Melnyk introduced the award-winning event series Bacardi Like It Live, a collaboration with Facebook where all event elements were selected by consumers’ “likes' on the social-media site. “Consumers were surprised to see artists like Kid Cudi and Cee Lo Green playing in a venue that also held areas where they could play basketball with N.B.A. legends.”
Launchpad: “In my 20s, my business partner and I produced a series of traveling music events called ‘Sweet’ that moved to unique venues across Canada. Prior to email and social media, it was all about word-of-mouth—and producing unique events really drew our attendance higher than we imagined.”
Major life goal: “I want to own an art gallery with friends and execute public art projects.”
On Twitter: @billymelnyk
Claim to fame: Melnyk introduced the award-winning event series Bacardi Like It Live, a collaboration with Facebook where all event elements were selected by consumers’ “likes' on the social-media site. “Consumers were surprised to see artists like Kid Cudi and Cee Lo Green playing in a venue that also held areas where they could play basketball with N.B.A. legends.”
Launchpad: “In my 20s, my business partner and I produced a series of traveling music events called ‘Sweet’ that moved to unique venues across Canada. Prior to email and social media, it was all about word-of-mouth—and producing unique events really drew our attendance higher than we imagined.”
Major life goal: “I want to own an art gallery with friends and execute public art projects.”
On Twitter: @billymelnyk
Photo: Dan Hallman for BizBash
Tomiko Iwata
![Tomiko Iwata](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/03/tomiko138png.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Senior vice president of Creative Services Group, Fox Broadcasting Company, Los Angeles
Launchpad: Iwata began her career at Parties Plus, one of the first full-service catering and event production companies in town.
Work philosophy: “Surround yourself with people who are smarter than you.”
Big innovation: A commitment to truly green events, beyond the standard lip service, including an environmentally friendly Emmy arrivals setup. Iwata’s group partnered with environmental organization Global Inheritance to produce the Teen Choice awards, where riders pedaled bikes to produce kinetic energy that was converted to electricity and pumped into the grid for five days before the show. “It is possible to hold an eco-friendly event without a rainforest motif or a green color scheme.”
Hidden talent: “Putting together a great team. I have seven of the most talented people in the industry on my team.”
Mentor: “The late Toby Cox [one of the four original partners of Parties Plus]. He always treated people with equal respect and never lost his sense of humor, even in the most stressful situations.”
On Twitter: @tomikoiwata
Launchpad: Iwata began her career at Parties Plus, one of the first full-service catering and event production companies in town.
Work philosophy: “Surround yourself with people who are smarter than you.”
Big innovation: A commitment to truly green events, beyond the standard lip service, including an environmentally friendly Emmy arrivals setup. Iwata’s group partnered with environmental organization Global Inheritance to produce the Teen Choice awards, where riders pedaled bikes to produce kinetic energy that was converted to electricity and pumped into the grid for five days before the show. “It is possible to hold an eco-friendly event without a rainforest motif or a green color scheme.”
Hidden talent: “Putting together a great team. I have seven of the most talented people in the industry on my team.”
Mentor: “The late Toby Cox [one of the four original partners of Parties Plus]. He always treated people with equal respect and never lost his sense of humor, even in the most stressful situations.”
On Twitter: @tomikoiwata
Photo: Dan Hallman for BizBash
Tom McPhillips, Mike Rhoads
![Tom McPhillips, Mike Rhoads](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/03/tom_mike_1092png.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Creative director, 60; and senior designer, 46; Studio 10A, Lititz, Pennsylvania
Launchpad: McPhillips first got a taste for creating theatrical stages as a design assistant at the Young Vic Theatre in London and later founded Atomic Design in 1993. Rhoads joined the Pennsylvania-based production company six years later, starting as a scenic artist before segueing into art direction and design. In 2010, the duo partnered to launch independent scenic design shop Studio 10A, which has since tackled large projects for concerts, televised award specials, and the White House tree-lighting ceremony.
Claim to fame: Among the firm’s many projects last year, the scenery for the TBS/TNT upfront and the Soul Train Awards were distinguished by the seamless integration of video content with a structural set design. The former, conceived by Rhoads, saw New York’s Hammerstein Ballroom transformed by curving video projection panels that created a “complete wraparound environment, so that the audience became part of the set,” says Rhoads. McPhillips oversaw the look for the musical honors show, configuring the visual content played on screens to match a stage that slid and folded to form a different backdrop for each act.
Style signature: “Versatility. I’d like to think the show dictates the style. I can be baroque when needed and minimalist as well,” Rhoads says.
Major life goal: “Never having to accept that my best work is behind me,” McPhillips says.
Launchpad: McPhillips first got a taste for creating theatrical stages as a design assistant at the Young Vic Theatre in London and later founded Atomic Design in 1993. Rhoads joined the Pennsylvania-based production company six years later, starting as a scenic artist before segueing into art direction and design. In 2010, the duo partnered to launch independent scenic design shop Studio 10A, which has since tackled large projects for concerts, televised award specials, and the White House tree-lighting ceremony.
Claim to fame: Among the firm’s many projects last year, the scenery for the TBS/TNT upfront and the Soul Train Awards were distinguished by the seamless integration of video content with a structural set design. The former, conceived by Rhoads, saw New York’s Hammerstein Ballroom transformed by curving video projection panels that created a “complete wraparound environment, so that the audience became part of the set,” says Rhoads. McPhillips oversaw the look for the musical honors show, configuring the visual content played on screens to match a stage that slid and folded to form a different backdrop for each act.
Style signature: “Versatility. I’d like to think the show dictates the style. I can be baroque when needed and minimalist as well,” Rhoads says.
Major life goal: “Never having to accept that my best work is behind me,” McPhillips says.
Photo: Dan Hallman for BizBash
Alexandra Shapiro
![Alexandra Shapiro](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/03/alexandra_436png.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Senior vice president of brand marketing and digital, USA Network, New York
Claim to fame: Shapiro joined USA Network in 2001 and develops highly visible and somewhat unconventional public campaigns that are closely aligned with the brand’s “Characters Welcome” tagline. She has helped the network stand out—and top the cable ratings for more than five years—through efforts like the Characters Approved awards and last year’s upfront that used talent instead of executives to introduce programming.
Big innovation: As part of its ongoing initiative called the Character Project, USA partnered with directors Ridley and Tony Scott to commission eight shorts. Then, Shapiro and her team developed 18-seat screening venues inside old shipping containers. “The intimate way of watching the films created a dialogue that might never have happened if someone had seen it privately in their home or in a movie theater.”
Quick tip: “Never underestimate the power, the halo effect that the right partner can have on your brand—it’s priceless.”
Claim to fame: Shapiro joined USA Network in 2001 and develops highly visible and somewhat unconventional public campaigns that are closely aligned with the brand’s “Characters Welcome” tagline. She has helped the network stand out—and top the cable ratings for more than five years—through efforts like the Characters Approved awards and last year’s upfront that used talent instead of executives to introduce programming.
Big innovation: As part of its ongoing initiative called the Character Project, USA partnered with directors Ridley and Tony Scott to commission eight shorts. Then, Shapiro and her team developed 18-seat screening venues inside old shipping containers. “The intimate way of watching the films created a dialogue that might never have happened if someone had seen it privately in their home or in a movie theater.”
Quick tip: “Never underestimate the power, the halo effect that the right partner can have on your brand—it’s priceless.”
Photo: Dan Hallman for BizBash
Tom Kehoe
![Tom Kehoe](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/03/tom094png.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
President, Kehoe Designs, Chicago, 44
Claim to fame: “Conceptualizing environments. I don’t just create themes; I create experiences.” With “unreservedly haute” as his company’s tagline, Kehoe creates luxurious, immersive environmentsat events for prestigious charities, high-profile fashion clients, and corporate groups.
2011 highlights: The Peninsula Chicago’s massive 10th anniversary celebration in June, which sprawled across all the hotel’s public spaces, with themes ranging from Paris in the future to China in the 1920s. Kehoe also designed last year’s 10th anniversary party for local fashion retailer Ikram with a gothic-disco look.
Childhood dream job: Owning a country club.
On Twitter: @kehoedesigns
Claim to fame: “Conceptualizing environments. I don’t just create themes; I create experiences.” With “unreservedly haute” as his company’s tagline, Kehoe creates luxurious, immersive environmentsat events for prestigious charities, high-profile fashion clients, and corporate groups.
2011 highlights: The Peninsula Chicago’s massive 10th anniversary celebration in June, which sprawled across all the hotel’s public spaces, with themes ranging from Paris in the future to China in the 1920s. Kehoe also designed last year’s 10th anniversary party for local fashion retailer Ikram with a gothic-disco look.
Childhood dream job: Owning a country club.
On Twitter: @kehoedesigns
Photo: Dan Hallman for BizBash
Alison Bossert
![Alison Bossert](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/03/alison055png.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Senior vice president, special events, Sony Pictures Worldwide Marketing & Distribution, Culver City, California, 44
Big innovation: Recognizing the need for premieres to stand out amid the crowded event landscape. Bossert’s team creates “camera candy—that set design that makes your red carpet so unique, the press eats it up.” Past work has included a recreated subway station, including a real New York City subway car for The Taking of Pelham 123, and crystal-clad acrobats hanging from chandeliers above the carpet at Michael Jackson's This Is It premiere.
Claim to fame: The premiere for The Da Vinci Code. "We built a 10-story pyramid in Cannes harbor."
Career highlight: The 2011 premiere for Moneyball, which brought an A-list crowd to Oakland and recreated a baseball field in a parking lot.
Quick tip: "Before booking a venue, check the restrooms. Their cleanliness, or lack thereof, is a good indication of how the kitchen is kept."
Big innovation: Recognizing the need for premieres to stand out amid the crowded event landscape. Bossert’s team creates “camera candy—that set design that makes your red carpet so unique, the press eats it up.” Past work has included a recreated subway station, including a real New York City subway car for The Taking of Pelham 123, and crystal-clad acrobats hanging from chandeliers above the carpet at Michael Jackson's This Is It premiere.
Claim to fame: The premiere for The Da Vinci Code. "We built a 10-story pyramid in Cannes harbor."
Career highlight: The 2011 premiere for Moneyball, which brought an A-list crowd to Oakland and recreated a baseball field in a parking lot.
Quick tip: "Before booking a venue, check the restrooms. Their cleanliness, or lack thereof, is a good indication of how the kitchen is kept."
Photo: Dan Hallman for BizBash
Jonathan Murnane
![Jonathan Murnane](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/03/jonathan019png.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Event director, Activision, Santa Monica, California, 37
Launchpad: Murnane started with the video game company in 1999, helping with E3. In between, he managed other events for the brand that grew in size and scale over the years.
Claim to fame: Activision’s Call of Duty XP launch event over Labor Day weekend 2011. The massive event took over a 12-acre compound in Playa Vista, drawing more than 10,000 gamers for the debut of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3’s multiplayer mode—more than a month before the game’s official launch. “Nothing I had ever done could have prepared me for such a huge undertaking.”
Career highlight: The overwhelmingly positive response to Call of Duty XP. “I spent the day after the event lying in bed and reading comments on Twitter and Facebook. I couldn’t stop smiling.”
Work philosophy: “Every project I’ve ever been involved with has been a fast-moving train. My job is to keep the train on the tracks. The key is to have the most talented people working on what they do best and to know when to push them and when to get out of their way.”
Quick tip: “Stay true to the core of your product. That, and if you really believe in something, be prepared to fight for it.”
Launchpad: Murnane started with the video game company in 1999, helping with E3. In between, he managed other events for the brand that grew in size and scale over the years.
Claim to fame: Activision’s Call of Duty XP launch event over Labor Day weekend 2011. The massive event took over a 12-acre compound in Playa Vista, drawing more than 10,000 gamers for the debut of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3’s multiplayer mode—more than a month before the game’s official launch. “Nothing I had ever done could have prepared me for such a huge undertaking.”
Career highlight: The overwhelmingly positive response to Call of Duty XP. “I spent the day after the event lying in bed and reading comments on Twitter and Facebook. I couldn’t stop smiling.”
Work philosophy: “Every project I’ve ever been involved with has been a fast-moving train. My job is to keep the train on the tracks. The key is to have the most talented people working on what they do best and to know when to push them and when to get out of their way.”
Quick tip: “Stay true to the core of your product. That, and if you really believe in something, be prepared to fight for it.”
Photo: Dan Hallman for BizBash
Rachel Gross
![Rachel Gross](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/03/rachel_1129png.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Vice president of corporate events and community relations, AOL, New York
Launchpad: She may have dreamed of being a cheerleader for the Dallas Cowboys, but experience with a family wedding business and jobs as a nonprofit event manager and conference planner for a telecommunications company brought Gross into corporate events. With AOL for nearly nine years, the team-oriented planner and her crew of 10 oversee more than 200 events and promotions, including the digital company’s sponsorship of AdWeek.
Big innovation: Attending a session at the 2011 Meeting Professionals International’s World Education Congress proved to be a defining moment, after which Gross decided to commit to a corporate sustainability policy that would be used by vendors throughout the planning, execution, and breakdown of her events. “It’s not just calling your event sustainable, but actually digging in and taking the tactical steps in each area of your event planning to really make a difference.” This approach was first implemented in the October Huffington Post Game Changers party, where discarded electronic parts provided decor and were later recycled, and the items on the catering menu were sourced locally and leftovers composted.
Work philosophy: “Assemble the best team and execute, execute, execute. We only win as a team.”
Hidden talent: “Baton twirling or tying the perfect bow.”
On Twitter: @racheljgross
Launchpad: She may have dreamed of being a cheerleader for the Dallas Cowboys, but experience with a family wedding business and jobs as a nonprofit event manager and conference planner for a telecommunications company brought Gross into corporate events. With AOL for nearly nine years, the team-oriented planner and her crew of 10 oversee more than 200 events and promotions, including the digital company’s sponsorship of AdWeek.
Big innovation: Attending a session at the 2011 Meeting Professionals International’s World Education Congress proved to be a defining moment, after which Gross decided to commit to a corporate sustainability policy that would be used by vendors throughout the planning, execution, and breakdown of her events. “It’s not just calling your event sustainable, but actually digging in and taking the tactical steps in each area of your event planning to really make a difference.” This approach was first implemented in the October Huffington Post Game Changers party, where discarded electronic parts provided decor and were later recycled, and the items on the catering menu were sourced locally and leftovers composted.
Work philosophy: “Assemble the best team and execute, execute, execute. We only win as a team.”
Hidden talent: “Baton twirling or tying the perfect bow.”
On Twitter: @racheljgross
Photo: Dan Hallman for BizBash
Jeff Kaplan
![Jeff Kaplan](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/03/jeff032png.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Vice president of global events, Discovery Communications, Silver Spring, Maryland
Launchpad: Kaplan got his start in sports operations before landing at Discovery Communications.
Claim to fame: He now oversees a team of nine people, executing public-facing promotions and B-to-B events for the entertainment company’s various brands. This includes annual fan fest CatchCon for the Discovery Channel’s Deadliest Catch show and Discovery's upfront presentations. For the royal wedding last year, his crew built a 1,000-person viewing party in Times Square that also included three weddings, a fashion show, and a concert. “We are entrusted to protect the brands in an experiential setting. I don’t take that responsibility lightly.”
Career highlight: “Bringing the premiere of Life to the the Getty Museum where the Los Angeles Philharmonic orchestra played live to the most amazing content you have ever seen. Then we took the show to Alice Tully Hall, with the New York Pops playing live.”
Major life goal: “To have someone explain the ‘work-life balance’ to me in terms I can understand and, more importantly, utilize.”
Launchpad: Kaplan got his start in sports operations before landing at Discovery Communications.
Claim to fame: He now oversees a team of nine people, executing public-facing promotions and B-to-B events for the entertainment company’s various brands. This includes annual fan fest CatchCon for the Discovery Channel’s Deadliest Catch show and Discovery's upfront presentations. For the royal wedding last year, his crew built a 1,000-person viewing party in Times Square that also included three weddings, a fashion show, and a concert. “We are entrusted to protect the brands in an experiential setting. I don’t take that responsibility lightly.”
Career highlight: “Bringing the premiere of Life to the the Getty Museum where the Los Angeles Philharmonic orchestra played live to the most amazing content you have ever seen. Then we took the show to Alice Tully Hall, with the New York Pops playing live.”
Major life goal: “To have someone explain the ‘work-life balance’ to me in terms I can understand and, more importantly, utilize.”
Photo: Dan Hallman for BizBash
Tara de Nicolas
![Tara de Nicolas](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/03/tara052png.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Executive director, Fashion for Paws, Washington, 31
Claim to fame: Launched by de Nicolas, Fashion for Paws is a fashion show and fund-raiser that benefits the Washington Humane Society. Its debut in 2007 raised $70,000; last year’s event raised $524,000, and the 2012 goal is $625,000. In total, the event has generated $1.5 million.
Big innovation: “The standard gala and methods of fund-raising are not necessarily the way to successfully raise funds and PR attention in the economic climate of today. Creating a unique fund-raiser—representative of the mission of the organization—that allows supporters a new way to donate and gives media a different story to tell is the brightest way to stand out and raise revenue yearly.”
Mentor: “[Documentary filmmaker and environmentalist] Philippe Cousteau, who fully embodies the notion of doing work to make a positive difference in the world. He has been a constant sounding board for me, giving concrete advice along the way.”
Up next: While continuing at Fashion for Paws full-time, de Nicolas will attend Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business to receive a master’s degree in leadership.
On Twitter: @TdeNicolas
Claim to fame: Launched by de Nicolas, Fashion for Paws is a fashion show and fund-raiser that benefits the Washington Humane Society. Its debut in 2007 raised $70,000; last year’s event raised $524,000, and the 2012 goal is $625,000. In total, the event has generated $1.5 million.
Big innovation: “The standard gala and methods of fund-raising are not necessarily the way to successfully raise funds and PR attention in the economic climate of today. Creating a unique fund-raiser—representative of the mission of the organization—that allows supporters a new way to donate and gives media a different story to tell is the brightest way to stand out and raise revenue yearly.”
Mentor: “[Documentary filmmaker and environmentalist] Philippe Cousteau, who fully embodies the notion of doing work to make a positive difference in the world. He has been a constant sounding board for me, giving concrete advice along the way.”
Up next: While continuing at Fashion for Paws full-time, de Nicolas will attend Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business to receive a master’s degree in leadership.
On Twitter: @TdeNicolas
Photo: Dan Hallman for BizBash
Talia Mashiach
![Talia Mashiach](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/03/talia074png.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Founder and C.E.O., Eved, Chicago, 34
Big innovation: Mashiach launched Eved in 2010 as a comprehensive sourcing, marketing, and e-commerce solution that allows buyers, sellers, and resellers in the meetings and event industry to interact and transact online. Post-event surveys provide insight into service quality. The company now has more than 2,500 users, including hotels, venues, suppliers, event planners, and destination management companies.
Up next: In 2011 Mashiach secured more than $9.5 million in financing to expand Eved’s services and make the interface faster and easier to use.
Quick tip: “The toughest challenges teach you the most. Focus on the fact that you will get through it and learn from it.”
Major life goal: “For my children to carry on the values we have taught them, and to ring the opening bell on the NASDAQ when Eved goes public.”
On Twitter: @TaliaEvedCEO
Big innovation: Mashiach launched Eved in 2010 as a comprehensive sourcing, marketing, and e-commerce solution that allows buyers, sellers, and resellers in the meetings and event industry to interact and transact online. Post-event surveys provide insight into service quality. The company now has more than 2,500 users, including hotels, venues, suppliers, event planners, and destination management companies.
Up next: In 2011 Mashiach secured more than $9.5 million in financing to expand Eved’s services and make the interface faster and easier to use.
Quick tip: “The toughest challenges teach you the most. Focus on the fact that you will get through it and learn from it.”
Major life goal: “For my children to carry on the values we have taught them, and to ring the opening bell on the NASDAQ when Eved goes public.”
On Twitter: @TaliaEvedCEO
Photo: Dan Hallman for BizBash
Mary Pat Heftman
![Mary Pat Heftman](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/03/mary040png.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Executive vice president, convention, National Restaurant Association, Chicago, 48
Claim to fame: Heftman oversees the N.R.A. Hotel-Motel Show, known as the largest food and beverage trade show in North and South America—with an average of 58,000 registrants each year—and the co-located International Wine, Spirits & Beer Event.
Big idea: In 2011, the N.R.A. show became the first global trade show to launch a group buying service. Powered by Chicago-based Bizy, the service allowed buyers to purchase deeply discounted deals online and fulfill them on the exhibit floor—reinforcing the value of being at the show.
Up next: The 2012 shows will include a keynote presentation from Bill Clinton and a new Restaurant Operators Innovations award program.
Best place to get inspired: “Face-to-face events.”
Claim to fame: Heftman oversees the N.R.A. Hotel-Motel Show, known as the largest food and beverage trade show in North and South America—with an average of 58,000 registrants each year—and the co-located International Wine, Spirits & Beer Event.
Big idea: In 2011, the N.R.A. show became the first global trade show to launch a group buying service. Powered by Chicago-based Bizy, the service allowed buyers to purchase deeply discounted deals online and fulfill them on the exhibit floor—reinforcing the value of being at the show.
Up next: The 2012 shows will include a keynote presentation from Bill Clinton and a new Restaurant Operators Innovations award program.
Best place to get inspired: “Face-to-face events.”
Photo: Dan Hallman for BizBash
Shai Tertner
![Shai Tertner](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/03/shai056png.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
President and event designer, Shiraz Events, New York, Miami, and Los Angeles, 37
Launchpad: After helping an ex-boyfriend launch an event staffing company in 2001 in New York (the ex quit after three weeks), Tertner took over and turned it into a catering company, later adding production and design departments and building a reputation for supplying more than just pretty servers. He added a Miami branch with partner Yaniv Cohen in 2005, winning contracts for Art Basel, and opened an L.A. office in 2011.
Claim to fame: Tertner has worked with clients including Dior, Bentley, Ferrari, and Microsoft, offering food in striking presentations, like a menu inspired by a stuffed Everglades alligator created for Art Basel’s anniversary in 2011.
Work philosophy: “I try to truly get into my clients’ heads and understand how they are thinking, what their goals are, and paint the vision that I have in my mind afterwards. My path is full of learning. I can always do better, grow, and I make sure to feed that appetite in me: travel, see, feel, taste, read, and sometimes just be still and let the inspiration come to me.”
Style signature: “Modern, clean, sophisticated, finished.”
On Twitter: @shaitertner, @shirazevents
Launchpad: After helping an ex-boyfriend launch an event staffing company in 2001 in New York (the ex quit after three weeks), Tertner took over and turned it into a catering company, later adding production and design departments and building a reputation for supplying more than just pretty servers. He added a Miami branch with partner Yaniv Cohen in 2005, winning contracts for Art Basel, and opened an L.A. office in 2011.
Claim to fame: Tertner has worked with clients including Dior, Bentley, Ferrari, and Microsoft, offering food in striking presentations, like a menu inspired by a stuffed Everglades alligator created for Art Basel’s anniversary in 2011.
Work philosophy: “I try to truly get into my clients’ heads and understand how they are thinking, what their goals are, and paint the vision that I have in my mind afterwards. My path is full of learning. I can always do better, grow, and I make sure to feed that appetite in me: travel, see, feel, taste, read, and sometimes just be still and let the inspiration come to me.”
Style signature: “Modern, clean, sophisticated, finished.”
On Twitter: @shaitertner, @shirazevents
Photo: Dan Hallman for BizBash
Serge Hunkins
![Serge Hunkins](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/03/serge_049png.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
President, Kadan Productions, Secaucus, New Jersey, 46
Claim to fame: Since purchasing Kadan Productions from the retiring owner in 2009, Hunkins has propelled the company into a highly sought-after set design and fabrication shop. When fashion heavyweights like Ralph Lauren and Donna Karan want dramatic sets for their shows, they turn to Hunkins, whose firm works on some 280 events a year.
Childhood dream job: “Marine biologist—until I touched my first fish.”
Big innovation: Aside from manufacturing one of the world’s largest mechanized, curved-center gold lamé curtains for the September 2011 Marc Jacobs show, Hunkins’ team was tasked with the 12-day build of the Versace for H&M event in November. Consisting of five separate and elaborately designed rooms the 700-person affair in New York involved a monumental amount of fabrication, including hundreds of custom architectural moldings, countless mirrored glass walls, and yards of dye sublimation large-format printing.
Claim to fame: Since purchasing Kadan Productions from the retiring owner in 2009, Hunkins has propelled the company into a highly sought-after set design and fabrication shop. When fashion heavyweights like Ralph Lauren and Donna Karan want dramatic sets for their shows, they turn to Hunkins, whose firm works on some 280 events a year.
Childhood dream job: “Marine biologist—until I touched my first fish.”
Big innovation: Aside from manufacturing one of the world’s largest mechanized, curved-center gold lamé curtains for the September 2011 Marc Jacobs show, Hunkins’ team was tasked with the 12-day build of the Versace for H&M event in November. Consisting of five separate and elaborately designed rooms the 700-person affair in New York involved a monumental amount of fabrication, including hundreds of custom architectural moldings, countless mirrored glass walls, and yards of dye sublimation large-format printing.
Photo: Dan Hallman for BizBash
Myron Wolman, Sandi Hoffman
![Myron Wolman, Sandi Hoffman](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/03/sandimyron063png.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Design director, 28; owner, 58; Sandi Hoffman Special Events, Washington
Launchpad: Producing grand galas and fund-raisers throughout the ’80s and ’90s, Hoffman made it official in 2006 and launched her eponymous company. She’s gone on to helm the past four Opera Balls and regularly produces some 60 annual events in Washington and beyond. After Wolman launched his own interior design firm at age 18 while still in college and worked on more than 60 residential and commercial jobs in South Florida, he joined his longtime friend and collaborator Hoffman at her firm in 2011.
Dynamic duo: “I’m a 28-year-old gay interior designer from Miami Beach. Sandi’s a middle-aged event legend in Washington,” Wolman says. “Together we produce events that are timeless and trained but break the mold and are unconventional.”
Style signature: “No matter how large the event, I prefer cozy configurations of space, with small seating nooks and even smaller dance floors,” Hoffman says. “This ensures there are no dead spots. A guest is always in the middle of the action, regardless of where they are in the room.”
Design philosophy: “After my designs were described as a mix between Dr. Seuss, Willy Wonka, and Alice in Wonderland, I realized my design philosophy is to dream big and design even bigger,” Wolman says. “Take the laser show at last year’s Opera Ball,” Hoffman says. “Most planners would have done pagodas and lanterns, but I wanted to focus on technology and to mirror how modern the [chancery of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China] was.”
Best place to get inspired: “Everywhere,” says Hoffman. “Once, while driving down Dixie Highway outside of Palm
Launchpad: Producing grand galas and fund-raisers throughout the ’80s and ’90s, Hoffman made it official in 2006 and launched her eponymous company. She’s gone on to helm the past four Opera Balls and regularly produces some 60 annual events in Washington and beyond. After Wolman launched his own interior design firm at age 18 while still in college and worked on more than 60 residential and commercial jobs in South Florida, he joined his longtime friend and collaborator Hoffman at her firm in 2011.
Dynamic duo: “I’m a 28-year-old gay interior designer from Miami Beach. Sandi’s a middle-aged event legend in Washington,” Wolman says. “Together we produce events that are timeless and trained but break the mold and are unconventional.”
Style signature: “No matter how large the event, I prefer cozy configurations of space, with small seating nooks and even smaller dance floors,” Hoffman says. “This ensures there are no dead spots. A guest is always in the middle of the action, regardless of where they are in the room.”
Design philosophy: “After my designs were described as a mix between Dr. Seuss, Willy Wonka, and Alice in Wonderland, I realized my design philosophy is to dream big and design even bigger,” Wolman says. “Take the laser show at last year’s Opera Ball,” Hoffman says. “Most planners would have done pagodas and lanterns, but I wanted to focus on technology and to mirror how modern the [chancery of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China] was.”
Best place to get inspired: “Everywhere,” says Hoffman. “Once, while driving down Dixie Highway outside of Palm
Photo: Dan Hallman for BizBash
Ryan Costello
![Ryan Costello](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/03/ryan034png.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
C.E.O., Event Farm, Washington, 32
Launchpad: Costello co-founded event production firm Volta Live shortly after graduating from Georgetown University. In 2007, the company developed its own software to handle ticketing and guest registration for its events when it couldn’t find anything on the market to meet its needs. Gradually others started asking if they could borrow the software, so in January 2011 Costello launched Event Farm.
Career highlight: “Attracting the most amazing list of clients in our first 12 months and working with inspiring, creative event producers.” Clients include Facebook, Hermès, People magazine, and Bentley, for whom Event Farm designed an elegant registration page for a driving event in Pebble Beach, California.
Up next: “The new launch of our software platform will accommodate assigned seating to handle events being held in seated environments—charity dinners, award shows in theaters, music venues, etc.”
Work philosophy: “The best things come to the people that do. Persistence and enthusiasm can make anything happen.”
Hidden talent: International sailing.
Typical day: “Inspired, passionate chaos.”
On Twitter: @eventfarmhand
Launchpad: Costello co-founded event production firm Volta Live shortly after graduating from Georgetown University. In 2007, the company developed its own software to handle ticketing and guest registration for its events when it couldn’t find anything on the market to meet its needs. Gradually others started asking if they could borrow the software, so in January 2011 Costello launched Event Farm.
Career highlight: “Attracting the most amazing list of clients in our first 12 months and working with inspiring, creative event producers.” Clients include Facebook, Hermès, People magazine, and Bentley, for whom Event Farm designed an elegant registration page for a driving event in Pebble Beach, California.
Up next: “The new launch of our software platform will accommodate assigned seating to handle events being held in seated environments—charity dinners, award shows in theaters, music venues, etc.”
Work philosophy: “The best things come to the people that do. Persistence and enthusiasm can make anything happen.”
Hidden talent: International sailing.
Typical day: “Inspired, passionate chaos.”
On Twitter: @eventfarmhand
Photo: Dan Hallman for BizBash
Rrivre Davies
![Rrivre Davies](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/03/rrivre064png.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
C.E.O. and founder-designer, Rrivre Works Inc., Los Angeles, 45
Launchpad: Doing floral design, food styling, and prop work for film and TV. “A friend suggested I come to a meeting to talk with some planners about designing the buffets for an event. But there was a miscommunication. They actually needed an event designer, and it was for the West Coast premiere of Pocahontas.”
Big innovation: Being a designer and manufacturer. His team creates unique furniture, props, and decor pieces, 90 percent of which are made in Rrivre Works’ local workshop. “I am particularly proud that we make most of our inventory in-house and can control both the design and quality of our pieces.”
Claim to fame: Celebrity weddings (including nuptials for a couple of Kardashians) and luxury events.
Design philosophy: “Beauty and function both can win.”
Up next: Opening a photo studio, which he bills as the first in L.A. with a prop house and design studio attached.
On Twitter: @rrivreworks
Launchpad: Doing floral design, food styling, and prop work for film and TV. “A friend suggested I come to a meeting to talk with some planners about designing the buffets for an event. But there was a miscommunication. They actually needed an event designer, and it was for the West Coast premiere of Pocahontas.”
Big innovation: Being a designer and manufacturer. His team creates unique furniture, props, and decor pieces, 90 percent of which are made in Rrivre Works’ local workshop. “I am particularly proud that we make most of our inventory in-house and can control both the design and quality of our pieces.”
Claim to fame: Celebrity weddings (including nuptials for a couple of Kardashians) and luxury events.
Design philosophy: “Beauty and function both can win.”
Up next: Opening a photo studio, which he bills as the first in L.A. with a prop house and design studio attached.
On Twitter: @rrivreworks
Photo: Dan Hallman for BizBash
Roy Choi
![Roy Choi](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/03/roychoi075png.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Executive chef, Kogi BBQ, Los Angeles, 41
Launchpad: Choi started out as a prep cook in high school.
Claim to fame: As the man behind the Kogi BBQ taco, Choi is a pioneer of the food-truck movement that changed the landscape of event catering. His food fuses the traditions of multiple local ethnic cuisines to create a new, decidedly L.A. taste.
2011 highlight: Choi took to the studios at Paramount as host of the “Taco Tequila Tryst” as part of “The Taste” at the Los Angeles Times and Food & Wine festival in September.
Career highlight: Becoming the chef de cuisine at the Beverly Hilton in 2007.
Style signature: “Ghetto fabulous.”
Work philosophy: “Check everything.”
Big innovation: “High food at low prices, low food at high levels [of quality].”
Quick tip: “Care about each guest.”
Best place to get inspired: Venice Beach, California.
On Twitter: @kogibbq
Launchpad: Choi started out as a prep cook in high school.
Claim to fame: As the man behind the Kogi BBQ taco, Choi is a pioneer of the food-truck movement that changed the landscape of event catering. His food fuses the traditions of multiple local ethnic cuisines to create a new, decidedly L.A. taste.
2011 highlight: Choi took to the studios at Paramount as host of the “Taco Tequila Tryst” as part of “The Taste” at the Los Angeles Times and Food & Wine festival in September.
Career highlight: Becoming the chef de cuisine at the Beverly Hilton in 2007.
Style signature: “Ghetto fabulous.”
Work philosophy: “Check everything.”
Big innovation: “High food at low prices, low food at high levels [of quality].”
Quick tip: “Care about each guest.”
Best place to get inspired: Venice Beach, California.
On Twitter: @kogibbq
Photo: Dan Hallman for BizBash
Robert Gilbert
![Robert Gilbert](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/03/robert022png.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Executive chef of special events and catering operations, Walt Disney World Resort, Orlando, 39
Claim to fame: Gilbert is credited with changing the food culture at Walt Disney World, creating a focus on fresh, well-balanced offerings, with much of the produce and seafood coming from the Land Pavilion inside Epcot or from local farms. Gilbert has also developed innovative presentation styles, such as rolling steampunk-style carts crafted from recycled metal to serve hors d’oeuvres and desserts at a party for Meeting Planners International’s World Education Congress in July.
Big innovation: “If you can’t bring thousands of guests into your kitchen, bring your kitchens to them.” Gilbert created 100 satellite kitchens inside Epcot’s World Show Place for a culinary challenge for 3,000 guests from PricewaterhouseCoopers in May. Groups of 10 worked with a chef to learn culinary skills that they then used to prepare their dinners.
Up next: Disney is moving away from standard catering menus and engaging its chefs in the development of events.
On Twitter: @DisneyExecChef
Claim to fame: Gilbert is credited with changing the food culture at Walt Disney World, creating a focus on fresh, well-balanced offerings, with much of the produce and seafood coming from the Land Pavilion inside Epcot or from local farms. Gilbert has also developed innovative presentation styles, such as rolling steampunk-style carts crafted from recycled metal to serve hors d’oeuvres and desserts at a party for Meeting Planners International’s World Education Congress in July.
Big innovation: “If you can’t bring thousands of guests into your kitchen, bring your kitchens to them.” Gilbert created 100 satellite kitchens inside Epcot’s World Show Place for a culinary challenge for 3,000 guests from PricewaterhouseCoopers in May. Groups of 10 worked with a chef to learn culinary skills that they then used to prepare their dinners.
Up next: Disney is moving away from standard catering menus and engaging its chefs in the development of events.
On Twitter: @DisneyExecChef
Photo: Dan Hallman for BizBash
Nick D'Annunzio
![Nick D'Annunzio](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/03/nick019png.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Principal, Tara, Ink., Miami, 39
Launchpad: After working with Estée Lauder and Aveda, D’Annunzio started Tara, Ink. with partner (and fiancée) Tara Solomon. The full-service PR and event production company has worked with Arden B., Louis Vuitton, and Art Basel to stage over-the-top marketing stunts and events, like an Andy Warhol flash mob during Interview magazine’s Art Basel party.
Claim to fame: “Our agency was an instrumental part of making Cadillac cool again, helping to create a guerrilla campaign in L.A., Miami, New York, Dallas, and Atlanta. We paired the new models with all the best hotels, restaurants, and nightclubs, in addition to lending cars to celebs and offering car and driver service to V.I.P.s and tastemakers in each city.”
Big innovation: In order to work with clients “rich in ideas, but poor in pocket,” D’Annunzio developed Fresh Ink., a program to help emerging talent in fashion, art, beauty, culinary arts, and design.
On Twitter: @nickdannunzio
Launchpad: After working with Estée Lauder and Aveda, D’Annunzio started Tara, Ink. with partner (and fiancée) Tara Solomon. The full-service PR and event production company has worked with Arden B., Louis Vuitton, and Art Basel to stage over-the-top marketing stunts and events, like an Andy Warhol flash mob during Interview magazine’s Art Basel party.
Claim to fame: “Our agency was an instrumental part of making Cadillac cool again, helping to create a guerrilla campaign in L.A., Miami, New York, Dallas, and Atlanta. We paired the new models with all the best hotels, restaurants, and nightclubs, in addition to lending cars to celebs and offering car and driver service to V.I.P.s and tastemakers in each city.”
Big innovation: In order to work with clients “rich in ideas, but poor in pocket,” D’Annunzio developed Fresh Ink., a program to help emerging talent in fashion, art, beauty, culinary arts, and design.
On Twitter: @nickdannunzio
Photo: Dan Hallman for BizBash
Natasha Koifman
![Natasha Koifman](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/03/natasha102png.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
President, NKPR, Toronto and New York, 40
Launchpad: Ten years ago, Koifman started a PR company in her basement. Now, NKPR represents more than 30 national and international clients with offices in Toronto and New York.
Claim to fame: A master of social media and creating buzz, Koifman and her team execute events, pop-ups, and stunts for clients. She works 24/7 during the Toronto International Film Festival, managing PR for events like Artists for Peace and Justice fund-raisers and a Skyy Vodka aerial stunt.
Big innovation: “We were one of the first agencies to take an integrated, 360-degree approach to communications. It’s not only about the message but how we deliver it as well.”
Launchpad: Ten years ago, Koifman started a PR company in her basement. Now, NKPR represents more than 30 national and international clients with offices in Toronto and New York.
Claim to fame: A master of social media and creating buzz, Koifman and her team execute events, pop-ups, and stunts for clients. She works 24/7 during the Toronto International Film Festival, managing PR for events like Artists for Peace and Justice fund-raisers and a Skyy Vodka aerial stunt.
Big innovation: “We were one of the first agencies to take an integrated, 360-degree approach to communications. It’s not only about the message but how we deliver it as well.”
Photo: Dan Hallman for BizBash
Mike Hines
![Mike Hines](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/03/mike016png.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Creative director and co-owner, Epoch Floral, Chicago, 43
Launchpad: “After taking an apprenticeship in Rome 13 years ago and realizing my passion for floral design, I created my own style and brand, and opened Epoch Floral in 2001.”
Style signature: “My success lies in my irreverent gut. I truly believe in taking all things out of the vase.” For example, at Diffa’s Dining by Design benefit in Chicago in 2011, Hines created a centerpiece of white logs piled with tulips and seasonal vegetables for the Gilt City installation.
Up next: This year, Hines launches Mike Hines Signature, an international brand focusing on commissioned installations, workshops, lectures, and floral design coaching.
Childhood dream job: “To work in forensics, yet I am satisfied with figuring out the forensics of flowers: how they compose my designs and how they affect the environments for which people gather.”
Launchpad: “After taking an apprenticeship in Rome 13 years ago and realizing my passion for floral design, I created my own style and brand, and opened Epoch Floral in 2001.”
Style signature: “My success lies in my irreverent gut. I truly believe in taking all things out of the vase.” For example, at Diffa’s Dining by Design benefit in Chicago in 2011, Hines created a centerpiece of white logs piled with tulips and seasonal vegetables for the Gilt City installation.
Up next: This year, Hines launches Mike Hines Signature, an international brand focusing on commissioned installations, workshops, lectures, and floral design coaching.
Childhood dream job: “To work in forensics, yet I am satisfied with figuring out the forensics of flowers: how they compose my designs and how they affect the environments for which people gather.”
Photo: Dan Hallman for BizBash
Michelle Gubitosa, Nilda Martin
![Michelle Gubitosa, Nilda Martin](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/03/michellenilda033png.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Managing partners, 52 and 38, Phi Design Group, Boston
Launchpad: Martin is a former fashion stylist and boutique owner; Gubitosa got her start in window displays and then founded event design and rental company PBD Events in 1985. Four years ago, Martin and Gubitosa partnered to launch Phi Design Group, a multifaceted company whose work includes design and production for corporate, nonprofit, and social events.
Big innovation: Inspired by installation art, the design firm uses repetitive fixtures to help brand an event. For example, a 2011 holiday benefit for Toys for Joys had a sculptural bar backdrop composed of 33 red wagons—the brand’s logo—strung together with white lights. At other events, reclaimed objects find creative new purposes, with branches used as room dividers, chandelier crystals as escort cards, and rowing oars in place of guest books.
Style signature: “Clothing and events are the same,” says Martin. “They should accentuate, not overwhelm.”
Quick tip: “Scale is everything in events and design, next to lighting,” Gubitosa says. “Make sure the scale of your installation fits the venue.”
Big inspiration: “I was once inspired by large, rusty I-beams in a clothing store in New York City,” Gubitosa says. “The I-beam became the large, open armature housing our table design for a [Diffa] Dining by Design event.”
On Twitter: @phidesigngroup
Launchpad: Martin is a former fashion stylist and boutique owner; Gubitosa got her start in window displays and then founded event design and rental company PBD Events in 1985. Four years ago, Martin and Gubitosa partnered to launch Phi Design Group, a multifaceted company whose work includes design and production for corporate, nonprofit, and social events.
Big innovation: Inspired by installation art, the design firm uses repetitive fixtures to help brand an event. For example, a 2011 holiday benefit for Toys for Joys had a sculptural bar backdrop composed of 33 red wagons—the brand’s logo—strung together with white lights. At other events, reclaimed objects find creative new purposes, with branches used as room dividers, chandelier crystals as escort cards, and rowing oars in place of guest books.
Style signature: “Clothing and events are the same,” says Martin. “They should accentuate, not overwhelm.”
Quick tip: “Scale is everything in events and design, next to lighting,” Gubitosa says. “Make sure the scale of your installation fits the venue.”
Big inspiration: “I was once inspired by large, rusty I-beams in a clothing store in New York City,” Gubitosa says. “The I-beam became the large, open armature housing our table design for a [Diffa] Dining by Design event.”
On Twitter: @phidesigngroup
Photo: Dan Hallman for BizBash
Meg Holderman
![Meg Holderman](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/03/meg069png.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Owner, So Cool Events and the So Cool eVenue, Miami and Orlando, 49
Claim to fame: Holderman, along with husband Dean, has an extensive line of lighted furniture, banquet tables, and ice-rental offerings. The Holdermans also own and manage So Cool eVenue, a loft space available for events that has its own ice bar.
Big innovation: Last year, Holderman partnered with Panache Party Rentals, using its portable freezer units to develop a mobile ice bar. The company also just launched a line of glowing picnic tables designed for outdoor events.
Up next: “We are expanding geographically and rapidly into industries such as fashion, sporting events, and trade shows.”
On Twitter: @MegHolderman
Claim to fame: Holderman, along with husband Dean, has an extensive line of lighted furniture, banquet tables, and ice-rental offerings. The Holdermans also own and manage So Cool eVenue, a loft space available for events that has its own ice bar.
Big innovation: Last year, Holderman partnered with Panache Party Rentals, using its portable freezer units to develop a mobile ice bar. The company also just launched a line of glowing picnic tables designed for outdoor events.
Up next: “We are expanding geographically and rapidly into industries such as fashion, sporting events, and trade shows.”
On Twitter: @MegHolderman
Photo: Dan Hallman for BizBash
Matt McKenna
![Matt McKenna](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/03/matt039png.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Founder and president, Red Fish Media, Miami Beach, 35
Launchpad: “I was a producer and DJ of house music, working throughout Europe. It turned me on to all the interactive ways mobile can be used in conjunction with events, retail, and advertising.” McKenna created Red Fish Media in 2004 as a full-service mobile agency, helping marketers incorporate mobile technology into their digital strategies.
Claim to fame: Red Fish Media created a QR code design for Ralph Lauren that included the brand’s polo player logo. The code linked to a site where consumers could buy apparel and enter to win courtside seats at the 2012 U.S. Open men’s final.
Career highlight: “Powering Google’s Zeitgeist conference with interactive SMS services. Audience members could text their questions to the panelists, participate in real-time audience polls, and even text comments to a huge wraparound LED wall.” Red Fish used similar applications at a Clinton Global Initiative event at the University of Miami.
Work philosophy: “Under-promise, over-deliver.”
Childhood dream job: Comedian.
On Twitter: @redfishmedia
Launchpad: “I was a producer and DJ of house music, working throughout Europe. It turned me on to all the interactive ways mobile can be used in conjunction with events, retail, and advertising.” McKenna created Red Fish Media in 2004 as a full-service mobile agency, helping marketers incorporate mobile technology into their digital strategies.
Claim to fame: Red Fish Media created a QR code design for Ralph Lauren that included the brand’s polo player logo. The code linked to a site where consumers could buy apparel and enter to win courtside seats at the 2012 U.S. Open men’s final.
Career highlight: “Powering Google’s Zeitgeist conference with interactive SMS services. Audience members could text their questions to the panelists, participate in real-time audience polls, and even text comments to a huge wraparound LED wall.” Red Fish used similar applications at a Clinton Global Initiative event at the University of Miami.
Work philosophy: “Under-promise, over-deliver.”
Childhood dream job: Comedian.
On Twitter: @redfishmedia
Photo: Dan Hallman for BizBash
Mark Wells
![Mark Wells](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/03/mark050png.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Vice president of creative services, Hello Florida!, Orlando, 42
Claim to fame: At his destination management company, Wells leads a team of five people that produces more than 700 events a year, ranging from small, low-key affairs to elaborate productions such as the 100th anniversary celebration for Citgo at the Hard Rock Cafe.
Design philosophy: “Break it down to the basics and then rebuild it in a way that no one will imagine.” For a 1,300-guest dinner and party with an elaborate pirate theme, Wells designed food-prep areas hidden in the decor throughout the ballroom.
Up next: Producing a new catering style that mimics restaurant service, with a 15-item menu that guests can order from when they are ready to eat. Food prep stays behind the scenes but final plating is done at stations in the room. With traditional catering, “fundamentally you are on the banquet kitchen’s time. They are running the show. This new concept puts the guest back in control.”
On Twitter: @CR8VGURU
Claim to fame: At his destination management company, Wells leads a team of five people that produces more than 700 events a year, ranging from small, low-key affairs to elaborate productions such as the 100th anniversary celebration for Citgo at the Hard Rock Cafe.
Design philosophy: “Break it down to the basics and then rebuild it in a way that no one will imagine.” For a 1,300-guest dinner and party with an elaborate pirate theme, Wells designed food-prep areas hidden in the decor throughout the ballroom.
Up next: Producing a new catering style that mimics restaurant service, with a 15-item menu that guests can order from when they are ready to eat. Food prep stays behind the scenes but final plating is done at stations in the room. With traditional catering, “fundamentally you are on the banquet kitchen’s time. They are running the show. This new concept puts the guest back in control.”
On Twitter: @CR8VGURU
Photo: Dan Hallman for BizBash
Marc Thuet
![Marc Thuet](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/03/marc071png.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Executive chef, Thuet Caters, Toronto, 48
Launchpad: Born in Alsace, France, Thuet worked in Michelin-star restaurants in Europe before moving to Canada. Alongside his wife and business partner, Biana Zorich, his latest ventures include the Fifth, Bistro & Bakery Thuet (“my baby”), and a starring role on the reality TV show Conviction Kitchen. Thuet began to focus on the catering arm of his business last year.
Claim to fame: Unafraid to try something different, Thuet is known for inventive, buzz-worthy catering. He turned heads at art party Power Ball 13, where he roasted a 900-pound bull on a spit. “It became a live exhibit of its own.”
Work philosophy: “Seasonal, colorful, authentic. But always with an emphasis on flavors.”
Best place to get inspired: “In the woods, when I’m hunting. It’s the most serene environment, and it brings me back to my childhood roots.”
Best gadget: Laguiole pocketknife
On Twitter: @ChefThuet
Launchpad: Born in Alsace, France, Thuet worked in Michelin-star restaurants in Europe before moving to Canada. Alongside his wife and business partner, Biana Zorich, his latest ventures include the Fifth, Bistro & Bakery Thuet (“my baby”), and a starring role on the reality TV show Conviction Kitchen. Thuet began to focus on the catering arm of his business last year.
Claim to fame: Unafraid to try something different, Thuet is known for inventive, buzz-worthy catering. He turned heads at art party Power Ball 13, where he roasted a 900-pound bull on a spit. “It became a live exhibit of its own.”
Work philosophy: “Seasonal, colorful, authentic. But always with an emphasis on flavors.”
Best place to get inspired: “In the woods, when I’m hunting. It’s the most serene environment, and it brings me back to my childhood roots.”
Best gadget: Laguiole pocketknife
On Twitter: @ChefThuet
Photo: Dan Hallman for BizBash
Kim Graham
![Kim Graham](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/03/kim058png.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Principal, Kim Graham & Associates, Toronto, 42
Launchpad: Before starting her own PR firm, Graham worked for lobby groups and as a consultant to the city of Toronto. “I can’t imagine a PR campaign without an event and I can’t imagine an event without PR.”
Claim to fame: Serving the Canadian design, architecture, and real estate niche, KG&A is known for organizing events in unlikely locales, like a decommissioned subway station during the Toronto International Film Festival or a working bread factory for the Raw Design industry party. These non-event spaces often come with red tape and require extra vision to pull off.
Style signature: “Our events tell a story. We follow through with a message. Cocktail parties are lovely, but the event must yield results beyond the actual event experience.”
Hidden talent: “Turning a no into a yes.”
On Twitter: @kga_pr
Launchpad: Before starting her own PR firm, Graham worked for lobby groups and as a consultant to the city of Toronto. “I can’t imagine a PR campaign without an event and I can’t imagine an event without PR.”
Claim to fame: Serving the Canadian design, architecture, and real estate niche, KG&A is known for organizing events in unlikely locales, like a decommissioned subway station during the Toronto International Film Festival or a working bread factory for the Raw Design industry party. These non-event spaces often come with red tape and require extra vision to pull off.
Style signature: “Our events tell a story. We follow through with a message. Cocktail parties are lovely, but the event must yield results beyond the actual event experience.”
Hidden talent: “Turning a no into a yes.”
On Twitter: @kga_pr
Photo: Dan Hallman for BizBash
Karl Vontz
![Karl Vontz](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/03/karl_504png.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Director, Clio Awards, New York, 44
Claim to fame: As the man behind the ad industry’s biggest award ceremony, Vontz is responsible for finding new ways to continuously revamp the 53-year-old event. Formerly a five-day festival and conference that moved from city to city, the Clio Awards is now a one-night show held in New York and built on Vontz’s mantra “honor the work, honor the winners.”
Big innovation: To shrink the ceremony to a 90-minute affair in 2011, Vontz used social media to build buzz and to display the work of the winners, choosing to present only the most prestigious honors during the show. At the after-party the other winners picked up their prizes from a dedicated display known as the trophy bar.
Up next: “The NBC special, The Clios: World’s Greatest Commercials.”
Quick tip: “No one ever sees plan A, so make sure plan B is good.”
On Twitter: @ClioAwards, @KVontz
Claim to fame: As the man behind the ad industry’s biggest award ceremony, Vontz is responsible for finding new ways to continuously revamp the 53-year-old event. Formerly a five-day festival and conference that moved from city to city, the Clio Awards is now a one-night show held in New York and built on Vontz’s mantra “honor the work, honor the winners.”
Big innovation: To shrink the ceremony to a 90-minute affair in 2011, Vontz used social media to build buzz and to display the work of the winners, choosing to present only the most prestigious honors during the show. At the after-party the other winners picked up their prizes from a dedicated display known as the trophy bar.
Up next: “The NBC special, The Clios: World’s Greatest Commercials.”
Quick tip: “No one ever sees plan A, so make sure plan B is good.”
On Twitter: @ClioAwards, @KVontz
Photo: Dan Hallman for BizBash
Kapila Chase
![Kapila Chase](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/03/kapila057png.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Director of marketing, Design Miami and Design Miami Basel, Miami, 32
Launchpad: A childhood love for graphic design and art evolved to include advertising, marketing, and events. Today, Chase develops marketing efforts for Design Miami and Design Miami Basel, the global forums for collectible design, which attracts about 20,000 attendees over six days each June and December.
Claim to fame: Chase works with sponsors like Audi, Swarovski Crystal Palace, W Hotels, and Fendi on projects for Design Miami. “We are very selective with the brands we choose to partner with as their integration truly becomes part of the fair’s programming content.”
On Twitter: @DesignMiamiBlog
Launchpad: A childhood love for graphic design and art evolved to include advertising, marketing, and events. Today, Chase develops marketing efforts for Design Miami and Design Miami Basel, the global forums for collectible design, which attracts about 20,000 attendees over six days each June and December.
Claim to fame: Chase works with sponsors like Audi, Swarovski Crystal Palace, W Hotels, and Fendi on projects for Design Miami. “We are very selective with the brands we choose to partner with as their integration truly becomes part of the fair’s programming content.”
On Twitter: @DesignMiamiBlog
Photo: Dan Hallman for BizBash
Josh Wood
![Josh Wood](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/03/josh_097png.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
President, Josh Wood Productions, New York, 37
Launchpad: Drawing from experience as a nightlife promoter, Wood began producing concerts and events, bringing Lou Reed, Alan Cumming, and Erasure to Crobar in 2004 to raise money for the same-sex marriage nonprofit Freedom to Marry and working alongside David Bowie to create the first High Line Festival in 2007.
Big innovation: Although Wood was responsible for producing the splashy opening of Uniqlo’s Fifth Avenue flagship last year, he is most known for his partnership with Amfar on the Inspiration galas, a series of international fund-raisers that saw the likes of Cyndi Lauper and Liza Minnelli perform in New York, Paris, Los Angeles, and Sao Paolo. "The idea was to change the format and expectations of the average rubber-chicken fund-raising dinner. I wanted to take the template of a gala and turn it on its head, constantly making it different and interesting, while also making it profitable and engaging."
Goal for 2012: "To produce more concerts with artists that inspire me, and raise more than $2 million for AIDS research for Amfar."
On Twitter: @josh_wood
Launchpad: Drawing from experience as a nightlife promoter, Wood began producing concerts and events, bringing Lou Reed, Alan Cumming, and Erasure to Crobar in 2004 to raise money for the same-sex marriage nonprofit Freedom to Marry and working alongside David Bowie to create the first High Line Festival in 2007.
Big innovation: Although Wood was responsible for producing the splashy opening of Uniqlo’s Fifth Avenue flagship last year, he is most known for his partnership with Amfar on the Inspiration galas, a series of international fund-raisers that saw the likes of Cyndi Lauper and Liza Minnelli perform in New York, Paris, Los Angeles, and Sao Paolo. "The idea was to change the format and expectations of the average rubber-chicken fund-raising dinner. I wanted to take the template of a gala and turn it on its head, constantly making it different and interesting, while also making it profitable and engaging."
Goal for 2012: "To produce more concerts with artists that inspire me, and raise more than $2 million for AIDS research for Amfar."
On Twitter: @josh_wood
Photo: Dan Hallman for BizBash
Joel Hock
![Joel Hock](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/03/joel083png.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
President and C.E.O., Solutions With Impact, Toronto, 52
Claim to fame: Hock’s two-day Rally for Kids With Cancer fund-raiser continues to expand after raising more than $8 million for the SickKids Foundation. Built around a celebrity scavenger hunt during the Toronto International Film Festival, the event garnered the support of Goldie Hawn as host in its first year in 2008. In 2009, Hock hosted additional rallies in Miami and L.A. and this year will host one more in Houston.
Big innovation: “The development of incentive-based, online fund-raising.” Tickets are rarely sold to his events. Instead, would-be attendees must raise a minimum amount online to attend, with rewards going to the top fund-raisers.
Style signature: “Five-star quality with a rock ’n’ roll flair.”
On Twitter: @SWIbiz
Claim to fame: Hock’s two-day Rally for Kids With Cancer fund-raiser continues to expand after raising more than $8 million for the SickKids Foundation. Built around a celebrity scavenger hunt during the Toronto International Film Festival, the event garnered the support of Goldie Hawn as host in its first year in 2008. In 2009, Hock hosted additional rallies in Miami and L.A. and this year will host one more in Houston.
Big innovation: “The development of incentive-based, online fund-raising.” Tickets are rarely sold to his events. Instead, would-be attendees must raise a minimum amount online to attend, with rewards going to the top fund-raisers.
Style signature: “Five-star quality with a rock ’n’ roll flair.”
On Twitter: @SWIbiz
Photo: Dan Hallman for BizBash
Gillian Hoff
![Gillian Hoff](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/03/jillian086png.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Vice president of special events, Design Exchange, Toronto
Claim to fame: Hoff is known for her unconventional aesthetic, on display annually at the Design Exchange Black & White Gala. No material is out of bounds; she has used everything from oversize balloons, at the 2010 gala, to giant lampshades, car frames, and suspended ice sculptures.
Launchpad: A long-term passion for art led her to work in museums, where she planned openings and fund-raisers. She was a natural. “I hosted my first fund-raising event at nine years old at school. I seem to have an innate ability to organize and a flare for throwing parties.”
Best place to get inspired: “I base all of my holidays on visits to museums and United Nations World Heritage sites around the world. I take a lot of photos while traveling, which has proven to be an invaluable source of inspiration.”
Quick tip: “No idea is too outrageous.”
On Twitter: @gillianhoff
Claim to fame: Hoff is known for her unconventional aesthetic, on display annually at the Design Exchange Black & White Gala. No material is out of bounds; she has used everything from oversize balloons, at the 2010 gala, to giant lampshades, car frames, and suspended ice sculptures.
Launchpad: A long-term passion for art led her to work in museums, where she planned openings and fund-raisers. She was a natural. “I hosted my first fund-raising event at nine years old at school. I seem to have an innate ability to organize and a flare for throwing parties.”
Best place to get inspired: “I base all of my holidays on visits to museums and United Nations World Heritage sites around the world. I take a lot of photos while traveling, which has proven to be an invaluable source of inspiration.”
Quick tip: “No idea is too outrageous.”
On Twitter: @gillianhoff
Photo: Dan Hallman for BizBash
Jason Wanderer
![Jason Wanderer](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/03/jason060png.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
President, Precision Event Group, Beverly Hills, California, and New York, 35
Claim to fame: Production of live events and experiences across the U.S., encompassing complex logistics and technical execution, as well as design and hospitality.
2011 highlight: Precision produced ESPN’s ESPY sports-achievement awards after-party at the Hollywood Palladium in July and Self magazine’s Workout in the Park.
Launchpad: He was a coordinator in the Athletes’ Village at the 1995 U.S. Olympic festival in Denver, which led to a staff position for the 48-state Olympic torch relay in ’96.
Career highlight: Event production of multiple Super Bowl halftime shows.
Event philosophy: “When someone walks into the event, they better immediately know the message and point of the project. Do what you promised to do, and then some.”
Claim to fame: Production of live events and experiences across the U.S., encompassing complex logistics and technical execution, as well as design and hospitality.
2011 highlight: Precision produced ESPN’s ESPY sports-achievement awards after-party at the Hollywood Palladium in July and Self magazine’s Workout in the Park.
Launchpad: He was a coordinator in the Athletes’ Village at the 1995 U.S. Olympic festival in Denver, which led to a staff position for the 48-state Olympic torch relay in ’96.
Career highlight: Event production of multiple Super Bowl halftime shows.
Event philosophy: “When someone walks into the event, they better immediately know the message and point of the project. Do what you promised to do, and then some.”
Photo: Dan Hallman for BizBash
James MacDonald
![James MacDonald](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/03/james080png.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Director of good vibes, Life Is Good, Boston, 37
Claim to fame: Overseeing the 18-year-old apparel company’s Life Is Good Festival, which began in 2010 as a fund-raising event for the Life Is Good Kids Foundation. The family-friendly happening offers music performances along with activities like yoga and a Hula-Hoop zone. Since its inception, the festival has raised $1.7 million for children facing life-threatening challenges.
Big innovation: Turning guests into a community of fund-raisers. “The festival is not just about buying a ticket and seeing some bands; it’s about being part of a fund-raising effort. Every ticket buyer had a turnkey experience in becoming a fund-raiser.” After purchasing tickets on the festival’s Web site, guests could follow links to create their own fund-raising pages. Dubbed the “V.G.P.s” (or Very Good People), guests who signed on to raise funds were given special perks at the festival; the more they took in, the bigger the bonus prizes, which included backstage access, artist meet-and-greets, and hospitality. The 2011 event raised $1 million, a hefty boost from $725,000 in 2010.
Launchpad: Local radio station WBCN and then Virgin Records, where he served as regional promotions director for the Northeast for eight years.
Style signature: “Comfort is king.”
On Twitter: @macdonald_james, @Lifeisgood
Claim to fame: Overseeing the 18-year-old apparel company’s Life Is Good Festival, which began in 2010 as a fund-raising event for the Life Is Good Kids Foundation. The family-friendly happening offers music performances along with activities like yoga and a Hula-Hoop zone. Since its inception, the festival has raised $1.7 million for children facing life-threatening challenges.
Big innovation: Turning guests into a community of fund-raisers. “The festival is not just about buying a ticket and seeing some bands; it’s about being part of a fund-raising effort. Every ticket buyer had a turnkey experience in becoming a fund-raiser.” After purchasing tickets on the festival’s Web site, guests could follow links to create their own fund-raising pages. Dubbed the “V.G.P.s” (or Very Good People), guests who signed on to raise funds were given special perks at the festival; the more they took in, the bigger the bonus prizes, which included backstage access, artist meet-and-greets, and hospitality. The 2011 event raised $1 million, a hefty boost from $725,000 in 2010.
Launchpad: Local radio station WBCN and then Virgin Records, where he served as regional promotions director for the Northeast for eight years.
Style signature: “Comfort is king.”
On Twitter: @macdonald_james, @Lifeisgood
Photo: Dan Hallman for BizBash
Gina Crowley
![Gina Crowley](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/03/gina045png.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Director of special events and rentals, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, 44
Big innovation: “Putting unexpected spaces in the museum to use.” At past events, Crowley has transformed the freight elevator into a moving bar, served dinner on the theater stage, and hosted a cocktail reception on the loading dock.
Career highlight: For the museum’s 40th anniversary in 2007, planners tented the entire front plaza and street in front of the museum and hired Patti Smith as the entertainment.
Work philosophy: “Working at a contemporary museum comes with a prerequisite to produce cutting-edge and innovative events. I keep up with what art museums around the world do for their fund-raising galas and what trends are happening in the art world so that I can avoid repeating event elements.”
Childhood dream job: Famous soccer player.
On Twitter: @mcachicago
Big innovation: “Putting unexpected spaces in the museum to use.” At past events, Crowley has transformed the freight elevator into a moving bar, served dinner on the theater stage, and hosted a cocktail reception on the loading dock.
Career highlight: For the museum’s 40th anniversary in 2007, planners tented the entire front plaza and street in front of the museum and hired Patti Smith as the entertainment.
Work philosophy: “Working at a contemporary museum comes with a prerequisite to produce cutting-edge and innovative events. I keep up with what art museums around the world do for their fund-raising galas and what trends are happening in the art world so that I can avoid repeating event elements.”
Childhood dream job: Famous soccer player.
On Twitter: @mcachicago
Photo: Dan Hallman for BizBash
Frank McClelland
![Frank McClelland](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/03/frank013png.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Farmer, chef, and C.E.O., New France L.L.C., Boston, 54
Claim to fame: For his highly esteemed restaurants and catering company—L’Espalier, Sel de la Terre, and Au Soleil Catering—McClelland prepares “sophisticated and modern New England-French cuisine, with an emphasis on artisanal [and local] ingredients.”
Style signature: “Farm-to-table, working with local ingredients from my own farm.”
Big innovation: McClelland serves dinners at his Apple Street Farm in Essex, Massachusetts, letting guests “enjoy culinary delights right where they are grown.” For private dinner parties held on the farm, dishes have included charred heirloom tomato soup with crabmeat and grilled oysters, and Texas rib eye with leek-potato-and-eggplant pie.
Memorable gig: While working at Harvest, a contemporary American restaurant in Harvard Square, a young McClelland got to know industry icon Julia Child.
Favorite restaurant: Georges Blanc in Burgundy, France.
On Twitter: @ausoleilcater, @lespalier, @seldelaterre
Claim to fame: For his highly esteemed restaurants and catering company—L’Espalier, Sel de la Terre, and Au Soleil Catering—McClelland prepares “sophisticated and modern New England-French cuisine, with an emphasis on artisanal [and local] ingredients.”
Style signature: “Farm-to-table, working with local ingredients from my own farm.”
Big innovation: McClelland serves dinners at his Apple Street Farm in Essex, Massachusetts, letting guests “enjoy culinary delights right where they are grown.” For private dinner parties held on the farm, dishes have included charred heirloom tomato soup with crabmeat and grilled oysters, and Texas rib eye with leek-potato-and-eggplant pie.
Memorable gig: While working at Harvest, a contemporary American restaurant in Harvard Square, a young McClelland got to know industry icon Julia Child.
Favorite restaurant: Georges Blanc in Burgundy, France.
On Twitter: @ausoleilcater, @lespalier, @seldelaterre
Photo: Dan Hallman for BizBash
Suzi Molak
![Suzi Molak](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/03/suzi031png.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Events director, Long View Gallery, Washington, 33
Launchpad: After working in galleries and events for six years in New York, Molak set her sights on Washington. Working with her business partner, curator Drew Porterfield, she oversaw the construction of Long View Gallery, which opened in 2009, and drew up a model for how the venue would host events. Today, the raw space—unusual in still-traditional Washington—hosts three to five events a week, including the “industrial farmhouse chic” wedding Molak planned for Porterfield.
Claim to fame: “Showing the D.C. arts scene that a gallery doesn’t just have to be a gallery.”
Big innovation: Molak created the simplified “party in a box,” which allows clients to pick a menu from seven caterers for an all-inclusive price that includes the gallery rental, food and beverage, staff, and equipment.
Launchpad: After working in galleries and events for six years in New York, Molak set her sights on Washington. Working with her business partner, curator Drew Porterfield, she oversaw the construction of Long View Gallery, which opened in 2009, and drew up a model for how the venue would host events. Today, the raw space—unusual in still-traditional Washington—hosts three to five events a week, including the “industrial farmhouse chic” wedding Molak planned for Porterfield.
Claim to fame: “Showing the D.C. arts scene that a gallery doesn’t just have to be a gallery.”
Big innovation: Molak created the simplified “party in a box,” which allows clients to pick a menu from seven caterers for an all-inclusive price that includes the gallery rental, food and beverage, staff, and equipment.
Photo: Dan Hallman for BizBash
Wendy Pashman
![Wendy Pashman](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/03/wendy019png.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
President, Entertaining Company, Chicago, 56
Launchpad: Pashman first worked as a corporate chef for Saxon Paints, where she developed and prepped menus for 20 guests every day. She struck out on her own in 1991 to build Entertaining Company.
Big innovation: Pashman’s creativity extends beyond just menu items—which have included everything from cocktails garnished with doughnut holes to potpies filled with short ribs and Guinness—to innovative tabletop design and “delivery systems” like rolling snackcarts and beverages served out of backpacks.
Style signature: “Southeast Asian and other multicultural foods interpreted with local ingredients and coupled with elegant European or American presentations.”
Up next: Pashman is designing lines of ceramic tasting plates and linens.
Favorite movie: “Breakfast at Tiffany’s—especially the cocktail party scene.”
On Twitter: @wendypashman
Launchpad: Pashman first worked as a corporate chef for Saxon Paints, where she developed and prepped menus for 20 guests every day. She struck out on her own in 1991 to build Entertaining Company.
Big innovation: Pashman’s creativity extends beyond just menu items—which have included everything from cocktails garnished with doughnut holes to potpies filled with short ribs and Guinness—to innovative tabletop design and “delivery systems” like rolling snackcarts and beverages served out of backpacks.
Style signature: “Southeast Asian and other multicultural foods interpreted with local ingredients and coupled with elegant European or American presentations.”
Up next: Pashman is designing lines of ceramic tasting plates and linens.
Favorite movie: “Breakfast at Tiffany’s—especially the cocktail party scene.”
On Twitter: @wendypashman
Photo: Dan Hallman for BizBash
Fergus Rooney
![Fergus Rooney](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/03/fergus047png.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
C.E.O., AgencyEA, Chicago, 44
Launchpad: Managing corporate hospitality for Wimbledon and the British Open Golf Championship in London. In 1999, Rooney and partner Gabrielle Martinez teamed to open production house Event Architects. In 2011, the company changed its name to AgencyEA, and rebranded itself as a full-service experiential marketing agency.
Claim to fame: In late 2010 and early 2011, he worked simultaneously on Oprah’s Ultimate Australian Adventure, the holiday decor at the White House, and the Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental launch in Seattle.
Work philosophy: “Don’t be creative just for the sake of being creative. Be creative for a strategic purpose.”
Hidden talents: “I make a great chicken pesto. Also, ping-pong.”
On Twitter: @frooney
Launchpad: Managing corporate hospitality for Wimbledon and the British Open Golf Championship in London. In 1999, Rooney and partner Gabrielle Martinez teamed to open production house Event Architects. In 2011, the company changed its name to AgencyEA, and rebranded itself as a full-service experiential marketing agency.
Claim to fame: In late 2010 and early 2011, he worked simultaneously on Oprah’s Ultimate Australian Adventure, the holiday decor at the White House, and the Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental launch in Seattle.
Work philosophy: “Don’t be creative just for the sake of being creative. Be creative for a strategic purpose.”
Hidden talents: “I make a great chicken pesto. Also, ping-pong.”
On Twitter: @frooney
Photo: Dan Hallman for BizBash
Chad Hudson
![Chad Hudson](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/03/chad118png.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
President and owner, Chad Hudson Events, West Hollywood, California, 34
Big innovation: For the Twilight Saga premieres, the producer worked with Summit Entertainment to expand the fan participation from a throng of gawkers to a five-day, studio-sanctioned camp-out, worth millions in PR value. Hudson also finds ways to simultaneously save money and execute bigger projects by sharing costs between multiple events.
Career highlight: Booking major events at the 2012 Super Bowl in Indianapolis, including DirecTV’s Celebrity Beach Bowl and the party hosted by HD Net and Peyton Manning.
Work philosophy: “Give credit where credit is due. Treat your clients like gold and your staff like platinum.”
Mentor: Warner Brothers’ vice president of publicity and special events, Courtney Saylor Rogge. Hudson worked in her department for eight years before starting his firm in 2008.
Big innovation: For the Twilight Saga premieres, the producer worked with Summit Entertainment to expand the fan participation from a throng of gawkers to a five-day, studio-sanctioned camp-out, worth millions in PR value. Hudson also finds ways to simultaneously save money and execute bigger projects by sharing costs between multiple events.
Career highlight: Booking major events at the 2012 Super Bowl in Indianapolis, including DirecTV’s Celebrity Beach Bowl and the party hosted by HD Net and Peyton Manning.
Work philosophy: “Give credit where credit is due. Treat your clients like gold and your staff like platinum.”
Mentor: Warner Brothers’ vice president of publicity and special events, Courtney Saylor Rogge. Hudson worked in her department for eight years before starting his firm in 2008.
Photo: Dan Hallman for BizBash
Carla Ruben
![Carla Ruben](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/03/carla_044png.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
President and owner, Creative Edge Parties, New York, 49
Launchpad: Ruben started her catering company at 27, working out of a small New York apartment. She did everything herself, from cooking the food and driving the van to bartending, bussing tables, serving the meal, and packing up at the end of the night. More than 20 years later, Creative Edge is one of the city’s most respected caterers, trusted by organizations like Target, the Museum of Modern Art, and Bravo to dream up creative menus that Ruben describes as “clean and intelligent, not tortured or pretentious.”
Big innovation: Last year the company launched the Creative Edge Culinary Council, a global exchange program that brings guest chefs to cook in New York, while sending its own chefs to other cities to learn new techniques. “We believe innovation does not come from just one chef, but from a collaboration of ideas, skill, and inspiration.”
Career highlight: “Catering a 1,800-person lunch and then flipping the room in 90 minutes for a 2,300-person seated dinner.”
Up next: “Tablecloths are a thing of the past. Buffet tables are the backdrop to our food—we consider them an extension of our design. So it’s not just a matter of interesting vessels to present the food in, but what type of material or furniture you’re putting it on.”
On Twitter: @CarlaRuben
Launchpad: Ruben started her catering company at 27, working out of a small New York apartment. She did everything herself, from cooking the food and driving the van to bartending, bussing tables, serving the meal, and packing up at the end of the night. More than 20 years later, Creative Edge is one of the city’s most respected caterers, trusted by organizations like Target, the Museum of Modern Art, and Bravo to dream up creative menus that Ruben describes as “clean and intelligent, not tortured or pretentious.”
Big innovation: Last year the company launched the Creative Edge Culinary Council, a global exchange program that brings guest chefs to cook in New York, while sending its own chefs to other cities to learn new techniques. “We believe innovation does not come from just one chef, but from a collaboration of ideas, skill, and inspiration.”
Career highlight: “Catering a 1,800-person lunch and then flipping the room in 90 minutes for a 2,300-person seated dinner.”
Up next: “Tablecloths are a thing of the past. Buffet tables are the backdrop to our food—we consider them an extension of our design. So it’s not just a matter of interesting vessels to present the food in, but what type of material or furniture you’re putting it on.”
On Twitter: @CarlaRuben
Photo: Dan Hallman for BizBash
Alison Slight, Candice Chan
![Alison Slight, Candice Chan](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/03/candicealison016png.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Managing director, 32; creative director, 30; Candice & Alison Luxury Events, Toronto
Launchpad: After they met as students at Ryerson University’s School of Fashion, Chan became the marketing director of a fashion label in Toronto, while Slight went to Dubai with event planning firm Platinum. The two reconnected and founded their own business in September 2009.
Event philosophy: With backgrounds in fashion, Chan and Slight have an eye for trends, making them a perfect fit for events like the Harry Rosen party during the Toronto International Film Festival.
Best place to get inspired: “The boutique windows of Toronto’s Yorkville neighborhood. Our event design philosophy draws parallels with the fashion industry, so it’s important to be aware of current colors, styles, and trends,” says Slight.
Career highlight: “Handling riders and specific requirements for Kanye West at a five-day wedding in Phuket, Thailand,” says Chan.
Style signature: “Edgy meets sophisticated,” says Chan.
On Twitter: @CANDICE_ALISON
Launchpad: After they met as students at Ryerson University’s School of Fashion, Chan became the marketing director of a fashion label in Toronto, while Slight went to Dubai with event planning firm Platinum. The two reconnected and founded their own business in September 2009.
Event philosophy: With backgrounds in fashion, Chan and Slight have an eye for trends, making them a perfect fit for events like the Harry Rosen party during the Toronto International Film Festival.
Best place to get inspired: “The boutique windows of Toronto’s Yorkville neighborhood. Our event design philosophy draws parallels with the fashion industry, so it’s important to be aware of current colors, styles, and trends,” says Slight.
Career highlight: “Handling riders and specific requirements for Kanye West at a five-day wedding in Phuket, Thailand,” says Chan.
Style signature: “Edgy meets sophisticated,” says Chan.
On Twitter: @CANDICE_ALISON
Photo: Dan Hallman for BizBash
Bronson van Wyck
![Bronson van Wyck](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/03/bronson_286png.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
President, Van Wyck & Van Wyck, New York, 36
Launchpad: In a career trajectory that van Wyck modestly describes as “an extended process of elimination in which I learned I had no other marketable skills,” the Yale grad worked as a protocol aide for U.S. ambassador to France Pamela Harriman and as a film set designer in Los Angeles, before founding a planning and design company with his mother, Mary Lynn, in 1999. Van Wyck has been tapped to create events for high-profile private, corporate, and nonprofit entities, including Mercedes-Benz, billionaire George Soros, and Friends of the High Line.
Claim to fame: Van Wyck’s look is consistently polished and always contains subtle cues to the brand. When the Whitney Museum of American Art chose a decommissioned bus depot as the site of its biggest fund-raiser in 2011, the designer managed to turn the raw site into a comfortable, elegant venue.
Design philosophy: “We don’t sign our name in the guest book, we sign our client’s name.”
Launchpad: In a career trajectory that van Wyck modestly describes as “an extended process of elimination in which I learned I had no other marketable skills,” the Yale grad worked as a protocol aide for U.S. ambassador to France Pamela Harriman and as a film set designer in Los Angeles, before founding a planning and design company with his mother, Mary Lynn, in 1999. Van Wyck has been tapped to create events for high-profile private, corporate, and nonprofit entities, including Mercedes-Benz, billionaire George Soros, and Friends of the High Line.
Claim to fame: Van Wyck’s look is consistently polished and always contains subtle cues to the brand. When the Whitney Museum of American Art chose a decommissioned bus depot as the site of its biggest fund-raiser in 2011, the designer managed to turn the raw site into a comfortable, elegant venue.
Design philosophy: “We don’t sign our name in the guest book, we sign our client’s name.”
Photo: Dan Hallman for BizBash
Benji Tschudin
![Benji Tschudin](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/03/benji021png.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Partner and lighting designer, Atmosphere Inc., Washington, 45
Launchpad: Tschudin relied on his background in theater when he opened his lighting firm 18 years ago with two partners. Today the company works on roughly 600 events a year—about 60 percent corporate (clients include Target and Microsoft) and 40 percent nonprofit (Charity Works and Horatio Alger Association).
Work philosophy: “Our niche is that we have immersed ourselves in the venues in this town. We work closely with the Smithsonian properties to guide them in the right direction during building and renovations.”
Big innovation: “We were the first to bring LED to town, and it really helped facilitate the phasing out of static lighting.”
Career highlight: “Lighting the National Cathedral.” To celebrate the completion of renovations, the cathedral held a never-done-before gala in the main sanctuary. “In addition to lighting all the columns, we also painted the ceiling with custom-colored stained glass gobos and back-lit all the stained glass windows.”
Up next: “We are gearing up for the Democratic National Convention and the inauguration.”
Launchpad: Tschudin relied on his background in theater when he opened his lighting firm 18 years ago with two partners. Today the company works on roughly 600 events a year—about 60 percent corporate (clients include Target and Microsoft) and 40 percent nonprofit (Charity Works and Horatio Alger Association).
Work philosophy: “Our niche is that we have immersed ourselves in the venues in this town. We work closely with the Smithsonian properties to guide them in the right direction during building and renovations.”
Big innovation: “We were the first to bring LED to town, and it really helped facilitate the phasing out of static lighting.”
Career highlight: “Lighting the National Cathedral.” To celebrate the completion of renovations, the cathedral held a never-done-before gala in the main sanctuary. “In addition to lighting all the columns, we also painted the ceiling with custom-colored stained glass gobos and back-lit all the stained glass windows.”
Up next: “We are gearing up for the Democratic National Convention and the inauguration.”
Photo: Dan Hallman for BizBash
Benjamin Newbold
![Benjamin Newbold](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/03/benjamin051png.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Special events creative director, Winston Flowers, Boston, 44
Claim to fame: Conceptualizing and executing floral design for happenings ranging from in-home dinner parties to corporate affairs and galas, Newbold is personally involved in more than 50 events a year and creatively directs his team on about 200 more.
Memorable gig: Collaborating with Bryan Rafanelli on events at the White House for President Obama and heads of state.
Launchpad: Newbold grew up on a farm in Illinois. “I gained appreciation for plants and flowers in all forms and stages of bloom.”
Style signature: “I prefer to keep things pure and not over-manipulated.” For a recent luncheon, Newbold dressed a raw warehouse with paint, mirrors, citrus medallions, and grass walls on Lucite panels.
Up next: “Building a destination design team is our next big step.” Winston Flowers will also open a store in Greenwich, Connecticut, this spring.
Work philosophy: “Get in there and get your hands dirty.”
On Twitter: @winstonflowers
Claim to fame: Conceptualizing and executing floral design for happenings ranging from in-home dinner parties to corporate affairs and galas, Newbold is personally involved in more than 50 events a year and creatively directs his team on about 200 more.
Memorable gig: Collaborating with Bryan Rafanelli on events at the White House for President Obama and heads of state.
Launchpad: Newbold grew up on a farm in Illinois. “I gained appreciation for plants and flowers in all forms and stages of bloom.”
Style signature: “I prefer to keep things pure and not over-manipulated.” For a recent luncheon, Newbold dressed a raw warehouse with paint, mirrors, citrus medallions, and grass walls on Lucite panels.
Up next: “Building a destination design team is our next big step.” Winston Flowers will also open a store in Greenwich, Connecticut, this spring.
Work philosophy: “Get in there and get your hands dirty.”
On Twitter: @winstonflowers
Photo: Dan Hallman for BizBash
Annie Senatore
![Annie Senatore](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/03/annie072png.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
C.E.O., A Vista Events, Beltsville, Maryland, 46
Launchpad: “I used to design my own invitations for the fashion PR office I ran in London, and when I came to the U.S., a friend introduced me to a stack of people in the events industry and showed them my artwork portfolio.” Before long, Senatore was designing events, setting up her own business after eight years working at production company Hargrove in Maryland. Staffed with 12 employees, A Vista works on about 300 events a year.
Claim to fame: Last year, she produced the Trust for the National Mall’s benefit luncheon and its Ball on the Mall, events just two days apart and both located on the grounds of the historic park. Inspired by Japan and the Mall’s cherry blossom trees, the daytime event had a live tea ceremony, while the nighttime affair included white origami cranes and paper parasols suspended from the ceiling. Senatore is also known for the annual Oscar viewing party hosted by Starwood Hotels, for which she has created Best Picture-inspired environments and a fashion show.
Up next: “Launching the new revised company and a product coming out in spring.”
Launchpad: “I used to design my own invitations for the fashion PR office I ran in London, and when I came to the U.S., a friend introduced me to a stack of people in the events industry and showed them my artwork portfolio.” Before long, Senatore was designing events, setting up her own business after eight years working at production company Hargrove in Maryland. Staffed with 12 employees, A Vista works on about 300 events a year.
Claim to fame: Last year, she produced the Trust for the National Mall’s benefit luncheon and its Ball on the Mall, events just two days apart and both located on the grounds of the historic park. Inspired by Japan and the Mall’s cherry blossom trees, the daytime event had a live tea ceremony, while the nighttime affair included white origami cranes and paper parasols suspended from the ceiling. Senatore is also known for the annual Oscar viewing party hosted by Starwood Hotels, for which she has created Best Picture-inspired environments and a fashion show.
Up next: “Launching the new revised company and a product coming out in spring.”
Photo: Dan Hallman for BizBash
Todd Fiscus
![Todd Fiscus](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/03/todd_fiscus_yf7a8600_newpng.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Owner and chief creative officer, Todd Events, Dallas, 44
Claim to fame: Fiscus’s boutique event design firm produces more than 600 events annually, including weddings for big names like Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, as well as for clients like the Dallas Museum of Art, Audi, and Lexus. In 2011, Fiscus and his team were on the Super Bowl Host Committee and produced 52 events related to the big game, including the North Texas Super Bowl Host Committee Kickoff.
Big innovation: Todd Events is one of the few vertically integrated event companies in the U.S., doing flowers, design, delivery, and installation, as well as designing all of its own furnishings under its Suite 206 rental line. Sister companies include the Switch Lighting Group, which handles event lighting and design, an event venue and restaurant, both in the Dallas area, the PR firm Rest & Revolution, and Avant Garden, a boutique floral and gift store and event space.
Up next: Fiscus is working on a book on the topic of events held inside tents, and he’s developing a product line of tabletop items for event designers.
Major life goal: “To be a part of something that impacts my industry in a big way, [but also to] leave time in my life to smell the roses—not just arrange them.”
On Twitter: @toddlovesorange
Claim to fame: Fiscus’s boutique event design firm produces more than 600 events annually, including weddings for big names like Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, as well as for clients like the Dallas Museum of Art, Audi, and Lexus. In 2011, Fiscus and his team were on the Super Bowl Host Committee and produced 52 events related to the big game, including the North Texas Super Bowl Host Committee Kickoff.
Big innovation: Todd Events is one of the few vertically integrated event companies in the U.S., doing flowers, design, delivery, and installation, as well as designing all of its own furnishings under its Suite 206 rental line. Sister companies include the Switch Lighting Group, which handles event lighting and design, an event venue and restaurant, both in the Dallas area, the PR firm Rest & Revolution, and Avant Garden, a boutique floral and gift store and event space.
Up next: Fiscus is working on a book on the topic of events held inside tents, and he’s developing a product line of tabletop items for event designers.
Major life goal: “To be a part of something that impacts my industry in a big way, [but also to] leave time in my life to smell the roses—not just arrange them.”
On Twitter: @toddlovesorange
Photo: Stephen Karlisch
David Cohn and Stuart Ruderfer
![David Cohn and Stuart Ruderfer](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/03/stuart_and_david_of_civic_entertainment_grouppng.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Co-founders and C.E.O.s, Civic Entertainment Group, New York
Claim to fame: Cohn and Ruderfer’s experiential marketing agency, which they established after launching New York City’s marketing and special events division under Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, is behind some of the biggest publicity stunts and events for brands like CNN, Kiehl’s, and Southwest Airlines. In addition to projects like an education summit hosted by NBC News and a full-service restaurant and studio hub for CNN during South by Southwest and the 2008 Republican and Democratic National Conventions, Civic Entertainment Group is responsible for a number of HBO promotions. In 2010, that meant flying 250 Pacific War veterans to Washington to attend a wreath-laying ceremony at the World War II memorial as part of the premiere for The Pacific. In September, the company put a Prohibition-era train back in service to herald the upcoming debut of Boardwalk Empire’s second season.
Big innovation: In looking to create strategic public-private collaborations, Cohn and Ruderfer have found that brands and civic entities can be surprisingly valuable partners. HBO and the U.S. Postal Service collaborated to promote letter-writing and the miniseries John Adams; the campaign allowed consumers to send free postcards and marked post-office receipts and cancellation stamps with the URL of a dedicated Web site.
Typical day: “Busy, busy, busy,” says Ruderfer.
Quick tip: “Be unusually resourceful and uncommonly tenacious,” says Cohn.
Claim to fame: Cohn and Ruderfer’s experiential marketing agency, which they established after launching New York City’s marketing and special events division under Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, is behind some of the biggest publicity stunts and events for brands like CNN, Kiehl’s, and Southwest Airlines. In addition to projects like an education summit hosted by NBC News and a full-service restaurant and studio hub for CNN during South by Southwest and the 2008 Republican and Democratic National Conventions, Civic Entertainment Group is responsible for a number of HBO promotions. In 2010, that meant flying 250 Pacific War veterans to Washington to attend a wreath-laying ceremony at the World War II memorial as part of the premiere for The Pacific. In September, the company put a Prohibition-era train back in service to herald the upcoming debut of Boardwalk Empire’s second season.
Big innovation: In looking to create strategic public-private collaborations, Cohn and Ruderfer have found that brands and civic entities can be surprisingly valuable partners. HBO and the U.S. Postal Service collaborated to promote letter-writing and the miniseries John Adams; the campaign allowed consumers to send free postcards and marked post-office receipts and cancellation stamps with the URL of a dedicated Web site.
Typical day: “Busy, busy, busy,” says Ruderfer.
Quick tip: “Be unusually resourceful and uncommonly tenacious,” says Cohn.
Photo: Jenny Naima
Sharon M. Siegel
![Sharon M. Siegel](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/03/sharon099png.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
President and founder, DECO Productions, Miami, 60
Launchpad: In 1986 Siegel, a former interior designer, started her event design company, which later evolved into a full-service destination management company that has worked with clients like Mattel, Energizer, and Westinghouse. Wanting to fill a niche in the market for upscale social events and weddings, she launched the social division Grande Affaires in 1997.
Big innovation: Unique and unexpected custom tabletops, which Siegel and her team build in-house.
2011 highlight: Siegel created a unique space for the Make-a-Wish Foundation’s gala at the Intercontinental Hotel in November. “The theme was a take on Truman Capote’s 1966 Black and White Ball at the Plaza Hotel in New York.”
Launchpad: In 1986 Siegel, a former interior designer, started her event design company, which later evolved into a full-service destination management company that has worked with clients like Mattel, Energizer, and Westinghouse. Wanting to fill a niche in the market for upscale social events and weddings, she launched the social division Grande Affaires in 1997.
Big innovation: Unique and unexpected custom tabletops, which Siegel and her team build in-house.
2011 highlight: Siegel created a unique space for the Make-a-Wish Foundation’s gala at the Intercontinental Hotel in November. “The theme was a take on Truman Capote’s 1966 Black and White Ball at the Plaza Hotel in New York.”
Photo: Dan Hallman for BizBash
Paula LeDuc
![Paula LeDuc](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/03/paula_leduc_headshot_cr_peter_lippmanpng.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Founder, Paula LeDuc Fine Catering, Emeryville, California
Claim to fame: LeDuc is Northern California’s go-to source for creative catering with an eco-conscious approach. In addition to being the exclusive caterer for events at San Francisco’s local-food mecca the Ferry Building, her company catered the kickoff party celebrating Chez Panisse’s 40th anniversary in Berkeley last August.
Launchpad: As a founder and living-skills instructor at the Hatlen Center for the Blind, LeDuc studied with Ken Wolfe, the head of the culinary arts program at a neighboring college, to enhance her culinary training skills for students. “My passion was triggered. In 1980, a friend asked me to cater her daughter’s christening, and the rest is history.”
Work philosophy: “We love the art of surprise, so we layer our events with unexpected details that reveal themselves as the event unfolds. We’re not inspired by repetition—we’re inspired by creating the next new idea, refining it until it’s perfect, and then moving on.”
Favorite restaurant: Alinea in Chicago.
Style signature: “Sophisticated yet inviting, organic, and innovative.”
Career highlight: Catering several private events in Oprah Winfrey’s home. “She was on my ‘bucket list’ forever.”
Childhood dream job: “To be an architect or an inventor.”
Claim to fame: LeDuc is Northern California’s go-to source for creative catering with an eco-conscious approach. In addition to being the exclusive caterer for events at San Francisco’s local-food mecca the Ferry Building, her company catered the kickoff party celebrating Chez Panisse’s 40th anniversary in Berkeley last August.
Launchpad: As a founder and living-skills instructor at the Hatlen Center for the Blind, LeDuc studied with Ken Wolfe, the head of the culinary arts program at a neighboring college, to enhance her culinary training skills for students. “My passion was triggered. In 1980, a friend asked me to cater her daughter’s christening, and the rest is history.”
Work philosophy: “We love the art of surprise, so we layer our events with unexpected details that reveal themselves as the event unfolds. We’re not inspired by repetition—we’re inspired by creating the next new idea, refining it until it’s perfect, and then moving on.”
Favorite restaurant: Alinea in Chicago.
Style signature: “Sophisticated yet inviting, organic, and innovative.”
Career highlight: Catering several private events in Oprah Winfrey’s home. “She was on my ‘bucket list’ forever.”
Childhood dream job: “To be an architect or an inventor.”
Photo: Peter Lippman
Midori Connolly
![Midori Connolly](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/03/midori_connolly_dsc_8486png.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
C.E.O. & chief AVGirl, Pulse Staging & Events, San Diego, 35
Claim to fame: Connolly produced the industry’s first set of guidelines for sustainable audiovisual staging and co-chaired the audiovisual committee for the new APEX/ASTM Environmentally Sustainable Meeting Standards. She is recognized as a leader on the topic of “green A.V.,” traveling the world speaking and hosting hands-on tech labs.
Style signature: “I like to bring a little femme into the A.V./tech world. I call it ‘gic,’ a combination of geek and chic.” Connolly is now developing a line of AVGirl products—audiovisual accessories such as power strips and cord locks in a variety of bright colors.
Quick tip: Recycle batteries used at events. “They contribute about 88 percent of the total mercury and 50 percent of the cadmium in the municipal solid-waste stream.”
Major life goal: To compete as a professional athlete. “Sport as of yet undeclared.”
On Twitter: @AVGirlMidori
Claim to fame: Connolly produced the industry’s first set of guidelines for sustainable audiovisual staging and co-chaired the audiovisual committee for the new APEX/ASTM Environmentally Sustainable Meeting Standards. She is recognized as a leader on the topic of “green A.V.,” traveling the world speaking and hosting hands-on tech labs.
Style signature: “I like to bring a little femme into the A.V./tech world. I call it ‘gic,’ a combination of geek and chic.” Connolly is now developing a line of AVGirl products—audiovisual accessories such as power strips and cord locks in a variety of bright colors.
Quick tip: Recycle batteries used at events. “They contribute about 88 percent of the total mercury and 50 percent of the cadmium in the municipal solid-waste stream.”
Major life goal: To compete as a professional athlete. “Sport as of yet undeclared.”
On Twitter: @AVGirlMidori
Photo: Alon David
Mary Dolaher
![Mary Dolaher](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/03/mary_dolaher_bizbash_picpng.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
C.E.O., IDG World Expo, Framingham, Massachusetts
To-do list: Dolaher oversees exhibition management company IDG’s annual expo events, including MacWorld, MacIT, Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), Anime Expo, and Enterprise Mobile Next.
2011 highlight: E3 in June at the Los Angeles Convention Center occupied a million square feet and drew a whopping 45,000 attendees—“and that’s the show where we have growth limitations and we close off attendance, because we don’t want it to get too large,” says Dolaher.
Big innovation: Bringing an insider event to the masses. Last year, Dolaher helped roll out E3 Insider, a Web portal that offers glimpses of the trade show floor to electronic entertainment fans unable to attend the show, which is open to industry pros only. With news anchors, game demos, and a so-called “heat-seeking” map that illustrated the most attended areas of the show floor, the portal was “like bringing Entertainment Tonight to the E3 Expo.”
Up next: Dolaher will aim to revive the MacWorld Expo, which has seen decreasing attendance in recent years, by branding it as MacWorld/iWorld. “We’re having tremendous success in making [the show] the place to be if you’re an Apple enthusiast.”
On Twitter: @E3Expo
To-do list: Dolaher oversees exhibition management company IDG’s annual expo events, including MacWorld, MacIT, Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), Anime Expo, and Enterprise Mobile Next.
2011 highlight: E3 in June at the Los Angeles Convention Center occupied a million square feet and drew a whopping 45,000 attendees—“and that’s the show where we have growth limitations and we close off attendance, because we don’t want it to get too large,” says Dolaher.
Big innovation: Bringing an insider event to the masses. Last year, Dolaher helped roll out E3 Insider, a Web portal that offers glimpses of the trade show floor to electronic entertainment fans unable to attend the show, which is open to industry pros only. With news anchors, game demos, and a so-called “heat-seeking” map that illustrated the most attended areas of the show floor, the portal was “like bringing Entertainment Tonight to the E3 Expo.”
Up next: Dolaher will aim to revive the MacWorld Expo, which has seen decreasing attendance in recent years, by branding it as MacWorld/iWorld. “We’re having tremendous success in making [the show] the place to be if you’re an Apple enthusiast.”
On Twitter: @E3Expo
Photo: Dario Preger Photography
Lindsay Arell
![Lindsay Arell](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/03/lindsay_arellhead_shots_016png.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
President, Arell Logic, Denver, 33
Launchpad: Arell started with the Colorado Convention Center in 2007, becoming one of the first sustainable program managers for a convention center. In 2009, she created her own firm that provides consulting on sustainability issues to SMG, a company that manages more than 220 venues worldwide, including the Colorado Convention Center, where she is still based.
Career highlight: Helping to develop sustainable practices for the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, including a bike-sharing program that led to the launch of Denver B-Cycle, one of the nation’s first city-wide bike-sharing programs. Arell was instrumental in getting two B-Cycle stations at the convention center.
Big innovation: In 2011, Arell developed SMG Green Impact, a comprehensive resource for the company’s facility managers to implement sustainable initiatives. The resource includes standards, best practices, and implementation guidelines, such as how to communicate with event attendees by placing signage at collection bins. Now she is consulting with SMG properties like Chicago’s McCormick Place and the Palm Springs Convention Center to apply the program.
Event philosophy: “It’s time to erase the line between a ‘regular’ event and a ‘green’ event by making all events sustainable.”
Launchpad: Arell started with the Colorado Convention Center in 2007, becoming one of the first sustainable program managers for a convention center. In 2009, she created her own firm that provides consulting on sustainability issues to SMG, a company that manages more than 220 venues worldwide, including the Colorado Convention Center, where she is still based.
Career highlight: Helping to develop sustainable practices for the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, including a bike-sharing program that led to the launch of Denver B-Cycle, one of the nation’s first city-wide bike-sharing programs. Arell was instrumental in getting two B-Cycle stations at the convention center.
Big innovation: In 2011, Arell developed SMG Green Impact, a comprehensive resource for the company’s facility managers to implement sustainable initiatives. The resource includes standards, best practices, and implementation guidelines, such as how to communicate with event attendees by placing signage at collection bins. Now she is consulting with SMG properties like Chicago’s McCormick Place and the Palm Springs Convention Center to apply the program.
Event philosophy: “It’s time to erase the line between a ‘regular’ event and a ‘green’ event by making all events sustainable.”
Photo: Andrew Arell, Rapture Collaborative Media
Lenny Talarico
![Lenny Talarico](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/03/lenny_talarico_mgm_resorts_2png.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Director of events, MGM Resorts Events, Las Vegas, 48
Claim to fame: Talarico oversees the team that produces and designs both internal and revenue-generating events, and works with property sales teams to drive corporate business throughout the brand’s resorts.
Success story: Oversaw double-digit increases in the company’s event business—in revenue and event volume (about 1,000 in 2011)—during the recession years, which struck Vegas with particular intensity.
Launchpad: His work as a singer and dancer led him to Las Vegas, where he eventually began his event career.
Career highlight: Developing and planning the grand opening of Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas at CityCenter in 2009.
Style signature: “Stylish, entertaining, and organized with clearly defined objectives.”
Up next: Helping to rebrand Las Vegas for corporate clients again.
Best place to get inspired: Movies and live theater.
Major life goal: “I really believe giving back is the greatest gift, so I focus on doing what I can each day to ensure I leave people, places, and projects in a better condition than how I encountered them.”
On Twitter: @lennytalarico
Claim to fame: Talarico oversees the team that produces and designs both internal and revenue-generating events, and works with property sales teams to drive corporate business throughout the brand’s resorts.
Success story: Oversaw double-digit increases in the company’s event business—in revenue and event volume (about 1,000 in 2011)—during the recession years, which struck Vegas with particular intensity.
Launchpad: His work as a singer and dancer led him to Las Vegas, where he eventually began his event career.
Career highlight: Developing and planning the grand opening of Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas at CityCenter in 2009.
Style signature: “Stylish, entertaining, and organized with clearly defined objectives.”
Up next: Helping to rebrand Las Vegas for corporate clients again.
Best place to get inspired: Movies and live theater.
Major life goal: “I really believe giving back is the greatest gift, so I focus on doing what I can each day to ensure I leave people, places, and projects in a better condition than how I encountered them.”
On Twitter: @lennytalarico
Photo: View Finders Las Vegas
Hugo Thibault
![Hugo Thibault](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/03/hugo_thibaultpng.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Communications director, L’Oréal Paris Canada, Montreal, 34
Launchpad: Thibault joined L’Oréal just one year ago and has already made a splash at L’Oréal-sponsored events like the Toronto International Film Festival and LG Fashion Week. His activations and pop-ups fuel L’Oréal’s social media presence. “As the biggest Facebook fan page in Canada, we need to create new content every week.”
Big innovation: At TIFF this year, Thibault had a L’Oréal beauty correspondent reporting live from the red carpets. L’Oréal’s Facebook fans posted beauty questions for A-list celebrities and could watch the interviews online.
Career highlight: “The 2011 win at the Boomerang Interactive Awards for our Facebook content strategy at Toronto’s Fashion Week.”
Style signature: “Interactive and surprising. I want people that come to my events to have a story to tell their friends.”
Up next: “Integrating virtual reality in one of our activations. It would be nice for our customer to interact with our spokespersons like Jennifer Lopez or Gwen Stefani.”
On Twitter: @hugo_thibault, @LOrealParisCAN
Launchpad: Thibault joined L’Oréal just one year ago and has already made a splash at L’Oréal-sponsored events like the Toronto International Film Festival and LG Fashion Week. His activations and pop-ups fuel L’Oréal’s social media presence. “As the biggest Facebook fan page in Canada, we need to create new content every week.”
Big innovation: At TIFF this year, Thibault had a L’Oréal beauty correspondent reporting live from the red carpets. L’Oréal’s Facebook fans posted beauty questions for A-list celebrities and could watch the interviews online.
Career highlight: “The 2011 win at the Boomerang Interactive Awards for our Facebook content strategy at Toronto’s Fashion Week.”
Style signature: “Interactive and surprising. I want people that come to my events to have a story to tell their friends.”
Up next: “Integrating virtual reality in one of our activations. It would be nice for our customer to interact with our spokespersons like Jennifer Lopez or Gwen Stefani.”
On Twitter: @hugo_thibault, @LOrealParisCAN
Photo: Julien Faugere
Hillary Harris
![Hillary Harris](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/03/hillary_harris_011_copypng.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Executive director of special events, Warner Brothers Studios, Burbank, California
Big innovation: Bringing the resources of a major TV studio to bear on both studio and non-studio events on the lot. Harris makes use of 70 different craft departments for her events, while working around—and with—sets in a way that benefits both the live events and TV productions.
Launchpad: “In the ’80s, I started a catering firm called Cuisine/Cuisine. Little by little, I began to do more production and design work for clients, so I started Mixed Grille Productions. Warner Brothers was one of my clients, as they didn’t yet have a special events department. In 1993 they officially opened [that] division and brought me on board.”
Claim to fame: The 2000 Democratic National Convention, which included several huge events in one day: a governors’ breakfast, a 1,500-person rally, and a Bill Clinton reception on the West Wing set. Plus: a milestone birthday party for Ellen DeGeneres, the Environmental Media Awards, and the 1,300-guest launch of the CW Network, showcasing 90 stars from 19 television shows.
Style signature: “Large-scale sophisticated fun that is on trend with Hollywood and pop culture.” Hidden talent: “I am a walking Rolodex for off-the-beaten-path food discoveries from San Diego to Santa Barbara, and even a few in other states and countries.”
Best place to get inspired: “In the screening room.”
On Twitter: @WBspecialevents
Big innovation: Bringing the resources of a major TV studio to bear on both studio and non-studio events on the lot. Harris makes use of 70 different craft departments for her events, while working around—and with—sets in a way that benefits both the live events and TV productions.
Launchpad: “In the ’80s, I started a catering firm called Cuisine/Cuisine. Little by little, I began to do more production and design work for clients, so I started Mixed Grille Productions. Warner Brothers was one of my clients, as they didn’t yet have a special events department. In 1993 they officially opened [that] division and brought me on board.”
Claim to fame: The 2000 Democratic National Convention, which included several huge events in one day: a governors’ breakfast, a 1,500-person rally, and a Bill Clinton reception on the West Wing set. Plus: a milestone birthday party for Ellen DeGeneres, the Environmental Media Awards, and the 1,300-guest launch of the CW Network, showcasing 90 stars from 19 television shows.
Style signature: “Large-scale sophisticated fun that is on trend with Hollywood and pop culture.” Hidden talent: “I am a walking Rolodex for off-the-beaten-path food discoveries from San Diego to Santa Barbara, and even a few in other states and countries.”
Best place to get inspired: “In the screening room.”
On Twitter: @WBspecialevents
Photo: Courtesy of Hillary Harris
Gregory Boroff
![Gregory Boroff](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/03/gregory_boroff_casualpng.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Vice president and director of development, Amfar, New York, 43
Launchpad: Following 10 years of planning and executing events in the for-profit sector, Boroff made the transition to nonprofit fund-raising in 1995, starting as an assistant and working his way up the ranks of City Harvest and the Food Bank for New York City. In 2009, he joined Amfar, “landing my dream job.”
Claim to fame: He oversees a portfolio of 11 international events that raise more than $20 million a year for AIDS research. That includes the Cinema Against AIDS benefit in Cannes, France—which brought in more than $10 million in 2011, making it the most successful fund-raiser in Amfar’s history—and the newly launched Inspiration gala series that extends the organization’s global footprint, with events taking place last year in Paris, Los Angeles, Sao Paolo, and New York.
Up next: “Expanding Amfar events into new international markets like India, Morocco, and Argentina.”
Quick tip: “Imagine you’re a guest at your own event.”
Launchpad: Following 10 years of planning and executing events in the for-profit sector, Boroff made the transition to nonprofit fund-raising in 1995, starting as an assistant and working his way up the ranks of City Harvest and the Food Bank for New York City. In 2009, he joined Amfar, “landing my dream job.”
Claim to fame: He oversees a portfolio of 11 international events that raise more than $20 million a year for AIDS research. That includes the Cinema Against AIDS benefit in Cannes, France—which brought in more than $10 million in 2011, making it the most successful fund-raiser in Amfar’s history—and the newly launched Inspiration gala series that extends the organization’s global footprint, with events taking place last year in Paris, Los Angeles, Sao Paolo, and New York.
Up next: “Expanding Amfar events into new international markets like India, Morocco, and Argentina.”
Quick tip: “Imagine you’re a guest at your own event.”
Photo: Kevin Tachman
Dana Beatty
![Dana Beatty](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/03/dana_beatty_mg_2644png.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Director of floral and horticulture, the Venetian and the Palazzo, Las Vegas, 48
Launchpad: Beatty was hired by her hometown florist in Merritt Island, Florida, after the company saw pictures of the design concept she created for her own wedding almost three decades ago.
Big innovation: In addition to overseeing the daily operations of the exterior and interior landscape and gardens, the flower and decor arrangements for the entire resort, and events and weddings, she is responsible for creating million-dollar displays in the Palazzo’s Waterfall, Atrium & Gardens several times a year. In 2011, she worked with a team to create “Winter in Venice,” a holiday experience that included dozens of 10- to 20-foot snowflakes, 2,000 overhead lights across the exterior, and a 65-foot LED tree on top of a fountain in front of the Venetian.
On Twitter: @palazzolavegas
Launchpad: Beatty was hired by her hometown florist in Merritt Island, Florida, after the company saw pictures of the design concept she created for her own wedding almost three decades ago.
Big innovation: In addition to overseeing the daily operations of the exterior and interior landscape and gardens, the flower and decor arrangements for the entire resort, and events and weddings, she is responsible for creating million-dollar displays in the Palazzo’s Waterfall, Atrium & Gardens several times a year. In 2011, she worked with a team to create “Winter in Venice,” a holiday experience that included dozens of 10- to 20-foot snowflakes, 2,000 overhead lights across the exterior, and a 65-foot LED tree on top of a fountain in front of the Venetian.
On Twitter: @palazzolavegas
Photo: Jacob Andrzejczak, IS Photography/ImagesOfVegas.com
Barton G. Weiss
![Barton G. Weiss](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/03/barton_g__largerpng.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
C.E.O., Barton G., Miami
Launchpad: Previously, Weiss worked as a professional ice dancer and a set and costume designer in New York. Twenty years later, he’s the biggest event name in South Florida. His company offers event production and management, off-site catering, and destination management. He also owns three restaurants and a hotel, the Villa by Barton G., inside the Versace Mansion. “Barton G. started on a whim. I had retired to Miami, and someone asked me to do a gala.”
Claim to fame: For the past 16 years, Weiss has done the NFL Commissioners Super Bowl party; this year, he built a house at the Indiana State Fairgrounds for the event. He’s also known for his work with corporate, social, and nonprofit events.
2011 highlight: During a recent event at Art Basel Miami Beach, Weiss created an actual forest in an airplane hangar.
On Twitter: @barton_g
Launchpad: Previously, Weiss worked as a professional ice dancer and a set and costume designer in New York. Twenty years later, he’s the biggest event name in South Florida. His company offers event production and management, off-site catering, and destination management. He also owns three restaurants and a hotel, the Villa by Barton G., inside the Versace Mansion. “Barton G. started on a whim. I had retired to Miami, and someone asked me to do a gala.”
Claim to fame: For the past 16 years, Weiss has done the NFL Commissioners Super Bowl party; this year, he built a house at the Indiana State Fairgrounds for the event. He’s also known for his work with corporate, social, and nonprofit events.
2011 highlight: During a recent event at Art Basel Miami Beach, Weiss created an actual forest in an airplane hangar.
On Twitter: @barton_g
Photo: Courtesy of Barton G.