What. A. Year. These 40 resilient corporate meeting and event professionals found a way to get through a once-in-a-lifetime (hopefully!) experience and they came back stronger than ever. With so many unknowns these 20- and 30-somethings forged ahead to bring business back to the industry. They absorbed jobs, learned new skills, invented new ways of doing business and are poised for the biggest comeback in history. Meet "The Comeback Kids” our 2021 Connect Corporate 40 Under 40.
About the 40 Under 40 process: Nominations are submitted by colleagues and peers through Connect Corporate’s website. They are then reviewed by Connect’s editors, and finalists are vetted before the final list is selected for publication. Honorees must be under the age of 40 as of April 1, 2021. Job titles and responses reflect honoree’s status as of March 2021.
Senior Manager, Sales MCI Group Canada Inc. Toronto
Industry Liaison and Sales Director Kenes Group Amsterdam
Director of Sales and Marketing Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort, Spa & Casino, Hyatt Hotels Incline Village, Nev.
Vice President, Meeting Design and Experience Associated Luxury Hotels International (ALHI) Dallas
Chief Experience Officer Wicked Experience Design LLC Houston
Global Head of Events Amazon Web Services Training and Certification; Author, “The Art of Event Planning” San Francisco
National Sales Manager Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino and Delano Las Vegas, MGM Resorts International Las Vegas
W Hotel Sales Executive W Scottsdale Scottsdale, Ariz.
Associate Director of Key Accounts and Strategic Partnerships Caesars Entertainment Lake Charles, La.
Manager, Corporate Events and Conference Center Invesco Atlanta
Director of Global Accounts Elevated Meeting Solutions Los Angeles
Sales Manager Cox Business Convention Center – ASM Tulsa Tulsa, Okla.
Product Experience Manager Nextech AR Solutions Toronto
Manager, Planning MCI Group Canada Inc. Toronto
Co-Founder and CEO Splash New York City
Team Leader, Industry Liaison and Sales Associate Kenes Group Göttingen, Germany
CEO and Co-Founder Blackthorn Events New York City
Global Director, Experiential Production Spotify New York City
Owner Kearns & Company San Diego
Awarded for: Program and Events Manager SWFL Inc. Currently: Marketing Coordinator CONRIC pr + marketing Bonita Springs, Fla.
Event Planner Noble Research Institute Ardmore, Okla.
Vice President of Business Partnerships Achieve Incentives & Meetings Cleveland
Proposal Development Director McVeigh Global Meetings & Events New York City
Founder and Speaker Agent Meta Speakers LLC College Station, Texas
Vice President of Sales Discover Lehigh Valley Lehigh Valley, Pa.
Event Planner WorldatWork Scottsdale, Ariz.
Gathering Producer Ember LLC Newburyport, Mass.
Meeting Planner Cardinal Health Dublin, Ohio
CEO Andrew Roby Events Washington, D.C.
Events Specialist Paragon Events Inc. Delray Beach, Fla.
Senior Event Planner Redstone Agency Inc. Toronto
Vice President of Sales Wisconsin Center District Milwaukee
VP of Events and Marketing Elite Productions International Laguna Niguel, Calif.
Awarded for: Marketing Events Manager, Pushpay Currently: Event Marketing Manager, iObeya Redmond, Wash.
Owner and Founder SocialHouse Event Co. Woodland, Calif.
SVP Vice Media Group Branded Studio New York City
Meeting Planner DMI Events Houston
Director of Events Forbes Jersey City, New Jersey
Head of Event Marketing ZS Evanston, Ill.
Director of Global Events Alation Redwood City, California
Director of Banquets Boston Convention & Exhibition Center and John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center Levy Convention Centers Boston
