Carina Bauer
38, CEO, IMEX Group
Brighton, England, U.K.
When her father, Ray Bloom, created IMEX in 2001, Bauer had not even had a cup of joe with anyone in the meetings and events industry before. So when she joined the family business a year later after running a successful coffee chain in the southern United Kingdom (another family endeavor), the University of Oxford graduate had to learn from the ground up—starting with running the marketing efforts for the original 2002 event in Frankfurt, Germany. Needless to say, Bauer was a natural, and within a few years she helped launched IMEX America in 2011. Not only did the Las Vegas show further cement the organization as a global exhibition powerhouse, it led to Bauer’s promotion to CEO. Today she oversees each of IMEX’s seven departments, including its hosted-buyer program, sales, marketing and more. “I try to be as close to the action as possible and like to understand and know the details, but I try to let the team get on with actioning them,” says the Brit. Bauer admits she puts a special emphasis on IMEX’s public relations. No wonder there’s always industry buzz before each IMEX show.
