Meetings Today - July 2018

2018 MEETINGS TRENDSETTERS
TAHIRA ENDEAN

Event Producer // BC Innovation Council

SPECIALTIES: Author, event design, speaking

The author of Intentional Event Design, Our Professional Opportunity, Tahira Endean places the emphasis firmly on the purpose of any event and using elements ranging from technology to wellness to achieve that goal. An event producer for British Columbia’s BC Innovation Council, she uses neu-roscience concepts to create meetings with meaning and that build trust.

NICOLE EDMUND

Vice President, Community // MPI SPECIALTIES: Association management, advocacy

Since January, 20-year association management veteran Nicole Edmund has been charged with overseeing MPI’s membership and chapter business teams. Her most trendsetting role, however, is representing MPI on the Events Industry Sexual Harassment Task Force, an umbrella group of industry organizations that are fighting sexual harassment.

KATE PATAY

Chief Strategy Officer // Patay Consulting

SPECIALTIES: Speaking, consulting, coaching and influencing

With a tagline of “Brand. Image. Strategy.”, Patay Consulting knows how important a finely tailored image is in the meetings and events industry. Over and above that, however, Kate Patay has recently embarked on initiatives involving speaking out for gender equality, image and brand updates to help create more inclusionary companies and cultures, and the importance of transparency within the meetings industry. A nearly 20-year events veteran, she is a frequent speaker at industry functions.

DAVID BRUCE

Founder/Executive Director // Meeting Planners Unite SPECIALTIES: Advocacy for independent meeting planners

When Marriott International cut independent meeting planner commissions to 7 percent from the traditional 10 percent, a shock wave reverberated through the industry. Longtime independent planner David Bruce, who owns CMP Meeting Services, quickly led the charge to combat the commission-cutting trend by forming independent planner association Meeting Planners Unite, with a goal of representing the interests of indies well beyond merely commissions.