Northstar Meetings Group Names the "Top 25 Influencers of the Meetings Industry" for 2020

SECAUCUS, N.J., Sept. 24, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Northstar Meetings Group today announced the "Top 25 Influencers of the Meetings Industry" for 2020. The prestigious annual list identifies and honors the most influential professionals across the meetings community. This year, each of the recipients has provided critical leadership during challenging times, as the meetings industry grapples with recovery, the immediacy of diversity and new business models amidst the global COVID-19 pandemic. Their stories are featured online at NorthstarMeetingsGroup.com, as well in the September-October edition of Meetings & Conventions magazine.

"This year has presented serious challenges to our industry, so significant and so deep that none of us believed they could happen," said Loren Edelstein, Vice President, Content Director for Northstar Meetings Group. "When so many of us were struggling for direction, we needed leaders to step up to galvanize our resources, bring us together and lead us forward. We identified 25 people who took swift action to provide much-needed guidance and plot a course for recovery."

"Northstar's Top 25 Influencers have responded quickly and meaningfully to the various crises we currently face, and they're shaping how meetings and events are being conducted now and in the future," said David Blansfield, Executive Vice President and Group Publisher, Northstar Meetings Group. "They're leading by example, demonstrating unequivocal competence in their 'day jobs', while at the same time remaining tirelessly focused on contributing to a forward-leaning, positive outcome for the industry overall, and for the people who make our industry great."

The Top 25 Influencers
The Northstar Meetings Group "Top 25 Influencers of the Meetings Industry" for 2020 are:

• David Audrain, Executive Director, Society of Independent Show Organizers; CEO and Partner, Exposition Development Co.
• Tori Barnes, Executive V.P., Public Affairs and Policy, U.S. Travel Association
• Mary Jo Valentine Blythe, Founder and CEO, The Above and Beyond Foundation
• Amy Calvert, President and CEO, Events Industry Council
• Michael Dominguez, President and CEO, Associated Luxury Hotels International
• David Dubois, President and CEO, International Association of Exhibitions and Events
• Jason Dunn, Group V.P., Diversity Sales and Inclusion, Cincinnati Convention & Visitors Bureau
• Elliott Ferguson, President and CEO, Destination DC
• Stephanie Harris, President, Incentive Research Foundation
• Mark Herrera, Director of Education and Life Safety, International Association of Venue Managers
• Kai Hattendorf, Managing Director and CEO, UFI, The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry
• Kristin Horstman, Senior Director of Strategic Events, Salesforce
• Jonathan T. Howe, President and Founding Partner, Howe & Hutton Ltd.
• Dave Jefferys, Executive Director and CEO, LGBT Meeting Professionals Association
• David Kliman, President, The Kliman Group
• Patricia Olinger, Executive Director, Global Biorisk Advisory Council
• Dawn Penfold, President, Meeting Jobs, LLC
• Bob Priest-Heck, CEO, Freeman
• Gary Shapiro, President and CEO, Consumer Technology Association
• Jonathan Spero, CEO, InHouse Physicians
• Beth Surmont, Director of Experience Design, 360 Live Media
• Gregg Talley, President and CEO, Talley Management Group
• Don Welsh, President and CEO, Destinations International
• LaToya Williams, Manager, Global Accounts, HelmsBriscoe
• Eric Yuan, CEO, Zoom

Visit NorthstarMeetingsGroup.com to learn more about the "Top 25 Influencers of the Meetings Industry" for 2020, or visit http://www.northstarmeetingsgroup.com/Influencers2020.

To download a complimentary September-October edition of Meetings & Conventions magazine, visit https://www.northstarmeetingsgroup.com/Planning-Tools/Meetings-Conventions-Digital-Magazine-Fall-2020. To subscribe to Meetings & Conventions, visit https://www.northstarmeetingsgroup.com/Magazine-Subscriptions.

About Northstar Meetings Group
Northstar Meetings Group is the leading B-to-B information and marketing solutions company serving all segments of the business meetings, events, sports and incentives market – including full- and part-time meeting planners, as well as corporate, association, sports and not-for-profit decision-makers, and incentive professionals, facilitating their professional development and achievement of business goals. The company's influential brands – Meetings & Conventions, Successful Meetings, Associations Meetings International, M&C Asia, Meetings & Incentive Travel, M&C China, Meeting News, Incentive and SportsTravel – currently serve over 350,000 active meeting and event planners and incentive professionals, across an integrated suite of data, digital, events and print products. For more information, please visit NorthstarMeetingsGroup.com.

SOURCE Northstar Meetings Group