Speakers

Amanda Strombeck is Head of Client Service Delivery at 360 Live Media, a Smithbucklin company, where she leads revenue strategy and integrated sales marketing for high-performing association and trade show portfolios. She partners with event organizers across healthcare, manufacturing, financial services, and professional markets to accelerate non-dues revenue growth and modernize sponsorship strategy. Amanda specializes in helping events evolve beyond traditional booth-driven models toward value-based, multi-channel sponsorship platforms that deliver measurable impact and ROI. She aligns pricing, sales, and marketing to reposition sponsorships from inventory into strategic partnerships that strengthen revenue and market position. She is passionate about building high-performing sales teams that believe the best sponsorship programs are built on clarity, creativity, and disciplined execution

Angela Harar is Vice President of Strategy & Growth at Clarion Events, where she leads audience strategy, commercial growth, and program development for MAU Vegas—one of the fastest-growing events in the industry. She is responsible for scaling revenue, strengthening market positioning, and delivering a high-value experience for both attendees and partners. Under her leadership, MAU Vegas has accelerated its growth and earned recognition on Trade Show Executive’s Fastest 50 list. Angela brings nearly two decades of experience in event strategy, sales, and marketing, including 18 years working on Vision Expo, where she helped build one of the largest and most established events in its category. She is known for driving audience growth and commercial performance.

Anna Horn serves as Vice President, Event Operations at Informa, where she leads Operations and venue sourcing for the Infrastructure & Construction vertical. In this role, Anna oversees the operational execution of ten B2B trade events in construction and construction-adjacent markets, collectively spanning over 2.3 million square feet of sold exhibit space. With more than 15 years of experience in the events industry, Anna has spent the last five years at Informa, driving operational excellence and fostering partnerships across the industry. Prior to joining Informa, she spent a decade on the general contractor side, honing her expertise in event logistics and client services. Anna is passionate about driving operational efficiency and excellence to help deliver world-class experiences that advance the specialist markets served by her events.

Beth Cowperthwaite is Senior Vice President of Communications at Emerald (NYSE: EEX), where she leads the company’s corporate communications and media relations strategy to drive brand visibility, executive influence, and organizational alignment. She oversees corporate communications, media relations, and executive positioning, shaping how Emerald’s story is told across internal and external channels. With more than 20 years of experience across public and private equity–backed organizations, Beth brings a strategic, integrated approach to communications with deep expertise in media relations, crisis strategy, executive messaging, and scalable internal frameworks. She builds and executes programs that elevate executive thought leadership, enhance corporate visibility, and deliver consistent, high-impact messaging company-wide. Prior to Emerald, Beth was Vice President of Corporate Communications at Informa Markets, where she led global communications strategy and strengthened both internal and external brand visibility. She also held senior roles at UBM Americas (now Informa plc) and Business Journals, Inc., building high-performing teams and advancing integrated communications programs across diverse industries. Known for transforming complex business priorities into clear, compelling narratives, Beth is passionate about the power of communications as a strategic business driver and about fostering collaboration that leads to measurable results.

Dan Cole has over 35 years of professional sales and leadership experience and is a renowned executive, writer, and speaker known for his expertise in sales fundamentals and team success. Formerly Senior Vice President of Strategic Relationships at the International SPY Museum, Dan now serves as Senior Director of Exposition Sales at AVIXA, where he leads revenue strategy for InfoComm, the largest professional AV trade show in North America. His previous roles include executive leadership positions at Hargrove, Inc., and more than 16 years leading business development for the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and its parent organization, the Consumer Technology Association (CTA). Dan began his career in sales at Lanier Worldwide, with subsequent roles at National Trade Productions, Advanstar, and Yellowbrix. Dan has earned numerous industry honors, including IAEE’s Most Outstanding Sales and Marketing Executive and the International Business Awards’ Most Outstanding Sales Executive. He serves on the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) Research Council, the PAR (Professionals for Association Revenue) Leadership Advisory Board, and leads the PAR Business Development Accelerator Group. In 2024, he was nominated for PAR’s GOAT Award. He is widely sought after for his insights on sales strategy, sponsorship innovation, and revenue leadership.

David S. Beck began his tenure as President and CEO of Kentucky Venues on July 1, 2018. Kentucky Venues operates the Kentucky Exposition Center, the Kentucky International Convention Center, produces six signature events, and hosts over 300 shows every year. Produced events include the Kentucky State Fair, North American International Livestock Exposition, and National Farm Machinery Show. Kentucky Venues is the organizational brand for the Kentucky State Fair Board, which has existed since 1938. David’s vision for Kentucky Venues includes reimagining facility use, bringing together urban and rural communities, and forming strategic partnerships across the state. He not only wants to preserve the rich tradition of Kentucky Venues but also enhance its future for Kentuckians and guests. Prior to his role at Kentucky Venues, David worked at Kentucky Farm Bureau (KFB) for 41 years. Prior to his retirement at KFB, he served in many capacities including Director of Public Affairs and Chief Executive Officer. David is actively involved in the Louisville community and is a member of several organizations, including Louisville’s Chamber of Commerce, Greater Louisville Inc., the Louisville Sports Commission, the Louisville Tourism Commission, the Commission on Public Art, and the Executive Board of the Kentucky Derby Festival. David is a member and deacon at Hurstbourne Baptist Church. He also plays an active role in multiple agricultural organizations, including the Louisville Agricultural Club, Kentucky Ag Council, and is a lifelong supporter of 4-H and FFA. David is a native of Lyon County and he received a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture Degree from Murray State University. Recent accolades and awards recognizing David’s commitment to the community include being added again to Louisville Business First’s Power 50, honored as the Distinguished Rural Kentuckian by Kentucky Electric Cooperatives, The OAK Award given by Kentucky colleges and universities, selected as a Distinguished Alumnus by his alma mater, and the Outstanding Agriculture Alumnus of the Year by Murray State University Agriculture Alumni Association. For nearly 50 years David has enjoyed a front row seat for discussions of every major state and federal issue affecting agriculture and rural Kentucky. David continues his interest in public policy to enhance rural/urban understanding, and cooperation for an enhanced Commonwealth. David and his wife Nancy reside in Louisville. They have three adult children and six grandchildren.

Joe Webster is SVP of Marketing at Emerald where he oversees audience growth, social and paid media, SEO/AEO/GEO, demand generation, and creative content across Emerald’s portfolio of trade shows and media properties. Known for building lean, high-output marketing structures and piloting new approaches before they become best practices, Joe brings a practitioner’s candor to what works, what didn’t, and what he’d do differently. He believes the future of event marketing is audience-first, AI-augmented, and relentlessly experimental.

John S. Gonzalez, CMP is Senior Vice President and General Manager for Houston First venues, which include the George R. Brown Convention Center, Wortham Theater Center, Jesse H. Jones Center for the Performing Arts, Lynn Wyatt Square for the Performing Arts, and Miller Outdoor Theatre. He served as longtime Senior Event Manager and Director of Event & Guest Services with the convention center before being promoted to Senior Vice President and General Manager. Today, he has over 25 years of experience in the convention/hospitality industry and oversees a team of 250 focusing on the day-to-day operations of the facilities. He manages an extensive operations budget for the venues and events division, and over 300 contractual partner service employees for Audio Visual Services, Facility Services, Electrical & Telecommunication Services, Engineering Services, Food & Beverage, Housekeeping, Operations and Maintenance, and Security. Mr. Gonzalez served 16 years in the U.S. Army Reserve which included multiple tours to Southwest Asia. He has been key in the success of major events held in Houston including Super Bowl XXXVIII and LI NFL Experience, NCAA Final Four, NBA All-Star events; managing the GRB as a shelter for Hurricane Harvey and Nicholas and as a Warming Center during Winter Storm Uri; the GRB facility redesign in 2016 that added Avenida Houston; and during COVID in 2020, Houston’s theater district was the first in the country to reopen and host in person events. Mr. Gonzalez is a native Houstonian and very active in the community. He is married and has two children

 John Schreiber is Vice President of Strategic Account Sales for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA), the destination marketing organization for Las Vegas and Southern Nevada that also owns and operates the Las Vegas Convention Center, one of the largest convention centers in the United States.  Mr. Schreiber’s responsibilities include overseeing the teams responsible for trade show sales, business development, and convention sales and the LVCVA Eastern Regional Sales Office in Washington D.C.  Mr. Schreiber joined the LVCVA in 2011 as a sales executive and was later promoted to director of convention center sales.   Mr. Schreiber has more than 25 years of experience in the hospitality industry in both Southern and Northern Nevada. Prior to joining the LVCVA, he served as Leisure Sales Manager for Caesars Palace, Director of Tour and Travel at Silver Legacy Resort Casino in Reno and Vice President of Sales for Station Casinos in Las Vegas. He currently serves on the board of directors for the Southwest chapter of IAEE and holds a Certified Exhibition Management (CEM) certificate.  A resident of Nevada since 1984, Mr. Schreiber is a graduate of Bishop Gorman High School and attended Loyola University, New Orleans as well as the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.   

Kirstin Lewis is the Vice President of Questex’s global Event Performance team. She brings more than 25 years of expertise in event operations and event management in the B2B events industry. The Event Performance team delivers a multi-channel approach working collaboratively with Questex’s Center of Excellence. Lewis is responsible for the overall operations, logistics, customer engagement, registration management and event enablement for all Questex verticals – Hospitality, Wellness, Healthcare & Life Sciences and Experiential Technology – connecting live events with digital and hybrid experiences. Lewis strategically leads her team by focusing on industry trends that place the customer at the center as well as implementing new systems and processes. She brings strong executive experience from managing verticals and market events, small networking events to multiple large tradeshows. By understanding business needs and strategies at an executive level from creation through implementation, she has the ability to develop relationships at every level from industry leaders through the buyer’s needs. Lewis is a master at collaborating with internal teams, external vendors and industry leaders to connect all points for maximum value. She works closely with the sales teams to identify sponsorship opportunities and develops operational plans to implement them, increasing event revenue. She also manages the development and implementation of strategic operational goals and objectives to improve the profitability and efficiency of future events. Additionally, Lewis has vast experience in working in large convention centers in top tier cities where event operation management can be challenging. Lewis joined Questex in 2002 as the Director of Operations. Prior, she was the Director of Conference and Operations for the technology events at Advanstar Communications.

Maddy Ryley is the Managing Editor at Trade Show Executive (TSE), where she oversees assignments and content for the print magazine and continues to write for both the print and digital sides of the publication.

Michelle is currently the Chief Revenue Officer of Ai4, the industry’s most important AI event. Ai4 was recently acquired by CloserStill Media, a leading international B2B event company. She has over 30 years of event experience, spanning consumer events, trade shows and conferences. Some highlights include rebuilding Surfaces to become a “Trade Show Top 35”, directing worldwide events for the PlayStation launch and served as COO & Co-Founder of several top events such as InsureTech Connect (ITC), Mobile Apps Unlocked (MAU), LeadsCon and others…which all grew from launch to critical mass and were acquired by Clarion and Access Intelligence. In 2019, she led the charge to change the direction of Ai4, where it has grown from several 300+ person events to the leading AI event with 10,000 – 12,000 people participating in Ai4 2026. When Michelle is not building new events, she’s doing animal rescue and enjoying a special glass of wine with her wonderful husband in Dallas.

Stuart Ruff-Lyon is RIMS’ Chief Events and Sales Officer where he leads the team of event and sales professionals, with a responsibility for both event and non-event revenue. At RIMS, event sales (attendee registration, exhibitor, and sponsorship sales) and non-event sales (whitepapers, research, webinars, podcasts, RMM content, etc.) account for more than 70% of the operating revenue. Stuart is passionate about RIMS and is the primary staff lead for RISKWORLD (formerly known as RIMS Annual Conference & Exhibition; Stuart led this rebrand effort in 2019). Stuart joined the RIMS team in October 2012 as the Director of Meetings and Events, and enjoyed updated titles to Vice President and now, Chief. Stuart has worked in the hospitality and events industry for more than 20 years, with experience in planning international events and global citywide conventions.

Susan Newman is senior vice president of event strategy at the National Retail Federation. Newman is a member of NRF’s executive staff, which is responsible for the execution of NRF’s strategic mission. As the head of events, Newman serves as a spokesperson for NRF and relevant industry events and trends and is frequently quoted by industry and national media. In 2017, she was featured on the cover of Trade Show Executive as a leader of the industry. Under her tenure, NRF’s events have been recognized more than 33 times as one of the fastest-growing and top events by Trade Show Executive and Trade Show News Network. In addition, NRF’s annual convention attendance grew more than 300%, net square footage grew 160% and sales increased an average of 300% throughout Newman’s tenure. In 2014, Newman was recognized as Show Manager of the Year by The Expo Group. Newman joined NRF as vice president of conferences in 2003. She has more than 30 years of trade show and event experience.

Todd Sheahan serves as Vice President of Portfolio Sales at RX, where he drives growth across highly competitive markets. In this role, he oversees revenue performance and sales strategy across flagship events within the RXUS portfolio, with a strong track record of building and leading high-performing sales teams that consistently deliver. Todd brings a forward-looking approach to identifying and capitalizing on emerging market opportunities, positioning portfolios for sustained success and top-tier performance.

Vinnie Polito has spent 25 years in senior leadership positions in the trade show industry. During his career, he’s had two international postings, launched events on five continents and developed highly specialized conferences in technology, life sciences and healthcare. Vinnie is also the past Chairman of the International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE) and a recipient of the organization’s highest honor, the Pinnacle Award. He continues to advise and mentor several SISO members and their events, with particular emphasis on turnarounds and launches.