Jennifer Garrett
Having confidence in your brand’s voice turns a social media predicament into good PR. [...] Read more
CEO and Co-Founder
New York, New York
Age: 29
Ben Hindman’s passion explodes when he describes not just his product—Splash That, an online event dashboard incorporating registration, information and social—but also when he talks about the potential of events. “Something changes at every event,” he says. “It’s where brands are built, movements are started.” Planning for as long as he remembers (i.e., a birthday party at 9, prom, fraternity social events and then up to 70 a year for Thrillist), Hindman realized things could be simplified and energized. “This is insane, we all do the same things, and it’s really hard and it [...] Read more
Senior Sales Professional
Athens, Georgia
Age: 36
Melissa Dutton graduated from the University of Georgia and earned a master’s degree studying in England, but after getting married, her alma mater came calling. Dutton sees the future of meetings and events looking to the past, becoming more personal even with the new technological advances planners utilize. “I think people look forward to face-to-face conferences, and content is not the same when it’s not face-to-face,” she says. She understands the importance of her position, which is to get groups to UGA’s hotel and conference center. “In order for our building to stay here, we don’t [...] Read more
Learning and Development Coordinator
Houston, Texas
Age: 34
Suzan Nguyen plans everything from employee sales training sessions to food truck Thursdays. “I love planning,” she says. “I love details.” Nguyen, CTE, has nearly seven years of experience organizing and planning employee training sessions within companies. She is a member of the business continuity committee, which focuses on having a plan in place in case of natural disasters. Though she is happy technology can aid in safety awareness and preparation with web-based tools that help scope out a venue and ensure every need is met, she doesn’t want future planners to become dependent on [...] Read more
Creative Director
Washington, D.C.
Age: 28
“Hard work does pay off,” says Sugar Taylor, who, after working as an office manager for a financial planning firm, opened DIYva Designs and, later, the corporate-focused Taylor and Hov with friend and business partner Narine Hovnanian. “I got where I am today by believing in that, and demonstrating it by patiently working each event like it was my first.” Now, as the creative director, Taylor focuses on branding and relationships. “Part of that brand is our personalities, and when people meet us, they really like who we are.”
First Job: Art director for a nonprofit in the [...] Read more
Director of Event Management
Memphis, Tennessee
Age: 32
Event planning, public relations, sales, services, operations—you name it, Mary Catherine Tagg, DMCP, has done it during her 10-year career. A communications graduate from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, she served as director of PR and fundraising event planner for a nonprofit rehabilitation center in Memphis before joining Leo Events (formerly Destination King) in 2007. In six years, she’s worked on the sales and operations side of more than 500 events. “As planners, we need to work together by talking with our local CVBs, being involved in industry associations, and networking with each other to [...] Read more
Events Manager
Silver Spring, Maryland
Age: 29
An advocate for change and structure, Shira Kundinger has streamlined the planning of Inc. Magazine’s busy calendar of corporate events. She handles dozens of innovative client-sponsored events each year, working with sponsors such as Capital One, Cox Communications and Bank of America. The events include localized roundtables of CEOs, awards receptions and networking events for small business owners. She is also part of a team that plans the big Inc. 500/5000 conference and awards ceremony and Inc.’s GrowCo conference each year. Kundinger is a quintuplet, with four brothers. She learned organizational and multi-tasking skills watching her [...] Read more
