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CMP Fellows, CMPs, Futures Landscape, Sustainable Events

The Calendar Is Breaking: What Climate Change Is Actually Doing to Event Planning

The first thing experienced event professionals like myself will tell you when this topic comes up is that they’ve always had a rain plan. The outdoor evening event with the […]

The Calendar Is Breaking: What Climate Change Is Actually Doing to Event Planning Read Post »

June 25, 2026

By Liz Lathan, CMP

Club Ichi

Co-founder and Chief Community Officer

Liz Lathan, CMP
Liz Lathan, CMP

Club Ichi

Co-founder and Chief Community Officer

Liz Lathan, CMP, is an experiential strategist, community builder and co-founder of Club Ichi, a private membership community for B2B event marketers. A former corporate event leader with more than 20 years of experience at companies including Dell and IBM, she also leads The Community Factory, helping organisations create human-centred event experiences that spark meaningful connection and year-round engagement.

Advocacy, CMP Fellows, Research

Beyond Economic Impact: Why It’s Time We Tell a Stronger Story About Business Events

As the 2026 Global Economic Significance of Business Events Study has now confirmed, our industry is one of the most powerful economic and societal forces in the world. The research

Beyond Economic Impact: Why It’s Time We Tell a Stronger Story About Business Events Read Post »

June 9, 2026

By Deanna Griffith‑House, CMP Fellow, CMM, PMP

CMP Governance Commission

Chair Elect

Deanna Griffith‑House, CMP Fellow, CMM, PMP
Deanna Griffith‑House, CMP Fellow, CMM, PMP

CMP Governance Commission

Chair Elect

With more than 20 years in the events industry, Deanna Griffith-House brings to the table a rich background in complex project management, honed through years of orchestrating high-profile events on a global scale. Her expertise extends beyond mere logistics, encompassing event portfolio strategy and implementation with a meticulous eye for detail. Her strategic acumen is matched only by the ability to conceptualize innovative experiences that captivate audiences and leave a lasting impression.

CMP Fellows, CMPs, Futures Landscape

Events Are Facing Two Kinds of Risk. Most Teams Are Only Planning for One

I feel like I’ve seen more risk for events in the past five years than in the previous 26 years of my career. Risk is not new. Events have always

Events Are Facing Two Kinds of Risk. Most Teams Are Only Planning for One Read Post »

April 23, 2026

By Beth Surmont, CMP Fellow, CAE, FASAE

Event Strategy and Design

Head of Strategy and Design

Beth Surmont, CMP Fellow, CAE, FASAE
Beth Surmont, CMP Fellow, CAE, FASAE

Event Strategy and Design

Head of Strategy and Design

Beth Surmont is an event strategist who works with associations to reimagine their events.  With experience in both corporate and non-profit events, and as the Head of Strategy & Design for 360 Live Media, Beth is a leading designer of the next era of events.

CMP Fellows, CMPs, Futures Landscape, Research, Workforce

DEI as a Driver of Innovation: What 30 Years Across 4 Continents Taught Me

For more than thirty years, I have lived and worked across four continents. This was never part of a carefully designed career plan. I did not set out to become

DEI as a Driver of Innovation: What 30 Years Across 4 Continents Taught Me Read Post »

March 9, 2026

By Benoit Sauvage, DMCP, CMP Fellow, CITP

Connect DMC

Founder and CEO

Benoit Sauvage, DMCP, CMP Fellow, CITP
Benoit Sauvage, DMCP, CMP Fellow, CITP

Connect DMC

Founder and CEO

Award-winning hospitality industry leader Benoit Sauvage, DMCP, CMP Fellow, CITP, is the Founder and CEO of Connect DMC, a leading Destination Management Company operating in the Caribbean, Central America and Mexico. He is also the Founder and CEO of Hospitality Sustainability Revolution (HSR), a global consulting firm supporting hospitality stakeholders in their sustainability journey.

Born in Paris, France, Benoit has lived and worked across 4 continents over the past 30 years. He brings more than 25 years of experience delivering high-end, complex destination services to clients worldwide, with a strong focus on creativity, attention to detail, community engagement, and sustainable practices.

CMP Fellows, Futures Landscape, Research

Understanding the Evolving Mobility Landscape for Business Events

When thinking about the mobility landscape as it pertains to business events, you are faced with an astonishing web of separate but connected industries such as air transport and ground

Understanding the Evolving Mobility Landscape for Business Events Read Post »

February 16, 2026

By Marcus Eng, CMP Fellow, DES

American Public Transportation Association (APTA)

Senior Director of Meeting Operations

Marcus Eng, CMP Fellow, DES
Marcus Eng, CMP Fellow, DES

American Public Transportation Association (APTA)

Senior Director of Meeting Operations

Marcus Eng, CMP Fellow, DES, is the Senior Director of Meeting Operations at the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), a trade association representing more than 1,500 public and private sector organizations involved in public transit in the U.S. and Canada. As part of APTA’s meetings team, Marcus helps produce more than 15 major face-to-face meetings throughout the country, including APTA’s annual meeting and expo, which attracts more than 10,000 attendees.

CMP Fellows, CMPs, Futures Landscape, Sustainable Events

ESG: The Next Chapter in Event Design

If there’s one acronym dominating conversations in our industry right now, it’s ESG—Environmental, Social, and Governance. What started as a sustainability conversation has evolved into a holistic framework that touches every aspect of event planning. It’s no longer about checking a box; it’s about creating experiences that reflect values, deliver measurable impact, and foster lasting change.

ESG: The Next Chapter in Event Design Read Post »

January 13, 2026

By Meredith Flanagan, CMP Fellow, CMM

Gensler

Director, Meetings and Events

Meredith Flanagan, CMP Fellow, CMM
Meredith Flanagan, CMP Fellow, CMM

Gensler

Director, Meetings and Events

Meredith Flannagan, CMP Fellow, CMM, is an accomplished meetings and events leader with more than 20 years of experience delivering high-impact corporate and experiential events across global organisations. She currently serves as Director of Meetings & Events at Gensler and is an active member of EIC’s Sustainability and Social Impact Committee, where she helps advance inclusive and sustainable event practices worldwide.

CMPs, Futures Landscape, Research, Sustainable Events

From Access to Capacity: Why Neuroinclusion Is the Next Frontier in Event Design

Accessibility has always been central to our industry’s purpose: bringing people together across physical, digital, and cultural barriers. But the next frontier asks us to go deeper. As our world

From Access to Capacity: Why Neuroinclusion Is the Next Frontier in Event Design Read Post »

November 14, 2025

By Yush Sztalkoper, CMP

NeuroSpark+ | Neuroinclusion & Human Capacity

Founder

Yush Sztalkoper, CMP
Yush Sztalkoper, CMP

NeuroSpark+ | Neuroinclusion & Human Capacity

Founder

Yush Sztalkoper, CMP, is the founder of NeuroSpark+, helping the events industry design for human sustainability through neuroinclusion and systems transformation. With almost two decades designing global corporate events at UBS, JPMorgan, and Gartner, she now pioneers neuroinclusion frameworks for the AI era—using the events industry as a laboratory for capacity-first approaches that reshape how we create human connection at scale.

Yush created The Human OS™, Root Reflection™ diagnostic, SHIFT Pathway™, and NeuroDesign™ methodology—a complete system that scales from individuals to entire industries, moving all from surviving to thriving.

CMP Fellows, CMPs, Futures Landscape, Research, Sustainable Events

Accessibility Starts with the Design, Not the Request

As part of our Futures Landscape Series focus on Accessibility and Inclusion, Beth Surmont, CMP Fellow sat down with  Samantha “Sam” Evans, ICE-CCP, CAE, MBA, Certification Director at IAAP (International

Accessibility Starts with the Design, Not the Request Read Post »

November 12, 2025

By Beth Surmont, CMP Fellow, CAE, FASAE

Event Strategy and Design

Head of Strategy and Design

Beth Surmont, CMP Fellow, CAE, FASAE
Beth Surmont, CMP Fellow, CAE, FASAE

Event Strategy and Design

Head of Strategy and Design

Beth Surmont is an event strategist who works with associations to reimagine their events.  With experience in both corporate and non-profit events, and as the Head of Strategy & Design for 360 Live Media, Beth is a leading designer of the next era of events.

 

Generational diversity at business event
CMP Fellows, CMPs, Workforce

Generational Intelligence: The New Currency of Event Design

In today’s business-events landscape, four generations share the same spaces — as attendees, clients, suppliers, and colleagues. Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials, and Generation Z now influence design, and experience

Generational Intelligence: The New Currency of Event Design Read Post »

October 23, 2025

By Eduardo Chaillo, CMP Fellow, CMM, CITP, CASE

Eduardo Chaillo, CMP Fellow, CMM, CITP, CASE
Eduardo Chaillo, CMP Fellow, CMM, CITP, CASE

Eduardo Chaillo is a natural connector of meeting and tourism professionals globally. Currently President of his own consultancy company: Global Meetings & Tourism Specialists, he is now also Global General Manager for Maritz Latin America.

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