BOB DAVIS is founder and president of Thrive Communications LLC, based in El Dorado Hills, CA, which develops marketing strategies to drive sales. Davis has more than 20 years of marketing and communications experience, and has produced and coordinated hundreds of events from trade shows to political inaugurations.



ANGELINE GRACE CLOSE Ph.D. is professor of marketing at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where she teaches courses on marketing management, advertising and integrated communications, international marketing, and others. She also conducts consumer research in event marketing and the internet, focusing on how event-based communications affects behavior.



ALLISON SAGET is a San Francisco-based event marketing consultant and author of “The Event Marketing Handbook” (Kaplan Business, 2006). In her 20-year career, she has designed and managed the strategies and plans for more than 1,000 events. Her experience comprises various marketing disciplines, including advertising, collateral, and direct marketing.



SANDRA TOMS LaPEDIS is vice president and general manager of RSA Conferences for RSA Security Inc. in San Mateo, CA. As general manager, LaPedis oversees multi-day events in the U.S., Europe and Asia that attract thousands of attendees. She has more than 18 years of professional experience in marketing, corporate communications, investor relations, and law, and holds both B.A. and J.D. degrees.