Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance Announces its 2025 Leadership and Board of Directors Members

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Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance Announces its 2025 Leadership and Board of Directors Members

1/15/2025

WASHINGTON, DC — The Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance (ECA), the unified advocacy voice of the business events industry, is pleased to announce its 2025 elected officers and board of directors members.

The following slate of officers have been elected by the ECA board of directors to serve a one-year term ending on December 31, 2025:

Herv� Sedky (Chair), President & Chief Executive Officer, Emerald (representing the Society of Independent Show Organizers)
Mark Bogdansky (Vice Chair), Vice President, Trade Shows and Community Engagement, Auto Care Association (representing the International Association of Exhibitions & Events)
Chris Griffin (Treasurer), President & Chief Executive Officer, Crew XP (representing the Experiential Designers & Producers Association)
Fernando Fischer (Secretary), President, Americas, RX (representing the Society of Independent Show Organizers)

These officers are joined on the 2025 board of directors by a remarkable group of accomplished leaders from across the business and professional events industry who will provide strategic and fiduciary oversight of ECA on behalf of its alliance partners:

Mike Carlucci, Chief Operating Officer, Clarion Events North America (representing the International Association of Exhibitions & Events)
Beth Cowperthwaite (Ex-Officio), Senior Vice President, Communications, Emerald
Janet Dell (Ex-Officio), Chief Executive Officer, Freeman
Martha Donato, Founder and President, MAD Event Management (representing UFI, The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry)
Douglas Emslie, Chairman, Cuil Bay Capital (representing the Society of Independent Show Organizers)
Marsha Flanagan (Ex-Officio), President & Chief Executive Officer, International Association of Exhibitions & Events
Senthil Gopinath, Chief Executive Officer, International Congress and Convention Association
Sherrif Karamat, President & Chief Executive Officer, PCMA
Kevin McLaughlin, Executive Secretary-Treasurer, Mid-America Carpenters Regional Council (representing the Trade Show Labor Alliance)
Trevor Mitchell, President & Chief Executive Officer, International Association of Venue Managers
Vincent Polito (Ex-Officio), Chief Executive Officer, Society of Independent Show Organizers
Chris Schimek, Chief Operating Officer, Event & Exhibit Services, Freeman (representing the Exhibition Services & Contractors Association)
Nancy Walsh, President, North America, Informa Markets (representing the Society of Independent Show Organizers)

“ECA is incredibly fortunate to benefit from the leadership of a who’s who of industry leaders that direct and guide the advocacy efforts of the alliance,” said Tommy Goodwin, ECA’s Vice President. “Each one of these board members brings a unique perspective that allows ECA to fully represent the diversity of business and professional events industry before policymakers, from event organizers and service providers to venues and our tremendous workforce.”

ECA would also like to recognize three departing members of its board of directors, whose terms concluded at the end of 2024: Mary Pat Heftman (representing the International Association of Exhibitions & Events), Mary Larkin (representing UFI, The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry), and Kerry Painter (representing the International Association of Venue Managers). ECA sincerely thanks all three leaders for their contributions to the alliance in recent years.

About the Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance
The Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance (ECA) is a coalition of leading professional and industry associations comprising the unified advocacy voice of the business and professional events industry. To learn more about ECA and its work to advance the interests of the industry, please visit www.exhibitionsconferencesalliance.org.

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