People in the News

ANDMORE promoted former Executive Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer Dorothy Belshaw to President. Belshaw joined ANDMORE as President, Gift in 2012. Before working at ANDMORE, she was Senior Vice President and Director, New York International Gift Fair at George Little Management. Belshaw has more than 20 years of events industry experience.

ANDMORE appointed Jonathan Pertchik as CEO. Pertchik was previously CEO at TravelCenters of America, and has more than two decades of management experience. Former ANDMORE CEO Bob Maricich, who founded the company (then known as International Market Centers) in 2011, will become Executive Chairman of the Board to facilitate an efficient transition.

ASM Global announced that Lindsay Arell will serve as its first Chief Sustainability Officer. Arell is the Founder of Honeycomb Strategies, and led the development of the ASM Global ACTS sustainability plan. With 20 years of experience pioneering sustainability in the live events industry, Arell will help drive sustainability efforts at ASM Global’s 400 venues, which include 50 green-certified venues, with plans like the introduction of reusable service ware in the North American portfolio by working with r.World.

Arell is also past Chair of the Events Industry Council Sustainability Committee and ASTM Venue Sustainability Standard. The announcement came alongside the venue-management company announcing it is intensifying its efforts to convert its venue portfolio to the most sustainable in the world.

Nicola Kastner is the new CEO of Event Leaders Exchange (ELX), a private professional community that facilitates change-driving discussions between senior corporate event leaders. Kastner will enhance ELX’s strategic initiatives, global footprint and membership, and foster an intimate, collaborative environment for its members. She has more than 20 years of management experience, and helps global brands optimize their events as Founder of The Event Strategist. Before joining ELX, Kastner was Global Vice President of Event Marketing Strategy at SAP.

Iventis, a visual event planning platform, promoted Matthew Wilson to Chief Revenue Officer. Formerly Director of Business Development at the company, Wilson will drive growth and create strategic partnerships in this new role. He has more than a decade of business management experience and, before joining Iventis in 2023, was Director of Business Development at Bespoke Fireplaces.

Visit Anaheim appointed Mike Waterman as President and CEO, effective April 29, 2024. As the organization’s strategic and visionary leader, he will oversee its efforts to bring events to the Anaheim area, boosting economic growth. Waterman has more than 30 years of events industry leadership experience, and previously worked as Chief Sales Officer at Visit Orlando.

Greg Topalian, Chairman of Clarion Events North America, is launching On Deck Ventures, a firm offering strategic guidance, venture funding, connections and public speaking services to help businesses build events in high-growth and emerging industries. The firm’s current portfolio includes Fora Group, which operates Ai4 and RETCON, and Yotta, a new event serving the data industry.

Topalian brings more than 25 years of events industry experience to On Deck Ventures, and recently joined the SportsGrid Inc. Board of Directors.

Dallas Market Center (DMC) hired Lea Tranakos as Senior Director, Audience Development and Tradeshow Sales. She will oversee attendee and exhibitor growth strategy for ArchLIGHT Summit, DMC’s annual lighting trade show. Tranakos brings more than 30 years of industry experience to this role and is the Co-Leader, Co-Liaison and Finance Chair of Women in Lighting + Design’s Atlanta Chapter. Tranakos previously worked as Executive Director, Client Relations at LightFair.

Brian Mason, MBA is now Vice President, Strategy and Operations at the Corporate Event Marketing Association (CEMA). He will oversee the CEMA team and collaborate with its Advisory Board to execute the association’s vision and drive growth initiatives such as brand marketing, new product development, events, membership growth and retention, and community engagement. Mason is an experienced CEMA member and previously served on its Advisory Board. Before CEMA, he worked as Senior Director of Strategic Events at Salesforce. 

Andy O’Sullivan, Chief Executive Officer at the Olympia London exhibition center, was elected to the board of the Association of Event Venues. O’Sullivan has more than 15 years of industry experience, and, before joining Olympia London, worked as Venue Director and Director of Hospitality at the Tottenham Hotspur Football Club.