Just over a week after announcing the creation of the APEX COVID-19 Business Recovery Task Force, the Events Industry Council has released a full list of task force members.

Chair Paul Van Deventer said the EIC is seeing a number of industry-wide efforts focused on developing standards to ensure the safety and wellness of attendees and protocols essential to reinforce attendee confidence in attending live business events.

“The work of this task force is crucial to curate those efforts and present them in a comprehensive way that translates into practical solutions for professionals across our ecosystem,” Van Deventer said. 

The task force will work to address key meeting and event industry needs in parallel:

• The immediate need for guidance on accepted practices and work already underway to reopen the industry when it’s safe to do so
•  The long-term need to examine adaptation and transformation for future workforce stability and the relevance and resiliency of the industry as a whole

APEX COVID-19 Business Recovery Task Force Members

•      Co-Chair Michael Dominguez, President and CEO, Associated Luxury Hotels International (ALHI)

•      Co-Chair Kristin Horstman, Senior Director of Strategic Events, Salesforce

•      Amanda Armstrong, Assistant Vice President, Global Meetings and Travel, Enterprise Holdings

•      Cleo Battle, Chief Operating Officer, Louisville Tourism

•      Scott Beck, President and CEO, Tourism Toronto

•      David Blansfield, Executive Vice President and Group Publisher, Northstar Travel Group

•      Amy Calvert, CEO, Events Industry Council

•      Rod Cameron, CEO, Joint Meetings Industry Council

•      Gregg Caren, Executive Vice President of Sales and Business Development – Convention Centers, ASM Global

•      Jerry Cito, Executive Vice President of Convention Development, NYC & Company

•      Nalan Emre, COO, IMEX Group

•      Heather Farley, COO, Access Intelligence

•      Kelly Fox, Senior Vice President of Meetings, Learning and Business Partnerships, Institute of Food Technologists (IFT)

•      Peggy Fritz, Event Services Supervisor, Toyota North America

•      Stephanie Glanzer, Chief Sales Officer and Senior Vice President, MGM Resorts

•      Chuck Ghoorah, Co-founder and President of Worldwide Sales and Marketing, Cvent

•      Linda Gray Martin, Senior Director and General Manager, RSA Conference

•      Stephanie Harris, President, The Incentive Research Foundation

•      Mark Herrera, Director of Education and Life Safety, International Association of Venue Managers

•      Juli Jones, Vice President, Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI)

•      David Kliman, President, The Kliman Group

•      Mary Kreins, Senior National Sales Director, Disney Meetings and Events, The Walt Disney Company

•      Amy Ledoux, Chief Learning and Meetings Officer, ASAE: The Center for Association Leadership

•      Tony Lorenz, Founder, Headsail

•      Karen Malone, Vice President Meetings, HIMSS

•      Richard Maranville, Executive Vice President, Chief Digital Officer, The Freeman Company

•      Frank Passanante, Senior Vice President, Hilton Worldwide Sales – Americas

•      Tammy Routh, Senior Vice President Global Sales, Marriott International

•      Stuart Ruff-Lyon, Vice President of Events and Exhibitions, Risk and Insurance Management Society (RIMS)

•      Gary Schirmacher, CMP, Senior Vice President, Industry Presence and Strategic Development, Maritz

•      Cathy Schlosberg, Senior Vice President Marketing, PSAV

•      Peter Scialla, President and COO, Delos

•      Bita Seow, Executive Director, Singapore Association of Convention & Exhibition Organisers and Suppliers (SACEOS)

•      Julie Smith, CEM, CTA, Senior Vice President of Exhibition Sales, Global Experience Specialists

•      Scott Solombrino, CEO, Global Business Travel Association

•      Yen Tsutsumi, Senior Vice President of Operations, George P Johnson Experience Marketing

•      Paul Van Deventer, President and CEO, Meeting Professionals International (MPI)

•      Liz Warwick, Vice President of Meeting Management and Event Strategy, Liberty Mutual Insurance

•      Brad Weaber, Principal, Brad Weaber Consulting Group, LLC

•      Johnnie White, CEO, American Society of Appraisers

Co-chair Michael Dominguez said the task force’s work will be guided by a roadmap to accepted practices.

“The sub-groups will follow a process that looks at resources, gaps, stakeholders, policies and procedures, the 360-degree attendee/customer experience, and risk management guidelines,” Dominguez said. “This comprehensive and global work will result in a resource that will be invaluable across all sectors.”

The task force will meet bi-weekly and share updates as its work progresses.

“We are a global industry of 26 million professionals who fundamentally believe in the value of face-to-face meetings,” said Amy Calvert, CEO, Events Industry Council. “We will offer our collective leadership through these necessary adaptations and leverage this moment to transform so that our industry is better understood, supported and relevant now and into the future.”

Anyone interested in contributing should send an email to covidtaskforce@eventscouncil.org.