The Corporate Event News Event Expert Profile series features interviews with some of the many talented corporate event professionals who make this industry thrive.

Stefanie Maragna, or Stef, as she prefers, has been involved in sales, marketing and events for more than 20 years, but has a special place in her heart for the events portion of her roles. Her diverse background has allowed her to better understand the needs and motivations of all the stakeholders who are involved with events, from marketing to sales to partners and executives.

In July, Corporate Event News conducted a reader survey which asked corporate event professionals to select and rank the top challenges they face on the job.

Event professionals are still being asked to do more, with less. The number one challenge reported by the majority of readers was “low budget, high expectations.”   

The MPI Academy provides certificate programs for meeting and event professionals that are designed to enhance critical job skills on a wide variety of topics. The organization's educational portfolio has been growing at a rapid pace. In addition to certification courses in meeting and event management, courses are now available on the business value of meetings, emergency preparedness, sustainability, experiential events and more.

IMEX America, America’s worldwide exhibition for incentive travel, meetings and events, will be held Oct. 16 – 18 at the Sands Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada. Now in its eighth year, IMEX America 2018 will bring together more than 12,000 event professionals from around the world.

The International Live Event Association (ILEA)’s annual ILEA Live conference, held Aug. 16-18 in Denver, Colo., brought together 505 creative event professionals from around the globe for two and a half days of educational content and networking.

The International Live Events Association (ILEA)’s annual conference, ILEA Live, was held Aug. 16-18 in Denver, Colo. The event, and the association itself, brings together creative event professionals from across all industries.

The common theme across all these event disciplines is the need to provide transcendent, immersive experiences. People today are looking for more than just an old-school event with a single screen and classroom-style lecture presentation. They want their event to stand out from the crowd and are looking for ways to turn that idea into reality.

SPIN:Senior Professionals Industry Network has announced the 2018 recipients of the industry’s first recognition for veteran meeting planners - SPIN:40 Over 40. This initiative was created in 2017 to recognize and honor planners who are industry role models, influencers, innovators and pioneers.

The Corporate Event News Event Expert Profile series features interviews with some of the many talented corporate event professionals who make this industry thrive.

This month, I spoke with Wendy Laugesen, the director of global events for MarkLogic, a privately-owned enterprise database company with over 500 employees and 14 offices worldwide. Laugesen initially dreamed of becoming the general manager of a hotel, but after several years in the hospitality industry and earning a bachelor’s degree in hospitality administration, decided that event management was a better fit.

The Corporate Event Marketing Association’s CEMA Summit 2018 was held July 22-24 at the Terranea Resort in Rancho Palos Verdes, California.

Registration is now open for SPINCon, the annual conference produced by SPIN: Senior Planners Industry Network. SPIN is the world’s largest association limited to senior-level planners with at least 10 years full-time planning experience.

SPINCon 2018 will be held Nov. 11-13, 2018 at The Don CeSar, a landmark hotel affectionately known as “The Pink Palace," in St. Petersburg, Florida.

 “Each year SPINCon focuses on the whole person: brain, body, being and business," said SPIN’s executive director, Tracey Smith.