THE FOCUS IS ON YOU

As Director of Partnerships for Capita Travel and Events, Leigh has the responsibility for the strategic management and development of the agency’s relationships with core travel and meetings partners. This includes accommodation and venue providers, train operating companies, ground transportation, distribution and airlines.

With over 20 years sound industry experience and knowledge, Leigh has a real passion for this sector.

Chairman of the HBAA in 2016, leading the Association with a five-year strategy, having taken it Back to Basics and to build it back up on the foundations with the Board, Executive Director and Executive Committee.

Alexandra is an experienced event professional with a career primarily within International Corporate organisations. She achieved a 2.1 (hons) LLB Law degree and intended to practice as a solicitor before deciding life was going to be much more fun planning events for lawyers than actually being one. Her career has taken her through the ranks of in-house events teams and she is currently a Vice President at Barclays Corporate Banking leading a team of event planners. Having entered the event world through being the client, she has a unique perspective on how corporates should approach their event programmes and how event professionals can add the most value and be the experts they truly are within a challenging corporate environment.

Alex has an addiction to canapés which she counters by training to run marathons. She splits her time between her home in London and Oxford, where she and her fiancé own and run a country pub.

Neil is Head of Business Events at VisitScotland, the national tourism body for Scotland. He leads a team of 14 dedicated business event specialists, and is responsible for the development, implementation and delivery of the marketing strategy for business events (MICE) at a national level for Scotland.

With 28 years’ experience in the international tourism and hospitality industry, Neil joined VisitScotland in 2008 as Meetings & Incentives Manager. His career prior to that included business development with leading global event caterer Sodexo; Director of Sales & Marketing at Rocco Forte’s Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh, and revenue development with Le Meridien Hotels in the USA.

Neil reports directly into VisitScotland Events Directorate Chief Operating Officer Paul Bush OBE. With tourism being devolved to the Scottish Government, Neil also has direct dealings with members of the Scottish cabinet, ministers and other Scottish public sector agencies at a senior level.Since becoming head of Business Events in 2010, Neil has been instrumental in repositioning the MICE market within Scotland from being a niche sector to a serious player in its own right, stimulating interest and commitment from industry, government and local authorities around the country. New advocacy forums, interest groups and mini-DMOs are also evidence of a rejuvenated sector under Neil’s lead.

Neil works in partnership with the city convention bureaux of Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dundee, as well as the main convention centres in those cities. These are strong relationships which allow each partner to deliver in specific areas whilst complementing the other’s work and avoiding replication.

Patrick Delaney is Managing Partner at SoolNua, a boutique consultancy working in the Meetings and Events industry. Following a number of years working in various hotel management roles around the world he started Delaney Marketing Consultants in 1994, which subsequently acquired Ovation. Following the acquisition of Ovation Group in 2007 by MCI it underwent a global expansion programme across 100 European, Asian, Latin American and Middle Eastern destinations.

Delaney was the first non-US international president of Site (Society of Incentive and Travel Executives), he has been honoured with various awards and has spoken at numerous international events. Ultimately it is Patrick’s accumulation of knowledge and credibility gained over many years serving the industry that enables him to ask the hard questions that drive The Meetings Show forward.

Therese is a Professional Conference Organiser and has been with Diabetes UK for 4 years. During the last 12 years, working within the conference and events sector, she has worked for several well-known organisations in the UK and Ireland. These include Congrex and Conference Partners before Therese moved in-house to lead the team of 10 event professionals responsible for a large portfolio including an annual conference for 3,000 delegates.

Therese is an active member of ABPCO (Association of British Professional Conference Organisers) and took over as joint chair in 2017 having served on the Executive Board since 2016.

Sally Greenhill is Managing Director of The Right Solution Limited, specialist advisors for the development of conference and events facilities and destinations. Sally has more than 30 years’ experience in the meetings industry, including over the last 20 years developing some of the UK’s best loved convention centres and destinations. Prior to that she spent many years in event management, venue operations and sales. She is a highly respected meetings professional.  

Tracy Halliwell’s role as Director of Business Tourism & Major Events at London & Partners has firmly confirmed her position as one of the UK’s most prominent members of the meetings profession. For more than 20 years she has been working in sales and marketing roles within destinations, hotels and venues. Tracey’s industry knowledge, reputation and forward thinking attitude are of huge benefit to her role within London & Partners, as they will also be to The Meetings Show’s Advisory Board. 

Steven heads up the events team of 10 at the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), leading on the day to day running of the team as well as developing the events strategy, operational plan and a budget of around £2 million. They deliver 60-70 events a year including an annual Congress for 5000 delegates, conferences including 200+ speakers, dinners, awards ceremonies, workshops and exhibitions.

With two business degrees from both UK and French universities in addition to over 15 years event-specific experience I have a breadth of knowledge and skills in marketing, finance and HR required to lead an events team, an organisation-wide strategy and a portfolio of high profile events. My experience has included working in commercial organisations, member-led associations and trade unions.

Nicole joined NCRI in June 2015 as Head of Conference and Events. She provides leadership and direction for the strategic development of the NCRI Cancer Conference and other NCRI events while overseeing their operational delivery.

Nicole has a degree in PR and Advertising with an MA in Event Management and a postgraduate certificate in Business Finance and Management. After a brief spell as a graphic designer, Nicole worked as a marketing manager for a fashion company in her native Italy, near Milan.

When she moved to the UK, she worked as an event planner for the Italian Chamber of Commerce and Industry for the UK and various other clients including well-known educational institutions and hospitality establishments. She then joined the Royal Society of Medicine, where she worked for over seven years and was responsible for leading and coordinating the strategic planning function and day-to-day operations of an event team of 30.

Nicole is a full member of the Association of British Professional Conference Organisers (ABPCO) and was elected joint-chair in 2014. In her spare time she practices and teaches Hatha Yoga and meditation.

Caroline is a meetings industry professional with over 25 years’ experience.

As a PCO, Caroline has an in depth understanding of Associations and not for profit organisations, their events and the requirements they have from the supply chain which supports these organisations.

She has specialist knowledge of the healthcare and life science meetings and congresses gained from working within the PCO and medical communication sectors.

She has a keen interest in the drivers impacting the evolution of the meeting’s industry, especially the economic impact value of business events, and how the changing regulatory landscape is impacting medical and health care conferences.

Caroline enjoys a wider involvement with the meeting and events industry. She is a member of the Steering Group for the Business Tourism for Scotland working group and a member of the Association of British Professional Conference Organisers (ABPCO), in addition to her role within the Advisory Board for The Meeting Show.

Caroline is Director of Global Association Partners, a specialist advisory and delivery Service Company for the development and management of events; support services for associations and suppliers to these markets.

Kerrin is a business tourism specialist whose career in tourism started some 28 years ago. After a long successful period within the hotel sector, in 2003, Kerrin made a move to the Liverpool City Region Tourist Board, before moving to the ACC Liverpool in 2005 and onto Visit Britain in 2017. As a passionate supporter of the meetings industry she holds key roles within major associations such as ABPCO and ICCA. Her focused, goal driven attitude ensures success in all her endeavours and The Meetings Show is delighted to have such a determined and knowledgeable individual supporting the show.

For the past 14 years Douglas O’Neill has been the Managing Director of Inntel, the business his family has owned for over 30 years. Inntel is one of the largest independent meetings and travel management businesses in the UK.

He leads a team of industry experts who provide the opportunity to explore, question, assess and learn wherever possible. This allows them to improve and grow, whilst provoking the industry.

Douglas can often be found problem solving or considering the bigger picture whilst marathon running. He is however less focused on business when watching Arsenal!

As Executive Director of the HBAA, Juliet Price is one of most respected and knowledgeable individuals within the meetings industry. She has held a variety of roles across the sector over the course of the last thirty years including a strong focus on the hotel sector and 13 years as head of a leading agency. She has an all-round understanding of the meetings industry having worked in finance and sales for hotels, and within operations, account management and marketing for both venue finding agencies and event management companies. Specifically, her work in both financial and sales roles gives her a true understanding of the importance of events and their place within the corporate market. As Chairman of the HBAA in 2011 she confirmed her place at the top of the industry and her knowledge and input will be of huge benefit to The Meetings Show Advisory Board.

Tarquin is the CEO at mdgroup where he helps pharmaceutical and biotech companies get products to market faster, by retaining patients and supporting clinical trial sites and investigators.

He has lead the mdgroup evolution from a healthcare event and travel management company to a dedicated clinical trial support service provider, offering personalised services and software solutions to make patients and investigators feel supported, informed and engaged throughout studies.

Tarquin and his family, fluent in English and French, enjoy splitting their time between France and the UK, allowing him to pursue his passion for running and fitness. 

Laurie Scott is Head of Conventions & Events at Visit Aberdeenshire. He has a wide range of experience in the global industry including six-plus years working for Visit Britain in NYC including three-plus years heading up Business Tourism in North America.

We're thrilled to welcome Laurie to the board for 2017 and look forward to his support on maintaining the high standards we strive for on The Meetings Show.

Diane joined the senior team at QEII Centre in January 2015 to help drive forward a £12 million rebranding and renovation of this iconic events venue, to position it as a go-to destination for conferences, exhibitions, product launches, fashion shows, award dinners and other F&B led events.

Since the centre rebranded, Diane has been responsible for changing perceptions of QEII by hosting spectacular showcase events to demonstrate the venue’s creativity and flexibility, including transforming the venue into a pop-up circus tent complete with Victorian strongmen and ringmaster, a secret garden and a 1950s drive-thru cinema featuring classic Mustangs, and going back to the 80s for QEII’s 30th birthday immersive event.

Diane has a career portfolio including senior roles at the Honourable Artillery Company (HAC), Natural History Museum, Searcy’s at the Barbican and the Tower Thistle Hotel. She currently holds the role of chair for venue marketing consortium Westminster Venue Collection, is the Chair of the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) UK & Ireland and is the former chair of London City Selection.