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TOMORROW'S TALENT

330+ ENTRANTS | 80 RISING STARS SINCE LAUNCHING IN 2019 | ARE YOU NEXT?

Tomorrow’s Talent, run in partnership with M&IT, is designed to champion up-and-coming UK event professionals. Now in its eighth year, the programme provides an invaluable opportunity for future leaders to gain exposure, build connections, and enhance their careers within the meetings and events sector. 

And finally, the moment we’ve all been waiting for… 🎉

After an incredible search across the events industry to uncover the UK’s brightest rising stars, we’re excited to finally reveal this year’s Tomorrow’s Talent winners - congratulations to each and every one of them: 

  • Connie Arnold, Project Manager, DRPG

  • Louise Balderson, Project Manager

  • Oscar Easton, Events Director, Blank Canvas Entertainment

  • Katie Gallagher, Sales Executive, Crowne Plaza Newcastle

  • Lewis Hine, Founder, A World with Friends

  • Kimberley Knight, Senior Project Manager, TTA

  • Annabelle Lynch, Project Manager, DRPG

  • Katie Percival, Events Officer, Climate Group

  • Lily Shackleford, Senior Sales and Events Coordinator, Foxhills Club & Resort

  • Olivia Wilkie, Senior Project Executive, asembl.

Applications for 2027 will open at the end of this year. 

Planners can either nominate themselves OR be nominated by an industry friend or colleague. To qualify, the nominee must:
🇬🇧 Be based in the UK
🎉Hold a full-time position as a meeting or events planner/buyer
🆕Be aged 30 or under OR have only worked for up to three years in the industry

READ THE PRESS RELEASE NOMINATION PROCESS THE PRIZES TESTIMONIALS MEET THE JUDGES

NOMINATION PROCESS

TO SUBMIT A NOMINATION, YOU'LL NEED TO PROVIDE US WITH THE FOLLOWING:

  • Personal details either about you or the nominee

  • Confirmation that the nominee adheres to the qualifying criteria

  • Your nomination which can be either a URL video link that is no more than 2 minutes long OR a written submission that is no more than 500 words. In your nomination, we'll ask you to include the following:

             -   Why should we consider you/your nominee to be shortlisted for the Tomorrow’s Talent programme?
             -   What have been your/your nominee’s key achievements within the meetings and events industry?
             -   An example of how you/your nominee have faced a challenge at work, and how you/they have overcome it
             -   What impact do you think you/your nominee could have on the future of the meetings and events industry?

THE PRIZES

Invitation to attend the M&IT Awards

Celebrate your success with your peers as you’re wined and dined on an exclusive Tomorrow's Talent table at the M&IT Awards (1x ticket for yourself to attend - non-transferable), taking place on 18 September 2026 at Grosvenor House London.

Personal profiling opportunities through M&IT and The Meetings Show

Boost your profile with an exclusive interview shared across The Meetings Show website, social media, the M&IT website, and with some of our key industry partners.

VIP attendance at The Meetings Show

You’ll be granted access to the show as a hosted buyer, giving you early access to the show, access to the hosted buyer lounge with a complimentary cloakroom, food, refreshments, and more. 

The opportunity to participate in a future talent-themed education session at The Meetings Show

The future of the meetings, incentives, and events industry is in your hands, so we’d love to hear what you have to say in our panel session at the show! 

A complimentary ‘Confidence in Communicating’ training programme and the opportunity to host an education stage at The Meetings Show

All winners will be offered a complimentary four-hour ‘Confidence in Communicating’ training programme with The Attendee Experience Company (atex), covering presentation skills, intros and outros, handling challenging situations, and body language tips.

The training is great for confidence and career building, and will take place in May/June across 4 hours. Completion of the training provides the opportunity for the winners to host an education stage as an emcee at The Meetings Show 2026 - you'll need to be available and have permission to be at The Meetings Show on 24-25 June (Excel London) if you'd like to take advantage of this.

The opportunity to join The Meetings Show Advisory Board meetings

We’re always looking for ways to improve The Meetings Show, and as a Tomorrow’s Talent winner, we’d love to get your input in our biannual advisory board meetings with some of the industry’s key figures.

A complimentary place on The Sustainable Events Course

We all know the events industry needs to act now when it comes to sustainability. So, as a Tomorrow’s Talent winner, you’ll receive complimentary enrolment on our sustainability course, worth £695+VAT, and designed to support you on your journey to become an expert in delivering sustainable events.

A Women in Exhibitions membership

As an individual member, each winner* will be able to enjoy the following benefits:

  • A training programme open to all members. You can read more about it here

  • Access to events throughout the year. You can see the full calendar here

  • Access to career development opportunities

  • Sharing of knowledge & best practice with industry peers

*The organisation actively encourages men to be part of the dialogue and serve as allies to champion gender equality. 

1 lucky winner will also have the opportunity to be mentored by a Senior Manager, in partnership with Women in Exhibitions

A 6-month programme designed to support your growth and career development as you're mentored by a key figure within the exhibitions industry.

WHAT DO OUR PREVIOUS WINNERS HAVE TO SAY?

2025 WINNERS AT THE M&IT AWARDS

2025 WINNER: HANNAH ELSTON

2025 WINNER: JOSHUA MARVEN

2025 WINNER: BRONWYN GAHAGAN

2025 WINNER: MAIYA DAMBAWINNA

2025 WINNER: MILLIE FITZPATRICK

TESTIMONIALS

  • "I remember sitting over my application and being nervous to click that big submit button. I had no expectations of ever being considered as a winner, but it has absolutely changed my professional life! I’ve also met some amazing people and made some wonderful friends."
    Ash Rowe
    2019 Winner
  • “Being part of Tomorrow’s Talent helped keep me visible in the industry whilst I was job hunting. The job market has been incredibly competitive, so making sure my name was out there in industry press was so helpful.”
    Rachael Kenny
    2020 Winner
  • “To be listed as 1 of 10 of the UK’s rising stars in the events industry is pretty mind-blowing! Being a Tomorrow’s Talent winner is more than just your name on a list, you become part of a like-minded community of ambitious event professionals and it encourages you to step beyond your comfort zone and continue reaching for the stars!”
    Charli Briggs
    2021 Winner
  • “Being a Tomorrow’s Talent winner came with so many valuable opportunities. One of the biggest highlights for me was receiving a complimentary place and completing The Sustainable Events Course, produced by The Meetings Show and isla. It gave me a huge amount of knowledge and made me much more mindful and responsible when it comes to sustainability in events. It also provided me with the tools to start introducing sustainability practices within my current organisation, which I’m really proud of. Most importantly, being a Tomorrow’s Talent winner feels like a real badge of honour, a sign that the judges recognised my hard work and passion for the industry. It’s something I’ll be proud of for the rest of my career, and I’m confident that winning this award will have a lasting, positive impact on my growth and future opportunities.”
    Lulia Zorzoana
    2024 Winner

MEET THE JUDGES

ALL ENTRANTS WILL BE ASSESSED FOR THEIR ACHIEVEMENTS TO DATE, ABILITY TO FACE CHALLENGES, DRIVE, AMBITION AND ENGAGEMENT WITH THE WIDER INDUSTRY

Leigh Cowlishaw

Managing Partner
Black Box Partnerships

Paul Harvey

Editor
M&IT 

Patrick Delaney

Managing Partner
SoolNua

Priya Narain

Co-Founder and Director
Event First Steps

Gracia Kabongo

Senior Associate, Stakeholder Engagement and Events Lead
Ofwat

Hannah Elston

Marketing and Communications Manager
Event Leaders Exchange (ELX)

"I am looking for Tomorrow's Talent to stand out and bring to life their passion and zest for the events industry. With the ever increasing demands of events excellence and the creation of experiences; for me Tomorrow's Talent must demonstrate and bring to life how they have contributed to this and provided lasting impressions, whilst standing ten foot tall in the process."

Leigh Cowlishaw, Managing Partner, Black Box Partnerships

"As a judge, I’m looking for applications that demonstrate passion, creativity and determination. Tomorrow’s Talent is a fantastic opportunity to create connections and progress your career – it opens so many doors and helps you boost your profile in the sector. We want to champion those people going above and beyond in their careers to support the industry – if that sounds like you or someone you know, we’d love to hear from you."

Paul Harvey, Editor, M&IT 

Venue Partner

Wellbeing and Neurodiversity Partner

Official Event Wellbeing Week Partner

Official Tech Partner

Sustainability Partner

Official Uniform Partner

Content Production Partner

Official Tech Partner

 

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MEDIA PARTNERS

 

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