Speakers
Nicola McGrane
CEO, Conference Partners International & Event Partners, Ireland
IAPCO European Director of Education / Founder and co-chair AIPCO
Nicola McGrane, CEO of Conference Partners International and Event Partners Ireland, established the company in 1998. A passionate advocate for developing the business tourism industry in the Ireland, UK and abroad, Nicola is accredited with 5 years’ Board involvement with IAPCO (The International Association of Professional Conference Organisers) and is currently the IAPCO European Director of Education, as well as founding member and current co-chair of the AIPCO.
Driven by passion and enthusiasm, the key values which underpin Nicola’s approach are quality, trust and integrity. She takes a ‘hands on’ approach to her business and is regarded as a leading lateral thinker with an innovative approach to problem solving and event delivery across the globe. Renowned for her ability to identify opportunities, her creative thinking and strategic advice has been sought at the highest level by numerous corporations, associations and industry bodies.
Mathias Posch
President, International Conference Services, Singapore
IAPCO Past- President/ Training Academy Chair
Mathias Posch is Chairman and President of International Conference Services (ICS). With its Headquarters in Vancouver, Canada and branch offices in Toronto, Denver, London, Vienna, Barcelona, Singapore and Tokyo, the company manages conferences around the globe – in 38 countries on 6 continents thus far. Mathias is Chair of IAPCO Training Academy and as such leads the organisation’s education programme. He is a respected industry expert and has been invited to speak at numerous international and national conferences around the globe. Further he also serves on a number of Advisory Boards and consults international scientific and medical associations on their global strategy.
Sissi Lygnou
CEO AFEA (Greece) | Council Member IAPCO - General Secretary HAPCO
Sissi Lygnou has more than 20 years of experience in the Meetings Industry and has been involved in the bidding and organisation process of major events worldwide.
Born in Athens, Greece; Sissi graduated from the German School of Athens where she studied Business Administration & Economics.
In 2001 she joined the PR & Communications team of the Athens 2004 Organising Committee for the Olympic Games, where she was promoted to Communications Manager of the Olympic & Paralympic Village.
In 2004, Sissi was appointed by the family-owned company AFEA; a leading global organisation in the Meetings Industry and corporate travel sector, where she holds the position of CEO.
She has been active at IAPCO through various positions, such as Edgineer, Ambassador, member of the Editorial Committee, speaker at WebEdge and other activities.
Sissi is passionate about her work and serves on several boards to further the development and recognition of the industry and to facilitate best practice through networking and education.
IAPCO Council Member (since 2021)
- HAPCO Board Member – General Secretary (since 2007)
- EFAPCO (European Federation of Associations of Professional Congress Organizers) - former General Secretary (since 2009).
Sarah Markey-Hamm
CEO AFEA (Greece) | Council Member IAPCO - General Secretary HAPCO
Sarah is CEO of ICMS. She is driven by a passion for events and is a firm believer in the power of face-to-face interactions to build communities, inspire and promote change. Value for clients has been, and always will be, the core of her business thinking. She relishes in master planning, developing and implementing innovative events and concepts that inspire, stimulate and engage audiences.
Thanks to her client relationships and creative spirit, Sarah is a driving force in today’s meetings and events industry and holds influential positions in many industry organisations. She regularly speaks at international events and often sits on industry panels, offering insights into building world class meetings.
To date, Sarah has been Chair of the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), Australian National Committee and has also held positions on the ICCA Meetings Advisory Group. She is President Elect of IAPCO and has been a board member of the Business Events Council of Australia (BECA), and past President of the Meeting Events Australia (MEA) Victorian Chapters.
Michelle Milas
Sales manager Association Meetings, Region Stavanger Convention and Visitors Bureau (Norway)
Michelle Milas has more than 10 years of experience working with sales and research in the Meetings Industry and has been involved in the bidding and organization process of several global association meetings.
Born in Oslo, Norway but raised in Stavanger and considers this her hometown. Michelle graduated from Middlesex University in London where she studied International Tourism Management.
In 2012, she joined the Destination Management Organisation Region Stavanger Convention and Visitors Bureau where she has worked since. Michelle has broad experience in research, bidding processes, sales and building an Ambassador program.
She is passionate and active member of ICCA and was project manager for the hosting of the ever first ICCA Association Meetings Program which took place in Stavanger in 2016.
Kristin Prøven
Project manager, Visit Lillehammer
Kristin has been a project manager in Visit Lillehammer the last 7 years and has led the destination's work with the certification process and maintenance as a “Sustainable destination”. She is currently working on the development projects "Green and seamless mobility" and "Local food trails Gudbrandsdalen". Kristin has more than 25 years of experience within the tourism industry, and has earlier been working with management, product development and marketing in Hafjell Resort and Lilleputthammer Lekeland AS. She has a master degree in tourism management from UiT The Artic University of Norway.
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