Speakers

A graduate of Boston University, Judy has worked in the food and beverage and hotel industry for over 15 year including working with Wolfgang Puck at Lupo in Las Vegas. She has been at the Sheraton Commander Hotel in Cambridge MA for the past 11 years where she has served several roles in the hotel and is currently serves as the Director of Catering. Judy is a Past President of ISES New England and NACE New England, a past Northeast Regional Vice President for ISES and currently sits on the ISES International Board of Governors. Her designations include CSEP & PBC.

Jodi is the Director of Event & Conference Planning for Augsburg College, a private college in Minneapolis, Minnesota. At the college, she and her staff oversee over 500 events each year for the campus community and work closely with the Marketing & Communication team on leveraging the brand and increasing the college’s visibility through experiential events. Jodi has her Masters of Tourism Administration (MTA) from George Washington University, and earned her Certified Special Events Professional (CSEP) designation in 2005. She also currently serves as a member of the International Special Events Society’s International Board of Governors.

Christopher Duggan Photography is a New York City based boutique wedding, event and dance photography studio.  Christopher and his team of professionals cover NYC’s finest venues and frequently travel for destination weddings as far away as the Pacific Coast and West Africa.  Christopher has photographed over 200 weddings in the past few years alone, while maintaining that personal touch that his clients rave about. Published regularly in wedding and dance publications alike, one of Christopher’s images of Bruce Springsteen was recently added to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s celebrated photography collection.

Alex is the director, marketing/multicultural at (add)ventures and works out of the Providence and Miami offices. Alex is the current President of the ISES Rhode Island Chapter and has served as the ISES RI Vice President of Communications for three years and Marketing and Communications Chair for the 2008 and 2009 ISES Northeast REC. In 2009-2010 he was the Volunteer Editor of the ISES Pages in the Special Event Magazine as part of the MarCom Committee. Alex has worked in the special events and marketing industry for more than 17 years. Alex graduated from the University of Rhode Island with a bachelor of science in business administration and marketing with a minor in Spanish and a 2004 graduate of Leadership RI. He is of Cuban descent and speaks fluent Spanish, offering a multi-cultural perspective to marketing and special event initiatives. He is involved in several community organizations, including Rhode Island Pride, Equity Action/RI Foundation, Council of La Raza and ProviDance Productions.

Joanne Hulme has just entered her 41st year in the Design and Special Event Industries, having designed her first wedding at 19 after getting her BA. She has over the years recieved numerous design awards, local and regional, at The Special Event Tabletop Competitions, she has been a three time Gala Award Nominee, and has taught 9 Event Design and other Industry classes in the last 4 years at The Special Event. She was one of the original 75 CSEP’s earning the designation 11 years ago at Special Event in Orlando, while winning her first tabletop competition two days later. Frequently seen in Special Events Magazine, in the past year she has also been on The Discovery Channel, The History Channel, Channel 10, Channel 12, and interviewed on the BBC and Toronto radio. Her greatest joy of the past year is completing a five year restoration on her 1969 Oldsmobile Convertible, and if you see her in the hall, she will be glad to show you her car pixs!

Megan Kline, CSEP began her professional career in 1998 in engineering.  After losing a position in engineering, she decided to take a chance and start her own event planning company, Megan Kline Events, LLC in 2002.  In 2007 she founded of Megan Kline Marketing: Success by Design, which helps small business owners achieve their greatest dreams through coaching and marketing consulting.  As an entrepreneur in special events since 2002, Megan brings unique insight and knowledge to building a successful business while following your passion.  She specializes in helping passionate event professionals accelerate their business success with creative marketing strategies.

When David Merrell founded AOO Events in 1989, his vision was to design and produce personalized and original events. “All truly special events,” Merrell says, “demand a customized approach in order to fully achieve the client’s vision and purpose.” It is this philosophy that has positioned AOO Events as one of the most reputable event design and production firms in Southern California. 

Merrell, a native of Cleveland, moved to Los Angeles in 1983 and he worked in a sales and marketing capacity in various industries before finding his niche in special events. Combining a creative eye with sales savvy, Merrell immediately excelled in the event industry. AOO Events fast became the special event company of choice for clients ranging from former President Ronald Reagan to Warner Brothers Studios. Since 1999, AOO Events has won eight Gala Awards, the event industry’s highest honor.  The awards were for Best Corporate Event in 1999 and 2000.  In 2002 the fourth Gala Award and an Esprit Award was won in the Best Décor category for the movie premiere event for “John Q”.  AOO Events won the coveted Gala Award for Best Décor in 2003 and 2004 and added two more in 2007 for Best Corporate Event and Best Décor. And most recently in 2009 for Best Décor. AOO Events co-designed a series of events that was awarded a Crystal Site Award for best Multiple-Day Incentive Program at the ITME show in Chicago.  Dave was nominated in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006 for a Spotlight award for the “Designer of the Year” from Event Solutions Magazine and won the award in 2007. Recently, BizBash Magazine recently awarded AOO “Best Event Concept” for 2009 and ISES International along with ISES LA added five more awards in 2010. Today, AOO Events produces events not only in Southern California, but worldwide.

Merrell is the former President of the Greater Los Angeles Chapter of the International Special Events Society (ISES), and has served in numerous positions on the international boards of ISES.  As a member of Special Events Magazine’s and BizBash Magazine’s Advisory Boards, Merrell is regularly featured and quoted in numerous trade and consumer publications and is a popular industry speaker both nationally and internationally. Merrell’s current office is located in Hollywood, California.

Pat started in the tent industry as an installer in 1988. He has progressed through the ranks holding various positions including project manager of the tent operation for the ’96 Summer Olympics. Switching from the rental side to the manufacturing side he is now General Manager of Losberger US.

Sharon Phillips Waxman is President of SPW Productions, a full-service special events production company handling both large and small-scale events, marketing and strategic planning. Sharon has 30 years experience in the events business and her company has received many industry awards including the ISES Espirit Award in 2010 and 2009.  SPW Productions produces festivals, parades, ceremonies, galas, conferences, tasting events, and fashion shows as well as on-site wedding management, corporate event management and consulting services. Sharon currently serves as President of ISES (International Special Events Society) NJ South. She is a member of the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, Chamber of Commerce Southern New Jersey and eWomen’s Network. In addition, Sharon is on the Advisory Board of the Art Institute of Philadelphia and is an adjunct professor at Moore College of Art & Design.

Nicole Samolis, CSEP is an entrepreneur schooled in fashion design/business who discovered the Event Industry in 1996. Looking for a career make-over, Nicole found that her design background and retail management career along with her passion, optimism, and tenacity were the right ingredients for creating an event planning company. She’s built her firm into a million dollar design, planning, and production house while transforming the event landscape in the CNY market. Always staying on the cutting edge, her firm has been using social media for over 2 years and launched the BizBuzz Social Media Conference.

Kris Sumey, CSEP, is an award winning event designer, owner, and Creative Director of the Philadelphia based Event FX Productions, Inc. Her diverse skills and knowledge in technical production, lighting, design, special effects, and décor is gained from over 15 years of bringing to life the word “WOW!” producing extraordinary event environments.  Kris’s passion and attention to detail is exceptional as she thrives on creating dramatic “magic moments” and integrating artistic event elements into spectacular special events. 

Steven Way is the President of ALPS/Advanced Lighting & Production Services, a Boston based special events lighting company he started in 1981. Over 30 years, his company has grown to include Lighting Production Services, Rentals, Sales, System Installations and Technical Repair Services across the country. Steven has been an ISES member since 2002, is a Past President of the New England chapter and currently sits as chair of the International Membership Development Committee. Steven also serves on the North American board of PLASA/ Professional Lighting and Sound Association. Past ISES awards include the Spirit of ISES Award, the Chapter President’s Award, Merit Scholarship Award, as well as recognition for outstanding performance and contributions by Citizens Bank and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Dave Williams is a passionate cinematographer and a leader in wedding and event productions. His team's trademark fluid shooting and editing style have helped raise the bar for video production professionals around the world. Dave has won several international production awards and has been named one of the top 25 videographers by EventDV magazine for three years in a row. Dave and his wife and business partner, Sheryl offer two brands, CinemaCake Filmmakers (CinemaCake.com) produces wedding and event films and Media Wave Video Productions (MWVP.com) handles all corporate and commercial work.