When we launched the inaugural Event Industry 50 Over 50, the spotlight quite rightly went to the remarkable professionals who were nominated.
But recognition programs like this only happen because many people quietly step forward to help.
The 50 Over 50 initiative was built almost entirely through volunteer effort. Dozens of people across the industry contributed their time, judgment, and guidance to make sure the program was thoughtful, fair, and representative of the many different corners of the event world.
Two people deserve special recognition for helping lead the judging process.
Dan Cole and Joe Felperin not only served as judges but also stepped up to organize and oversee the judging process. They helped coordinate the scoring system, guide the review process, and ensure the evaluation was fair and consistent across more than one hundred nominations.
Their leadership helped make the inaugural program credible and successful.
We are deeply grateful to the professionals who volunteered their time to review nominations and evaluate candidates.
Adrienne Belk
Anthony Simone
B. Murphy
Christine Gaudet
Dan Cole
Deanna Burgess
Don Pietranczyk
Eric Udler
Hunter Clemens
Jack A. Boyd III
Janice Cardinale
Joe Colangelo
Joe Felperin
John Galante
John Wilson
Josie Zámolyi Caldwell, CEM-AP
Kai Hattendorf
Khalil Garriott
Kevin Thornton
Kimberly Hardcastle
Kristin Veach
Laurie Lutz
Lee Ali
Lindsay Hubley
Lisa Messina
Lori Jenks
Nancy DeBrosse
Nancy P. Walsh
Necoya Tyson
Paul Cunniffe
Rich Vallaster, CEM
Sara Stehle
Sarah Wilson
Sean Soth
Stephanie Beringhele
Stephanie Glanzer
Susan Haning
Tim McGuinness
Tommy Goodwin
Tony Calanca
Vanessa Claspill
Vinnu Deshetty
Wayne Crawford
Yancy Weinrich
Because the event industry is a relatively close-knit community, some judges were also nominated for the award themselves. To maintain fairness and integrity in the process, strict conflict-of-interest rules were in place.
Judges were never assigned nominations where they had a direct professional or personal connection to the nominee, and no judge was allowed to view or score their own nomination. The review process was structured so that each nominee was evaluated by multiple independent judges, ensuring that selections reflected a balanced and objective assessment.
Behind the scenes, a volunteer committee helped shape the program, encourage nominations, and support outreach across the industry.
Brendon Winters
Dan Cole
Danica Tormohlen
Elaine Richardson
Jake Smith
Jason Stookey
Joe Cascio
Joe Felperin
Karalynn Sprouse
Megan Martin
Michael Doolittle
Michael Hoffman
Patrick Flynn
Sandy Yi-Davis
Shelly Cohen-Renn
Tim McGuinness
Tony Lee
Tony Lorenz
Vinnu Deshetty
Wayne Crawford
To everyone who nominated a colleague, helped spread the word, served as a judge, or volunteered behind the scenes: thank you.
The inaugural class of honorees reflects the strength of the industry. But the process itself reflects something just as important.
This is an industry that shows up for each other.
And that is what makes it special.
