The committee was formed in June and commenced working on the initiative since September, wherein they defined the strategy and a way forward for IAPCO. The strategy includes ensuring all IAPCO events – EDGE programs, Annual Meeting and General Assemblies and other in-person events are being carefully planned keeping sustainability at their core as well as monitoring and reporting on the carbon footprint from these events in order to have an offset plan in the future. Also, starting from 2025, IAPCO will also be rolling out various initiatives to support its member organizations on defining and driving their sustainability strategy as well as reporting back as a community to the wider industry on our collective efforts toward net zero initiative.
Ajay Bhojwani
Regional Managing Director-Middle East & Africa, MCI Group
Council Member, IAPCO
Ajay has spent 20+ years in the meetings industry working for brands like Informa and MCI Group. In his current capacity as Regional Managing Director – Middle East and Africa for MCI Group, he looks after an operation spanning over 250+ events annually spread across 20+ countries through 5 offices and nearly 100 talents. And during the pandemic, he also led the major transformation for his team to deliver events digitally followed by hybrid events. Over the 16 years at MCI, he has not only opened new markets with physical offices and teams in Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia but also led several large association meetings strategy and supporting them with rotation around the world through government partnerships, tourism endorsements as well as strategic sales & marketing efforts to grow the events year on year.
In addition to his full-time role with MCI, he holds several positions, which include being on the board as a council member for International Association of Professional Conference Organisers (IAPCO) as well as ambassador for The Iceberg – an industry communication publication led by the Joint Meetings Industry Council (JMIC). And, he is also the current president for the The Events Group (TEG), a not-for-profit registered organisation bringing event professionals from various facets of the industry in UAE together.
Jimena Ruiz
Chief of Staff, BTC Americas
Council Member, IAPCO
As a professional with 17 years of experience in the business events industry, Jimena Ruiz has dedicated most of her career to event planning as a PCO for international conferences and product development. She has gathered all the resources necessary for strategic priorities, integrating cross-functional collaboration across various departments and teams to ensure alignment and coordination on key initiatives.
“As a forward-thinking individual with a vision for the future of the congress organisation industry, I am passionate about embracing innovation and exploring new trends and technologies that can enhance quality and effectiveness. I believe in the power of collaboration and teamwork to foster a culture to ignite our industry path.”
Annalisa Ponchia
Annalisa Ponchia brings over 30 years of international experience in events management to her new role as Sustainability Manager at AIM Group International. Leveraging her extensive background in the meeting industry, she has played a pivotal role in developing a compelling narrative to expand outreach and enhance the company's visibility on a global scale.
With a career spanning various sectors including corporate, government, and associations, Annalisa has organized conferences and events worldwide. Her tenure as CEO of the European Society for Organ Transplantation provided her with invaluable insights into association dynamics and processes, complementing her decade-long experience as the founder and operator of a PCO company specializing in medical meetings.
As a certified meeting professional with CMP and CMM designations, Annalisa is sought after as a speaker at association and industry events, sharing her expertise and insights with diverse audiences. Her leadership extends to serving on the International Boards of several Meeting Industry associations.
Annalisa's commitment to sustainability, coupled with her wealth of experience in events management, positions her as a leading authority in the field. Her dynamic and data-driven approach ensures that she engages and enlightens audiences at every opportunity.
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Elena Fis
Elena Fis, SEPC, is an event professional who has been part of the Kenes Group for a decade.
Over ten years with the company, she has worked in procurement, managing hotels and venue purchasing worldwide. From 2023 Elena has been promoted to the position of Kenes Sustainability Officer and from November 2024 became a Sustainability Manager in the company. Under Elena’s leadership Kenes group achieved ISO 20121:2024 certification affirming the dedication to environmental stewardship, resource efficiency, and stakeholder engagement.
Since the beginning of 2024 Elena Fis serves as a volunteer leader in the Events Industry Council (EIC) Sustainability and Social Impact Committee consulting on various initiatives and supporting Meetings and events industry in this area.
Kenes Sustainability Dream Team led by Elena is a task force of volunteers from several departments, dedicated to advancing, incorporating, and overseeing sustainable practices, internally and externally. The Dream Team received recognition from the events sector for its altruistic and collaborative approach and received Eventex 2024 Gold Award.
Elena was included in 2024 Eventex Index as one Top 100 most influential people in the events industry 2024, Top 100 most influential people in the events industry in Europe 2024, and Top 100 most influential Event professionals 2024.
