Board of Directors – MPI UK & Ireland Chapter
Helen Harris, Secretariat
Dan Noyce, President
Senior Relationship Manager, IMEX Group
Dan Noyce is the Senior Relationship Manager for IMEX Group, where he is responsible for delivering the Hosted Buyer Program for both IMEX Frankfurt and IMEX America.
He is an advocate for disrupting the status quo and empowering our future generations to lead fearlessly. A passionate believer in emerging leadership driving change and shaping the future of the business events industry.
Dan serves on the Board of Directors for Meetings Professional International, UK & Ireland as Chapter President. He is also a member of the Global Leadership committee for Destinations International.
Noyce was also selected as an honouree for PCMA’s 20 in their Twenties Class of 2021 and Exhibition News 30 under Thirty class of 2021. As part of MPI’s 50th Anniversary, he was also recognised as the first MPI50 Up-and-Comer.
Susan Arslan, Immediate Past President
An MPI Board Member and Member of the MPI Foundation EMEA council, Susan has a leadership role with HelmsBriscoe. Her role is diverse, providing an active contribution to the EMEA HelmsBriscoe leadership team, recruiting Associates, developing partnership initiatives between industry practitioners and Higher Education providers in support of the student experience, and venue finding consultancy for her client portfolio, for which she was recognised as ‘Rising Star 2017 & 2018’.
A Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, an MSc in Psychology and over 20 years operational HR leadership in the HE sector has given Susan expertise in Leadership, Communications, Employee Engagement and Wellbeing, about which she regularly presents at conferences and workshops.
Susan previously served 2 years on the Board as Venue Liaison VP before taking up the position of President Elect.
Cathy Joyce, President Elect
Global Sale MICE Specialist with 15+years’ experience in Hospitality with renowned Hotels and brands across the Middle East , Ireland and UK. I'm proudly working now for one of the largest & the most sustainable hotel brand in the world Melia Hotels International, a Spanish hotel chain which operates over 380 + hotels in 40 destinations across four continents under the brands, Paradisus, Gran Melia Hotels & Resorts, ME by Melia, Melia Hotels & Resorts, INNSiDE by Melia, Tryp and SOL.
My
role is mainly responsible for delivering the UK MICE market globally
to our growing portfolio of hotels worldwide, which has an additional
120 hotels in the pipeline due to open by 2023, and to strategically
implement sales and marketing initiatives and activities to promote
Melia globally. I'm extremely passionate about creating and delivering
amazing event experiences and have developed strong relationships with
MICE planners globally built on trust and respect. I love to travel and
have extensive knowledge and experience working with client's to
understand their needs and match their events in perfect destinations
around the globe.
Richard Allchild CMP, Vice President EMEC
Senior Sales Manager, IMEX Group
Richard is currently the Senior Sales Manager for the IMEX Group. Richard has worked at IMEX since 2008 and looks after clients from the USA, Europe and Major Hotel Chains for both IMEX America and IMEX in Frankfurt. Richard graduated from Royal Holloway, University of London with a BA Hons in History before working for Haymarket Publications in both their London and New York offices. Richard has been a member of MPI for 10 years, volunteering on the membership committee for 2 years before being on the Board for the past 6 years.
Ciara Feely, Vice President - Community
Director, Conference Converter
Ciara is the subject matter expert for MPI in the area of sales growth for hotels, agencies and CVBs. Ciara has been a member of MPI for a number of years having held volunteer positions as President Elect, Director of Education, and VP of Education. She is also on the MPI International Small Business Advisory Board.
She is described by Jessie States, Director of the MPI Academy as having revolutionised the sales process for hotels, agencies and CVBs around the world. She runs her own business, based in Cork, Ireland, showing teams how to be leaders in the sales process in the MICE industry. She brings her warm Irish welcome to everything she does focusing teams on how to get the EDGE on their competitors and generate sustained revenue results faster.
Ciara is a best-selling author of “Steps to WIN in the Meetings Market”. The Steps to WIN™ Program is a framework and methodology that shows teams how the Buyer Buys.
She is a mother of twins and lives in a little village in Ireland where the native language of Ireland “Gaeilge” is still spoken. Community is very important to her both in her work and home life. That is why MPI is a great fit for Ciara.
Olivia Breene, VP Communications & Marketing
Head of Business Development AVCOM The Technical Event Specialists
Specialising in positive business growth strategies, with over 20 years of experience across varied working environments, including Design, Property & world-leading luxury brands. Expertise spans business development, marketing, communication system, and sales.
"I have a true passion for constantly improving & evolving business through a customer-centric approach to everything I do. Creating memorable Experiences whether online or in-person is everything! "
I look at every challenge as an opportunity. Having studied design and business economics, I have a unique blend of creative and business acumen, translating into my everyday practices. As Head of Business Development for AVCOM, I propose and ideate commercial strategy, marketing, and innovation metrics for the company, resulting in increased revenue generation and improved company positioning. I constantly push the boundaries to increase product/service solutions to ensure an agile and evolving business proposition.
My current role is diverse, exciting, and ever-evolving. The past 16 months have been a period of transformational change, and my focus has been on advancing the virtual landscape of events for AVCOM. Ensuring the company is well-positioned to be leaders and secure its market share. Leading a mindset of constant research, develop, innovate, to deliver the best. My passion is to create best-in-class experiences giving both client and the attendee/viewers' journey equal merits. This provides each client with the confidence and support they require to execute the right event delivery option resulting in world-class outcomes.
"I love to travel, and family and friends are everything to me; I believe good people, interesting places, and laughter are a tonic for the soul."
It's a privilege to be invited to join Meet Professional International (MPI) UK, Ireland Chapter as Director of Social Media & PR, and I look forward to what the next year shall bring.
Amy Jordan, Director - Marketing
EMEA Marketing Manager, Glisser
A seasoned event professional, Amy has worked in event marketing for over a decade having held senior marketing positions at the likes of Global Experience Specialists (GES), UBM (now Informa) and Easyfairs.
She is now EMEA Marketing Manager at Glisser, the award-winning virtual and hybrid event platform powering unique company event experiences, anywhere. We believe in making every event count and giving our clients the power to wow through unique and engaging event experiences. Life's too short for boring company events.
Amy draws upon her extensive insight into the complexity of the sector to promote meaningful content that will positively impact the future of both events and B2B marketing.
Daniel Agüero-Duplá, Director - Communications
Director of Global Sales, Associated Luxury Hotels International (ALHI)
Daniel serves as a Director of Global Sales for Associated Luxury Hotels International (ALHI). ALHI is a Global Sales Organization with a team of nearly 80 professionals located among 26 offices across North America and Europe, ALHI’s serves a membership group of hotels that are Independent Hotels & Independent Brands that are an exclusive luxury collection.
Daniel has over 15 years of hospitality experience in the U.S. and Europe, working exclusively within the luxury market. Prior to ALHI, Daniel served as the Assistant Director of Sales at Hotel Café Royal for Set Hotels with previous management roles at the Savoy in London, Mandarin Oriental, Four Seasons and more. Daniel has experience within all market segments however his true passion is the MICE industry. After being a part of MPI for few years, Daniel is absolutely delighted to be invited to join the board as Director of Communications.
Hannah Lee, Director - Social Media & PR
Conference Producer, IMEX Group
Brian Hand, Vice President - Events
Founder & Project Manager at Eventcomms Consulting
Brian is Founder & Project Manager at Eventcomms Consulting. We help corporate event planners organise and manage their in-person, virtual & hybrid events. Based in Dublin, Brian has worked hotel and agency side in the events industry since 2003 and enjoys sourcing the perfect venues for his global clients and operating memorable and impactful events all around the physical & virtual world. Brian is a proud MPI member and is very excited to be leading the Events Team and is looking forward to delivering quality events for MPI Members across the UK & Ireland.
Jessica Clifford, Director - Events
Membership and Product Manager, Canadian Nuclear Association
Jessica is currently the Membership and Project Manager for the Canadian Nuclear Association. In her role, she is responsible for the full profile of the association’s events, including their annual Conference and Trade Show. She moved to London in October 2019 from Ottawa, ON where she was a part of the MPI Ottawa Chapter and volunteered in various capacities on the Signature Events Committee and the Community Outreach Committee. In 2019, she was nominated for Volunteer of the Year in her Chapter.
She looks forward to her position on the UK & Ireland Chapter Board and is keen to collaborate with the team.
Ruth Robinson, Vice President - Finance
Emma Wellstead, Vice President - Sponsorship
‘Sustainable event management or event greening, as it is also known, shouldn’t be daunting. It’s just thinking about things in a new way.’
Emma Wellstead is the Founding Partner of Warwick Events. Under Emma’s direction the company has recently passed its B Corporation assessment and currently waiting official certification. This will make Warwick Events the first Event Agency in the UK to become a B Corp; joining the ranks of companies like Innocent Drinks, BrewDog, Patagonia, Ben & Jerry’s, The Body Shop, Kallo, Activia and many others - all committed to using their businesses as a force for good.
A Cambridge graduate with over 20 years in the event industry, Emma is passionate about the untapped potential events have to do good: for organisers and participants, the local community and the planet. In her spare time, you’ll find Emma in the garden or on her bike!
Anelise Longo, Director of Membership - United Kingdom
Business Development Manager, M&I Forums
An ambitious and results-driven business and marketing professional with strong strategic and creative skills developed over 10 years across tourism, hospitality and events industries. In London for 3 years, she is currently Business Development Manager at the m&i.
Anelise boasts a portfolio of sales, destination marketing and project management, engaging with senior government officials and politicians. A multi-functional and creative strategist, she also holds an MBA in Business Management from FGV-SP and studied Negotiation by Harvard Methodology at FIPE / FEA-USP.
In the past decade leading clients include the São Paulo Convention & Visitors Bureau, FOHB - Brazilian Hotel Chain Association, Costa Cruises and Melia Hotels International. Anelise invests heavily in encouraging growth and talent through the industry and is a proud mentor of the Elevate mentoring programme for event professionals.
Patrick Murray, Director of Membership – Ireland
Manager, Global Accounts at HelmsBriscoe
Based in Barcelona but originally from Donegal, Patrick works as Manager, Global Accounts at venue sourcing company, HelmsBriscoe. Prior to joining HelmsBriscoe, Patrick worked as an international meeting planner in San Francisco and Silicon Valley for more than 20 years, both on the client and the event agency side. During that time, he managed multi-day user conferences, trade shows, sales meetings, incentive programs, technical roadshows, and executive programs across North America, Europe and Asia.
Patrick is delighted to serve on the Board of MPI as Director MPI Ireland supporting Brian Hand in growing the MPI membership in Ireland, but also supporting the MPI events and education team!
Jonathan Tok, Vice President - Young Leaders
Jonathan is an undergraduate, pursuing his degree in B.Sc International Events Management from the University of Surrey. Jonathan have spent 8 years of collective experience organising school-based and local events at the secondary and tertiary level as well as through national service.
One of his most memorable event would be a community event named Beyond-I, which was a youth-initiated project which aims to raise funds and awareness for the visually impaired community in Singapore. The event was a huge success and have raised over $4000 for Guide Dogs Singapore, with over 2000 participants. Jonathan is passionate about youth development and is always finding ways to help mould and develop youths to prepare for their future.
Rose Griffiths, Director of Young Leaders
Rose is an ambitious next generation professional in her second year of studying Events Management. Sustainable events that are community and next generation focused motivates her to create unforgettable and truly impactful experiences. Rose is driven to transforming the events sector into a primarily people and planet focus industry. Committed to empowering and supporting young professionals through providing insights, networking opportunities and support allowing them to realise their own potential and bridging the gap between education and industry.