Who will be the future leaders in special events? You can meet them right here. In honor of our 30th anniversary, the Special Events Advisory Board recognizes these 30 young professionals as gifted with both the talent and drive to take our industry to the next level.
GOT IT? BOOK IT
KARLA AMADOR, 28, and LOU LOMIBAO, 27, co-founders, EventFinds, Laguna Hills, Calif.
Amador (right) — a former wedding planner — and Lomibao — once a wedding photographer — have founded the “Groupon for special events”; their site links last-minute clients with vendors who have unbooked dates. Their proudest moment, Amador says: “When [celebrity planner] Mindy Weiss told my business partner and me that our new venture is genius.”
www.eventfinds.com
DESIGNING WOMAN
STEPHANIE BRADSHAW, 37, creative director/owner, Stephanie Bradshaw Events and Interiors, Baltimore
A former event planner for Shippensburg University — where she was just named alumna of the year — this triple-threat handles weddings, event planning and interior design. Her greatest strengths are her “detail, organization and ability to translate each client's design style into a memorable and unique experience,” she says.
www.stephanie-bradshaw.com
BEST OF THE BIG APPLE
COSIMO BRUZZESE, 36, vice president of business development/partner, Briggs Inc., New York
Gifted with “an extraordinary ability to connect meaningfully with clients,” as one admirer says, Bruzzese uses his wealth of contacts to give clients access to only-in-New-York experiences. One favorite: a seated dinner for 2,800 on Ellis Island (the stated maximum was supposedly 1,200), followed the next day by a conference for 3,000 on the field at Yankee Stadium — with general registration on home plate, no less.
www.briggsnyc.com
Read the full story in the July-August issue of Special Events, available only to subscribers. Not a subscriber yet? We can fix that; renewing subscribers click here; first-time subscribers click here.
