ELX Annual Congress 2024 – ELX’s Second Congress Announced As ‘A Resounding Success’

Las Vegas, NV, July 2024 – The Event Leaders Exchange (ELX) Annual Congress 2024, held in the vibrant city of Las Vegas at ARIA Resort & Casino, marked a significant milestone as the first congress since Nicola Kastner's appointment as CEO. Nicola expressed her enthusiasm, stating, "Our second ELX Annual Congress exceeded all expectations. The energy and enthusiasm of our members were palpable, and I am incredibly proud of the ELX community for their commitment to excellence and collaboration." Under her leadership, the event attracted senior-level event professionals who engaged in rich discussions, shared best practices, and explored innovative organizational design secrets. 

 

Set against the brightly lit backdrop of Las Vegas, the ELX Annual Congress offered a unique blend of professional development and networking opportunities. Attendees were treated to a meticulously curated agenda, designed by agenda chairs Melissa Vilders, Head of Global Events and Strategy HXM Solutions at SAP, and Kim Kopetz, President & CEO of The Opus Group, who took inspiration from ELX member feedback to create content that would inspire and educate. The sessions ranged from in-depth panels on the impact of AI in events to engaging speed networking sessions that facilitated meaningful connections among industry leaders. 

The congress opened with a Keynote from ELX CEO, Nicola Kastner, providing an overview of the current state of ELX and the community’s overall vision and mission. This session highlighted all the new implementations to the community over the past three months since Nicola’s appointment, and also saw ELX announcing some of it’s new ‘ELX Advisory Committee’ for the first time.  

One of the standout sessions was the "Hot Wings, Hot Takes" panel, inspired by the popular YouTube show "Hot Ones." This electrifying session featured three brave participants facing progressively hotter wings while answering provocative industry questions, providing both entertainment and valuable insights, and was praised by members for bringing a new and hilarious format to a panel discussion, picking up attendee engagement after lunch. 

 

From The Voices of ELX Members: 

The congress also emphasized the importance of community through orchestrated networking sessions. EJ Oelling, VP, ABX, remarked, "After planning events the last thing people want to do it ATTEND an event. But there is something magical about being in a place that offers you a safe space to discuss challenging topics with like-minded peers. We are able to laugh (and try not to cry) about different yet similar situations.  ELX created that moment for all of us in Vegas.” 

Dean Armintrout, Sr. Director of Global Event Marketing at TransUnion, praised the event for its ability to foster rich conversations and best practice sharing among senior professionals: “ELX continues to be THE best event for senior level event industry professionals. The level of attendees enable rich conversations and best practice sharing in areas that I directly need help with. These event industry experts share my challenges, have solutions, and are willing to share their knowledge. These are my people.  With each ELX event, I become more inspired by the level of talent in our industry, and more energized by what we do. I leave with new solutions, new connections, new lifelong friends.” 

Adele Durham, Senior Director of Global Events at Veeam Software, highlighted the unique value that ELX brings to its members: "ELX has tapped into something unique and puts heart into making it valuable for its members. I am proud to be a part of this community and will wear the badge with honor." As did Alison Davidson, VP Global Events and Customer Marketing, Pure Storage, who added “ELX Congress was one of the best meetings I have participated in, period. I have never had so many opportunities, in such a short amount of time, to connect with leaders across industries and share real, actionable, feedback and insights with one another.” 

 

Looking Ahead 

The ELX Annual Congress 2024 was a testament to the power of community and the importance of continuous learning and innovation in the event industry. As attendees returned to their respective roles, they carried with them new solutions, fresh perspectives, and a renewed sense of inspiration, ready to tackle the challenges of tomorrow. 

To ensure the value extends beyond the event, ELX will provide attendees with executive summaries of the sessions, capturing key insights and actionable takeaways. Additionally, ELX will be returning to Las Vegas in October for its ELX Forum in collaboration with IMEX, continuing to build on the success of this congress. More details can be found on the ELX Website. 

 

 

 

 

Contact: Hannah Elston 
Community & Events Marketing Executive 
h.elston@eventleaders.com 

 

About Event Leaders Exchange (ELX):  

Event Leaders Exchange (ELX) is an invitation-only community for Global Heads of Events from the world's largest corporations and a leading authority in the events industry. The community mission is to drive top-down change within the industry by bringing together senior event leaders to collaborate, engage and contribute to powerful actionable conversations that lead to progress.