Award Winning Event Strategist Driving Growth and Transformation For YOU | Plug-and-Play Project Manager | Technology Enthusiast | Always Curious

Shaping the Future of International Meetings | Collaborative Growth | Event Transformation

Curiosity - Innovation - Storytelling

As the Regional Director for North America at ICCA, I am passionate about driving growth and fostering collaboration within the global meetings and events industry. ICCA has stood at the forefront of shaping the future of international association meetings since 1963, and I'm honoured to be part of a team that champions innovation, sustainability, and advocacy on a global scale.

Over the years, I've had the privilege of strategizing, planning, and executing transformative events—from intimate gatherings to international conferences. My career has been built on an unwavering commitment to innovation, creative problem-solving, and a collaborative approach to ensure that every event exceeds expectations. Along the way, I've been fortunate to be recognized with honours such as "Planner of the Year" by Smart Meetings and a spot on the "40 Under 40" by Connect x BizBash.

But more than accolades, it's the connections I've built and the stories we've shaped together that truly inspire me. It was the Guinness World Record attempt to host the largest online event gathering, GMID Goes Virtual, in 2020, which connects almost all the industry associations across the globe. It was #EventprofsBreakShit that I co-founded in 2021, seeking an honest, authentic, but joyful way to explore event technology. 

These are the real rewards of our work, and they underscore the power of collaboration in our industry.

At ICCA, we're not just organizing meetings—we're creating spaces where ideas flourish, communities grow, and the future of our industry is redefined. I'd love to connect if you're interested in exploring how we can collaborate, build meaningful partnerships, or simply share ideas. Let's work together to amplify the value of international meetings and create sustainable, innovative solutions for the future.

Are you ready to shape the future of international association meetings? Let's connect and make an impact together.

Shawn (Yih-Hsiang) Cheng

Event Leaders Exchange (ELX)

Chief Executive Officer

The Event Strategist

I offer a wide range of event strategy advisory services to global brands to help them successfully optimize their event experiences to drive bottom-line results.  Services include event portfolio strategy and design; flagship event strategy development; event audits just to name a few.

Founder

Focused on optimizing SAP’s experiential marketing strategies to capture new audiences, drive accelerated business performance, and customer value.

Key Achievements
• Developed a Board approved reinvention of SAP’s holistic event strategy to address short, mid and long term COVID impacts 
• Drove integration of new event portfolio strategy into overall marketing syndicated programs framework 
• Led a 2020 event transformation initiative across SAP Marketing to maximize value across more than 3,500 events 
• Complete reinvention and delivery of SAP’s largest event (SAPPHIRE NOW) for 25,000 attendees generating €1B+ in new pipeline
• Developed a company-wide event marketing measurement program; lead capture & follow up process resulting in a 59% increase in marketing generated opportunities

Vice President, Global Head of Event Strategy

Reported to the CMO as a member of the Senior Leadership team and led an organization of more than 100 full-time employees, interns and contractors. Managed fixed budget of €65M+ and annual partner revenue of €35M+  

Key Achievements
• Led all 2019 business planning and budgeting
• Successful leadership of the team through a time of immense turmoil (2 leaders left within 4-months)

Head of Global Events (interim)

SAP Ariba

Developed and executed a comprehensive enterprise-wide events strategy with budget of $10M+ to drive accelerated business growth. Reported to the CMO as a member of the Marketing Leadership Team and drove stakeholder alignment and greater collaboration around key SAP Ariba global events

Key Achievements:
• Drove 18% attendance & 64% revenue growth into the 2017 SAP Ariba Live series. While each event was designed to serve specific regional needs, there was consistency in message, brand, content and overall experience
• Recruited top talent and built a highly effective team

Head of Global Event Strategy

Convergence Event Marketing

Built and ran an experiential marketing consulting practice offering a broad range of services focused on the critical intersection of the marketing and event disciplines to drive business performance.

Sample projects included:

Engaged on a 15-month retainer for a leading data management company to transform their global event strategy:
• Deliverables: Developed of a consistent messaging, brand platform & standard asset set across all events; Standardized global campaign set-up, lead collection, follow-up and reporting protocols 
• Outcomes: 183% increase in direct opportunities created via events

Partnered with marketing teams across Latin American for a large enterprise software company to modernize and standardize their overall approach & strategy to events:
• Deliverables: Developed standardization in messaging, approach, and brand experience utilizing global best practices adapted to meet regional needs; 100% of the Regional Marketing teams trained on application of a customer experience methodology
• Outcomes: 32% increase in leads generated; 15% increase in lead conversion & pipeline acceleration; 50% increase in sponsorship revenue

President & Chief Strategist

Commvault

Engaged on a one-year retainer as a member of the Marketing Leadership Team to transform Commvault’s corporate event strategy.  Specific activities included:

o	Development of a Global Event Marketing organization utilizing both internal and outsourced agency support models
o	Optimization of Tier One trade shows including leadership of cross-functional global teams
o	Creation of a global event plan and portfolio planning approach 
o	Design & development of proprietary customer event strategy 

Key Achievements:
o	Average 183% increase in direct opportunities created via events
o	Development of a consistent messaging; brand platform & standard asset set across all events
o	Standardized global campaign set-up, lead collection, follow-up & reporting protocols
o	Inaugural Customer Conference launched for October 2016

Head of Worldwide Event Marketing (Consultant)

Pareto

Leadership of team of 15+ responsible for the development and delivery of events to drive performance in consumers, employees, direct/indirect sales organizations and channels.  Overall responsibility for the division including revenue and expenses optimization, and P&L ownership

Director, Incentive Services

Carlson Wagonlit Travel

Responsible for providing leadership, overall direction, and management to the North American Event Operations and Sourcing teams over 6 regional offices (5 US, 1 Canada) for 100+ individuals

Develop NA events strategy, with a specific focus on exceeding acquisition and retention goals

Responsible for revenue and expenses optimization, overall responsibility for North American Events P&L with departmental revenue responsibilities of $40M

Key Achievements
- Achieved 152% of budgeted contribution goal in 2010
- Team successfully negotiated average cost savings at a program level of 15 – 20%
- Developed resource/workload modeling metrics and pricing/productivity metrics that resulted in over achievement of financial goals

Director, Meetings & Events Operations North America

Maritz Canada Inc.

Business Manager, Motivational Events

Manager, Strategic Event Marketing

CEO of Event Leaders Exchange

ELX is an invitation-only global community that unites senior corporate event leaders across all industry sectors from companies with annual revenues above $3B. Built upon the ethos that ‘it’s lonely at the top’, ELX fosters an environment where senior leaders can exchange ideas and best practices with peers in similar roles through curated think tanks, annual congresses, forums, resource libraries, and an online community platform.

My role as CEO includes driving ELX’s strategic initiatives, expanding our global footprint, and growing our membership while ensuring that the community remains intimate and collaborative.

Prior to ELX, I held various roles in the consulting, agency, and brand sides of the event industry.  Most notably I was the Global Vice President of Event Marketing Strategy for SAP where I was responsible for designing and optimizing event strategies for events ranging from 25 to 25,000 people.

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The Battle

Shawn (Yih-Hsiang) Cheng

Nicola Kastner

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