FOUNDERS
CO-FOUNDER & MANAGING PARTNER
Roel Frissen, CMM
Netherlands based Entrepreneur Roel Frissen, CMM (1974) has been an innovator and entrepreneur in the meetings & events Industry since 1999. He is founder of the Event Design Collective GmbH (the event design consulting & training firm) with Ruud Janssen aimed at creating a common language for meetings & events.
Email: roel@edco.global
CO-FOUNDER & MANAGING PARTNER
Ruud Janssen, CMM, DES
Switzerland based Entrepreneur Ruud Janssen, CMM, DES (1970) has been an innovator and game changer in the hospitality and meetings & events Industry since 1994. He is founder of the Event Design Collective GmbH (the event design consulting & training firm) with Roel Frissen aimed at creating a common language for meetings & events.
Email: ruud@edco.global
STORY ENGAGEMENT ENGINEER
Dennis Luijer, MSc.
Netherlands based Visual Thinker and Story Engagement Engineer Dennis Luijer (1974) has been part of Event Design Collective since 2014. He also manages Visuallyyours.nl and has been involved in the early stages of Business Model Generation as well. “I believe in making thoughts visible by drawing them out into reality… It is the connected way of the future and will end up bringing the world together!
Email: dennis@edco.global
DIRECTOR USA
Anthony Vade, CED
Born and raised in Australia, Anthony now calls Toronto, Canada home as Director USA for the Event Design Collective. Proudly known as an instigator, creator and change agent, for over 20 years he has helped event stakeholders create meaningful and memorable connections with participants. He now leads the development of Event Design Collective in the United States in his role at Encore.
Email: anthony@edco.global
DIRECTOR NORTH AMERICA
Devon Pasha, CED
Devon is based in Philadelphia, PA and serves as Director North America for the Event Design Collective. Devon signed up for an EDC Level 3 program in 2021 and Event Design felt like a warm bath to her. After the MasterMInd program and her CED+, she decided to join the team. She now leads the development of open programs and academic programs of Event Design Collective in the United States and she leads the development of Event Design Collective in Canada.
Email: devon@edco.global
DIRECTOR GERMANY
Gerrit Jessen, CMP, CMM, CED
Gerrit is a seasoned entrepreneur and business leader. Gerrit was Managing Director of MCI in Germany and is now MCI Germany’s Strategic Advisor. He was Vice-Chair Finance of the MPI International Board of Directors and currently serves on the Board of the German Convention Bureau. He is based in Berlin and leads the development of Event Design Collective in Germany.
Email: gerrit@edco.global
Website: https://edco.global/germany
DIRECTOR THE NETHERLANDS
Marga Groot Zwaaftink, CED, DES
Marga has been designing events for the past 2 decades with a focus on the Dutch market. She is the Managing Director of CommGres and has pushed the innovation boundaries with a pragmatic approach and enthusiasm that is contagious for the teams she works with. Marga leads the development of Event Design Collective in the Netherlands.
Email: marga@edco.global
Website: https://edco.global/netherlands/
DIRECTORS ITALY
Andrea e Luca Vernengo, CED
Andrea is an entrepreneur, born in Italy and has lived all over the globe. He has been involved in the events Industry since 1984 and has been designing events for the past 2.5 decades. He is the CEO of GVST Event Experts and helps clients design events worth attending in ‘the home of design’, Italy. Andrea leads the development of Event Design Collective in Italy.
Email: andrea@edco.global
Website: https://edco.global/italy/
DIRECTOR FRANCE
Vincent Roux, MBA, CED
Paris based, Vincent Roux leads the development of Event Design Collective in France. For over 2 decades, Vincent has had senior roles and acquired a vast experience in the hospitality and meetings & Events sectors. Prior to establishing VRConsulting, he was Director of Sales and Marketing at Pullman Hotel, VP Global Sales at AccorHotels, Commercial Director at Regus and is an active Past-President of MPI France-Switzerland.
Email: vincent@edco.global
Website: https://edco.global/france
DIRECTOR MEXICO
Mauricio Magdaleno, CED
Mauricio is a passionate and experienced Tourism & Meetings professional based in Mexico. He is the Director of Monterrey’s Tourism Cluster, a non profit agency that fosters innovation and competitiveness within the tourism industry. When he is not busy leading the Event Design Collective efforts in Mexico, he teaches at University of Monterrey and is a former executive at the Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Email: mauricio@edco.global
Website: https://edco.global/mexico
DIRECTOR FINLAND, SWEDEN, ESTONIA
Erno Ovaska, CED
Erno is an entrepreneur and Certified Event Designer based in Helsinki. He is the founder of event design agency, Architects of WOW, and has been working in the experiential marketing sector for 2 decades. With a strong background in theatre and contemporary dance, Erno loves to combine art and science to design exceptional events. Erno leads the Event Design Collective in Finland and Sweden.
Email: erno@edco.global
Website: https://edco.global/finland
DIRECTOR RUSSIA
Tanya Spournova, CED
Tanya is an experienced entrepreneur, university tutor, keynote speaker, consultant and author of professional books with more than 20 years in event industry. With that strong background in events, MICE and business in general, Tanya likes to work under industry development in the region, professional standards improvement and creativity boost.
Tanya leads the development of Event Design Collective in the Russian Federation.
Email: tanya@edco.global
Website: https://edco.global/russia