CORE TEAM
Delighted to help you design
Roel Frissen, CMM
Co-founder & managing partner
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
Ruud Janssen, CMM, DES
Co-founder & managing partner
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
Dennis Luijer, MSc.
Story Engagement Engineer
Netherlands based Visual Thinker and Story Engagement Engineer Dennis Luijer (1974) is 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
Angeles Moreno, CED
Director Spain
Angeles is an entrepreneur and a Certified Event Designer with a wealth of experience in the Spanish speaking markets. She is the Chair of the MPI European Advisory Council and past MPI Chapter President for the Iberian Chapter. Angeles leads the Event Design Collective in Spain and is based in Madrid.
Email: angeles@edco.global
Website: https://edco.global/spain
Gerrit Jessen, CMP, CMM, CED
Director Germany
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
Alissa Hurley, CMM, DES, CED
Director Canada
Alissa has over 20 years of experience in corporate events and marketing. A tech-savvy, digital and event strategy dynamo, Alissa’s past experience includes senior management roles at Maritz and Lenos Software, recognized for developing innovative client solutions. As Vice President, Marketing at FMAV, Alissa’s mandate includes marketing, MediaLab, and leading a team of solution specialists. Alissa leads the development of Event Design Collective in Canada.
Email: alissa@edco.global
Annaliza Laxamana, CED
Director Philippines
Annaliza is an experienced entrepreneur, consultant and speaker in The Philippines at LEAD Impact Asia Inc. and The Next Step Events Inc. She leads the development of the Event Design Collective activities in the Philippines.
Email: annaliza@edco.global
Marga Groot Zwaaftink, CED
Director The Netherlands
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
Andrea Vernengo, CED
Director Italy
Andrea is an entrepreneur, born in Italy and has lived all over the globe. He has been involved in the Events Industry since 1994 and has been designing events for the past 2.5 decades. He is the CEO of GVST and helps clients design events worth attending in ‘the home of design’, Italy. Andrea leads the development of Event Design Collective in the Italy.
Email: andrea@edco.global
Website: https://edco.global/italy/
Vincent Roux, MBA, CED
Director France
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
Rachel Ramos, CED
Director Brazil
Brazil based, Rachel Ramos leads the development of the Event Design Collective in Brazil. She has owned and operated Win Central de Eventos since 1997 with a rich experience in designing, developing and delivering events for associations, governmental organisations and corporations across Brazil and beyond.
Email: rachel@edco.global
Website: https://edco.global/brasil/
Erno Ovaska, CED
Director Finland, Sweden, Estonia
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.
Email: erno@edco.global
Website: https://edco.global/finland
Mauricio Magdaleno
Director Mexico
Mauricio is a passionate and experienced Tourism & Meetings professional based in Mexico. He is the Director of the Monterrey´s Tourism Cluster, a non profit agency that fosters innovation and competitiveness within the tourism industry in Monterrey. When he is not busy leading the Event Design Collective efforts in Mexico, he teaches at University and is a former executive at the Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Email: mauricio@edco.global
Website: https://edco.global/mexico
Gwynne Janssen, CED
Project Manager
Gwynne Janssen (1998) is a Liberal Arts and Sciences & Strategic Marketing student at University College Maastricht (UCM) in the Netherlands and Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. She is a Certified Event Designer and besides her role as a Student Ambassador for UCM, she is an active member of AIESEC as Market Expansion Manager. In her role as Project Manager she supports the Event Design Collective team at large.
Email: gwynne@edco.global
Nico Trofim-Bancila, MBA
Project Manager
Nico Trofim-Bancila (1987) is the newest addition to the Event Design Collective team, to support and assist in streamlining the further development of the core activities EDCo. Nico has recently moved to the Netherlands. With a varied marketing and communications background and a strong experience in project management paired with a Masters Degree in Business Administration, she is well equipped to support us to make the next strides forward.
Email: nico@edco.global