Exhibition & Seminars: 18 - 19 August 2026
Sheikh Rashid Hall, DWTC, UAE
Awards: 20 August 2026
Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai
Our Esteemed Judges for the Middle East Event Awards
We are thrilled to introduce the expert panel of senior leaders, decision-makers, and event professionals who will evaluate all award nominations for the 2026 Middle East Event Awards, one of the region’s most anticipated event recognition programmes. These judges have extensive knowledge and experience in the MICE and live events industry and have generously volunteered their time to ensure a fair and impartial evaluation of all submissions. We thank them for their dedication and invaluable contribution to the awards program.
We look forward to the results of the judges' evaluations and anticipate a successful awards ceremony. Thank you, judges, for your commitment to excellence in the event industry.
MEET THE JUDGES
Get to know the independent panel of event experts, creative leaders, and senior decision-makers who are reviewing submissions for the Middle East Event Awards 2026.
Abdulwahed Juma
Executive Director Communications & Awareness,
Tadweer Group
Ahmad Abu Gheith
CEO,
Black Orange Live
Ajay Bhojwani
Regional Managing Director,
MCI Group
Alessandro Azais
Chief Executive Officer,
HQ Worldwide Shows
Anam Ahmad
Founder & CEO,
The Hanging House Experiential Events
Antony Parham
Executive Creative Director,
LINKVIVA
Basil Yehia
Group Senior Manager - Live Experiences, Sponsorships & Partnership,
Majid Al Futtaim
Benoit Honnart
CEO,
THA by ARMONIA
Bruno Marx
CEO,
EventKnowHow
Catherine Broad
Director,
Venue Matchmaker
Dan Harris
Vice President- Venue Planning & Mobilisations,
Oak View Group Middle East
Darren Kerr
Director
Dawn Dennis
Executive Director,
Pico International
Donna Hyland
General Manager,
GES Middle East
Doug Emslie
Partner,
Manta Media Capital
Emma Pope
Corporate Director of Lifestyle Events,
Emaar Hospitality Group
Fakhry Maher Alsarraj
Events Bureau Director,
Department of Culture & Tourism (DCT)
Felix Erdmann
CEO/ Co-Owner,
BeWunder
Graham Stephenson
Executive Director- Sales & E&C,
ADNEC
Jemma Joy
Founder & Chief-of-Staff,
Standard Practice
Jodie Fowler
Sustainability Program Delivery Manager, IMEA
Informa Markets
John Jossifakis
Head of Events & Ceremonies,
AFC Asian Cup 2027
Jon Noonan
Founder & Managing Director,
-45dB
Kevin Brown
Event Planning & Reporting Director
Lili Khanbashi
Strategic Advisor & Founder,
Unicorn Jack
Lucy Magee
Founder & CEO,
West End Worldwide LLC
Maddy Spicer
General Manager,
MENA Live Events
Manal Al Kiyumi
Director- Marketing & Live Events,
Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre - OCEC
Mariam Ahmed
Co-Founder,
The Collective
Michail Panagiotakis
Executive Director Events,
Viola Communications
Naji El Haddad
Regional Director,
UFI
Natalie Crampton
Director,
TEC Event Management
Nowshir Engineer
CEO,
SM Productions Events LLC
Rasha Badran
Founder & Managing Director,
The Purple Chair
Rinal Chaaban
General Manager,
Agence Publics
Samantha Lockie
Senior Sales Manager- GSO,
Encore
Sankalp Sharma
CEO & Co-Founder,
Rayqube
Sujoy Cherian
CEO & Creative Technologist,
Option One Design Studio
Ted Bloom
Regional CEO,
Messe Frankfurt Middle East
Yvonne Hoffzimmer
Chief Operating Officer,
Designlab Experience