Emerging leaders in an ever-changing industry

Katharina has been dedicated to her work in and around the business events industry for over three years, with a portfolio of experience in Content Marketing, PR & Social Media. The Events Industry Council is very pleased to welcome her as a 2022 Global Awards Recipient for the Pacesetters category.

By Katharina Path, Marketing Manager Conventions, Frankfurt Convention Bureau

The events industry is like one big family. Regardless of whether you’re dealing with a competitor, supplier or customer, the interaction and communication is always friendly and driven by the love for our industry. All of us help people come together, exchange ideas and learn from each other. This common goal is what connects us and makes working within our industry something very special.

Since I was a child, I have loved meeting people and making new friends. In the 9th grade, I completed a student internship at the trade fair in my hometown – my first point of contact with our industry. I loved it! After graduating from university, my path took me on a small detour in the tourism industry directly to the Frankfurt Convention Bureau, where I started my career in business events. Ever since, I've been meeting inspiring people and broadening my horizons every day.

If I've learned anything over the years, it's that to shape the future of business events, we need to keep up with the pace of change, to identify social trends early on and to produce new ideas. Sometimes we’ll fail, but we can learn from it. Innovation and transformation can only be successful if we are courageous and not afraid of failure.

So successful leadership is not only based upon ideas, but also on challenging the status quo and inspiring others to action. I am convinced that only those who are inspired themselves can inspire others. That’s why I highly recommend networking with other aspiring leaders, exchanging ideas and breaking new ground together.

It is wonderful that the Pacesetter Award recognises emerging leaders and their accomplishments – a great encouragement to go above and beyond and drive our industry forward. I am more than grateful to be one of the nominees this year and hope to set a good example for others.