Profile

Mr. Stephen Sind

Singapore Expo / MAX Atria

Contact Details

Singapore Expo / MAX Atria

Bio

Steve Sind is CEO and Founder of Global Event Strategies, LLC, an international consulting firm established in January 2002 to serve the exhibition industry. The firm has offices in the US, Hong Kong and Beijing, plus associates in more than 20 countries. It assists organizers in expanding their businesses globally and consults on global business strategies, including mergers, acquisitions, licenses and joint ventures. It is and has been involved in managing events overseas, establishing global sales networks to bring foreign exhibitors into US events, developing strategies for events and organizations, and organizing hosted model events in Latin America and Asia.

The company has, among its other activities, negotiated and concluded for its clients event licenses in Asia, Brussels, Dubai and the UK; JV’s in Mexico, Singapore and Brazil; brokered the sale of a Brazilian subsidiary of a US company to a German organization; brokered the sale of an event in Shanghai; provided valuations of an association’s events/business in Europe and Asia; and represents companies being sold or looking to acquire. It has managed events in China, as well as a major US association's conferences in Beijing, New Delhi and Taipei.

With over 30 years in the industry developing and organizing events on all continents, most recently Steve was Vice President and Director, International for Penton Media, a leading global B2B media company with extensive publishing, trade show and on line businesses. Penton is one of the largest B2B publishers in the US and was ranked as the largest trade show organizer in the US and Canada in 2001. He was responsible for the expansion of Penton’s trade show business globally, including acquisitions, joint ventures, licenses, divestitures and new launches in Asia, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Latin America. He was Chairman of Penton subsidiaries in Hong Kong and Australia.

Prior to joining Penton in 1998, Mr. Sind was President and Chief Executive Officer of the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR), a global organization serving the needs of the exhibition industry. He was responsible for the dramatic growth and renewed strong image of CEIR (formally known as the Trade Show Bureau) as well as the launching of the landmark study Power of Exhibitions, the Exhibition Industry Promotion Campaign (EIPC), and a seminar entitled “Integrating and Leveraging the Power of Exhibitions: Strategies to Gain a Competitive Edge”.

During 15 years with Reed Exhibitions, the world's largest trade show organizer, he held a variety of senior level positions including Senior Vice President, Worldwide Corporate Planning and Communications; Senior Vice President International Sales; Senior Vice President, Asia/Pacific based in Hong Kong; and was a director and CEO for several subsidiary companies throughout the Asia/Pacific region.
Prior to joining Reed in 1981, he was appointed by the US Secretary of Commerce as director of the historic US National Economic and Trade Exhibition held in Beijing in 1980. This was the first US commercial exhibition ever to be held in China and the largest exhibition ever held anywhere by the US Government. He was also Director of the US Trade Center in the former Soviet Union from 1976-1979, and organized events throughout Eastern Europe. He began his professional career at ALCOA in their International Department. Steve has lived in Moscow, Beijing and Hong Kong as well as having extended tours in Western and Central Europe.
In 1997, Mr. Sind was named by the US Meeting News magazine as one of the "Top 25 Most Influential" individuals in the exhibition industry. He was a Presidential Appointee for the White House Conference on Travel and Tourism and past Chairman of IAEE's (Int'l Association of Exhibitions and Events) International Committee. A frequent contributor to leading industry magazines, he has spoken regularly to audiences around the world. He is a member in good standing of SISO (Society of Independent Show Organizers), IAEE (formerly IAEM) and the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE)
Steve received his BA in International Politics from the University of Vermont and his MBA in International Business from George Washington University. He and his wife Jean make their home in Tucson, Arizona