The organizer of South Florida's largest technology conference has a new partner and strategic adviser.
Clarion Events Chairman Greg Topalian was appointed to the eMerge Americas team to help innovate the annual event.
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Topalian, also the founder of event consulting firm On Deck Ventures, has more than two decades of experience leading and scaling trade shows across various sectors.
"His guidance will be instrumental as we continue to scale, build on our strong foundation and adapt where needed while also staying aligned with our vision for the future," eMerge President and CEO Melissa Medina told the Business Journal.
London-based Clarion Events is a global event organizer, with offices across Europe, Asia and North America.
Co-founded by serial entrepreneur Manny Medina, eMerge was started to connect technology entrepreneurs, businesses and investors in the region. The goal is to drive investments to technology ventures in South Florida and Latin America.
The conference has had a $2.5 billion economic impact on South Florida and $2.6 billion impact across the state since its launch in 2014, according to a report from The Washington Economics Group, a boutique adviser based in Coral Gables. The event has also generated 9,894 direct and indirect jobs in the tri-county region over the last decade.
"Given the growth that eMerge has experienced in parallel with the South Florida tech ecosystem over the last several years, it is important for us to align ourselves with industry experts like Greg," Medina said.
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Organizers report about 20,000 people from 60 countries attended the two-day eMerge Americas conference that took place in April.
Topalian will collaborate with the eMerge leadership team to increase the organization's global reach, optimize attendees experiences and find new opportunities for partnerships and collaborations.
"I look forward to working with the eMerge team to create an even more dynamic and impactful event that fosters meaningful connections and drives the tech industry forward," he said in a statement.
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