The group exhibition director of Reed Travel Exhibitions’ (RTE’s) Meetings and Incentives Events, Paul Kennedy, has been named in the top 10 of US publication Meetings News’ ‘25 most powerful’ people in the meetings industry.

The list recognises the 25 individuals, forces and trends that have had the greatest impact and influence in the meetings industry in 2008.

Kennedy has been recognised for RTE’s flagship meetings and incentive travel event EIBTM, which takes place annually in Barcelona, and for his leadership and successes in setting up two events, GIBTM and CIBTM, in the potentially huge meetings markets of the Middle East and China respectively. These three, together with meetings event AIME in Melbourne and the ICCA Congress Exhibition represent the largest portfolio of meetings industry events anywhere in the world.

Attendance at this year’s Gulf Incentive Business Travel and Meetings Exhibition (GIBTM) grew by more than 40%, and although CIBTM in China was postponed this year because of the Olympics, it has the potential to become the country’s top meetings industry event.

Paul has been a major player within Meetings Professionals International (MPI) both within the UK and internationally, serving as UK chapter board president and international board member, with two years on the Executive Committee.

Paul has been honoured many times with awards over the past 15 years. These include the UK’s Meeting Incentive Industry Personality 2001, a year in which he was also awarded with the Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE). For the past three years, Paul has been placed in the top ten most powerful leading figures in the industry in UK magazine Conference and Incentive Travel’s poll, reaching second place in 2006.

He is the only European to win an International MPI Award, and has won both the Leader of Tomorrow (2001) and Chapter Leader Award (2004).

This year’s EIBTM takes place from 2-4 December 2008, Barcelona; GIBTM in Abu Dhabi from 31 March to 2 April 2009; and CIBTM in Beijing from 8-10 September 2009.