New Era of Event Entrepreneurship

CHICAGO – Reflecting the changing nature of industries, communities, and human interaction, live events continue to play a vital role in moving the world forward by providing innovative ways to bring people together and inspire impactful action.

Whether through business or consumer events, top matchmaking or meaningful education and development programmes, events have the power to revolutionise the lives of all.

Events come in all shapes and sizes, and some are at different stages of the maturity cycle, but all have great potential. That’s why Events Venture Group focuses on sourcing investments for emerging events. EVG has a growing membership base that includes industry giants and many entrepreneurs, and the organization’s goal is to provide opportunities for promising businesses in the events industry.

To learn more about the organization, Trade Show Executive spoke with Monique Ruff-Bell, one of the EVG board members, to learn about the collaborative’s vision, process, and impact.

MADDY: You are a board member of the newly formed Events Venture Group. Can you tell us a little bit about the group and its mission? Why did you decide to join it?

Monique: I have always been passionate about highlighting the value of the events industry as a rewarding career path. I have worked at various conferences and my last position was at Money 20/20, a large fintech event with a strong startup and venture capital community. This background has made me an advocate for supporting early stage ideas in the events industry.

When Marco (Giberti) and Greg (Topalian) approached me, they highlighted a gap in our industry: the need for investment and support for smaller events and startups. While we often see large acquisitions You saw what just happened between Money 20/20 and Ascential. the journey from seed funding to success is not so remarkable. Given my experience and the revival of offline events after the epidemic, I am eager to participate.

Our board is made up of industry heavyweights committed to fostering growth and investment. We provide connections, advice, and seed funding to help events scale to the next level. Our membership is approaching 30 this year and includes both small and large investors who are excited about the impact this initiative will have on the industry.

MADDY: When you’re looking for businesses, people, or even ideas to invest in—whether it’s EVG or anywhere else in life—what do you look for? What makes something stand out?

Monique: I look for disruptors – those that offer something new and have impact. For example, in AI, there are countless events, but only a few really stand out and have growth potential. The key is to identify those that serve underserved communities or bring new approaches, like Money20/20 disrupting the finance conference and HLTH disrupting the healthcare event space. I am particularly interested in experiential events that go beyond traditional conferences. I want to see full-scale experiential events, not just events that bring people together and have someone speak to them from a stage. People want to be entertained, informed, connected, and engaged in ways they can’t find elsewhere. These events catch my attention.

MADDY: Can you tell us about any emerging trends or markets you see?

Monique: It’s not that I’m focusing on a specific area, we’ve only just started so we’ve only just started pitching for our members so I don’t have a lot to share yet. But I can say that the industry is not used to this and is not used to pitching like startups in the venture capital world. They sometimes need extra support to refine their pitch and deepen their market research. It’s a learning curve and some people need guidance to present a clear and compelling investment case. While some people quickly understand what’s needed, others need more support to refine their pitch and effectively present what they want.

MADDY: What is one thing everyone should know about investing world events?

Monique: This new platform is a game changer. It provides a clear path for people with innovative ideas to explore and get investment – ​​something that previously seemed out of reach. I hope it inspires people to take action, especially those who have been hesitant to take their activity up a notch. This is especially exciting for young people in our industry; now, they don’t have to settle for working for a big company – they can start their own business with real support. Hopefully, this platform will plant a seed for them, because I’m eager to see Gen Z become the next big disruptor, bringing fresh, unconventional ideas to the industry.