A panel of industry experts are on hand to assess the individual merits of each venue, drawing on their years of experience to narrow down the entries into a shortlist, before selecting their final winners in each category.

Becky has spent 19 years working in professional theatres, opera houses, concert halls and performance spaces around the world. Currently at Charcoalblue as a Stage Lighting Consultant, Becky is involved in many design projects across the world. Prior to joining Charcoalblue, Becky worked as a Technical Solutions Manager and Primary Install Consultant with Enlightened Lighting. Managing projects, systems programming, design and specification for theatrical, events and performance spaces.

An architect specializing in lighting design, she has been working in the area for over 15 years, recommending lighting products for nightclubs, concerts, events and high-end homes.

Also graduated in engineering, Rosani Gomes unites technique with the harmony of architecture to create beauty. Her specialty in pixel-by-pixel lighting makes her a differentiated professional in the market, making her known worldwide with her projects and lectures.

With the internet at her fingertips, Rosani also has her daily life show to her 40,000 followers on Instagram, making her a digital influencer, both as a Lighting designer and a consumer of luxury products.

Phil Marlowe oversees all sales, technical, and service operations across the Middle East region, playing a pivotal role in shaping AVI-SPL’s success. Starting his journey as an installation technician, Phil demonstrated remarkable ambition and vision, becoming the company’s first expatriate employee when he relocated to Dubai in 2008. With over 19 years of expertise in system integration and services, Phil combines his deep technical knowledge with strategic leadership to drive growth and innovation. His commitment to empowering his team with the right tools and training ensures exceptional operational performance and a customer experience that sets industry benchmarks.

Born and raised in Venezuela, Cristina is a Lighting Designer and Architect based in Brussels since 2014. She is also the ambassador for Women in Lighting for Belgium since 2018.

Currently, Cristina holds the position of Senior Lighting Designer and Project Manager at ACTLD. Her work experience has immersed her in a great variety of projects, different typologies, and scales, teamed up with a highly international team.

In her experience, Cristina has been able to bring together projects of Lighting design in both the Architecture and Entertainment fields, taking care not only of the function, sustainability, and aesthetics of a project but also its intersection with art, show, innovation, and tailored-made solutions, to create experiences and experiential environments.

Brock McGinnis is Principal Consultant at avitaas inc. His mission, since the ‘80s, has been helping people, businesses and institutions choose and implement the right technologies for their aspirations and objectives. He’s worked with sports and entertainment venues, government and educational facilities, as well as a broad spectrum of corporate and conferencing clients.
With avitaas, McGinnis is now also providing advisory services to audiovisual integrators needing to adapt and evolve their business models or develop new market verticals. His current engagement is with the team at Nationwide Audio Visual, a long-established integrator in Canada.”

Roberta McHatton of Laser Safety Services LLC have been providing laser safety consultation to the entertainment industry since 1995. In 2023 Roberta was awarded the prestigious International Laser Display Association (ILDA) Career Achievement Award. The Career Achievement Award is ILDA’s highest honor, given for work spanning many years in the area of show quality, innovation, and industry service.

Roberta works within the laser industry to create laser safety guidelines/standards and increase laser safety awareness worldwide. Roberta is particularly well known for our extensive work with Entertainment lasers, an industry that can pose a high risk of potential exposure to the general public.

Selina is an award-winning leader focused on sustainability, social impact and legacy planning with over 15 years of consultancy expertise across high-profile events. Selina sits on the board of industry leading organisations, isla and NOWIE, and is recognised for leading sustainability strategies across major events, brands, sporting organisations and venues.

Working with high profile clients at companies such as the experiential marketing agency GPJ, Carina was able to witness first hand the growing desire for her clients to become more sustainable. On the flip side, over the 10 years as a technical production manager, she would also see all the items that were sent into skips and off to landfill.

Over the years of volunteering, she quickly noticed the increasing demand for donations with charities and felt that there was a need to combine the two. Her venture Event Cycle does just that – helping the event industry implement practical solutions to sustainability challenges while creating a positive social impact and a lasting legacy. She hopes to be able to support the events industry in the transition into a more circular economy and to help those most in need in the process.

With over 26 years of expertise in event management, experiential marketing, and live production, Dee has consistently led the Better Green Group at the forefront of creativity, strategic management, and delivery. Dee is the driving force behind the company’s Group management and expansion and is the catalyst behind fostering all sustainability and outreach initiatives. Setting high standards and goals for the organisation, Dee also meticulously oversees legal, financial, and operational processes to ensure seamless implementation, with their happy and valued teams.