Supported by IMEX, the award recognises individuals and teams who challenge conventional approaches and take action to deliver meaningful innovation across the global meetings industry.
The award was presented by Sissi Lignou, IAPCO President, during the prestigious IMEX Gala Dinner in Frankfurt, celebrating Sherif’s role in spearheading the development of the CardioAlex Smart Shuttle System — a proprietary transport solution designed to optimise delegate movement between hotels and venues during one of the Middle East and Africa’s largest cardiovascular conferences.
For several years, delegate transportation had presented a significant operational and sustainability challenge. Traditional transport models relied on assigned dedicated buses to fixed hotel allocations and estimated demand forecasting, often resulting in idle vehicles, overlapping routes, unnecessary fuel consumption and a growing carbon footprint.
Under Mohamed Sherif’s leadership, ICOM Group formed a cross-functional task force spanning web development, ground logistics and operations to redesign the system using real-time data, dynamic routing and integrated fleet management.
The system integrated three operational layers: a delegate-facing rider application using GPS-enabled nearest pick-up identification and real-time estimated arrival times; a driver application to guide dynamic route sequencing and live vehicle management; and a centralised operations dashboard that enabled live bus tracking, passenger load visibility and rapid operational intervention where needed.
The operational impact was immediate and measurable. In 2025, CardioAlex served its largest hotel footprint to date, spanning 18 hotels and 1,600 rooms, while reducing total vehicle deployments to 47 buses across the three-day conference.
The reduced fleet model delivered measurable environmental and operational benefits, including lower fuel consumption, reduced emissions and significant cost savings across vehicle hire, fuel and driver logistics, enabling resources to be redirected towards scientific programming and the delegate experience.
In presenting the award, Sissi Lignou said Sherif and ICOM Group demonstrated the kind of practical, future-focused innovation that continues to raise standards across the profession.
Sherif brings 19 years of expertise in international congress management and operational strategy. As Operations Director at ICOM Group, he has built a reputation for driving innovation-led operational models and cross-functional collaboration across large-scale and complex conferences.
