PCO - KONGRES – Europe Events and Meetings Industry Magazine

Europe’s top PCO agency leaders.

Who is shaping the future of Europe’s congress industry?

01 / What it is

Leadership backed by evidence.

Congress-led agencies professionally manage institutional congresses as a continuing core capability. Meetings Star assesses the named senior leader and the eligible agency unit they lead as one verified pair.

The agency oversees the congress as an institutional process involving delegates, programme, finances and stakeholders. The selection is based on evidence and editorial review, not a public vote.

02 / The methodology

50 criteria. 100 points.

60Integrated Leader and Agency Core · C01–C40

40PCO Category Excellence · C41–C50

Read the full PCO assessment methodology below, or see the summary in the FAQ.

Full PCO methodology · v4.1

Meetings-Star-PCO-Agencies-Methodology-v4.1-1

Open full methodology (PDF)

03 / The ranking

Top 50 agency leaders.

Follow the editorial reveal. Each verified profile will appear here with its rank, portrait, name, role, agency and country.

Thirty-five PCO agency leaders are now featured below.

Louis Verdier

Chief Executive Officer · K.I.T. Group GmbH

Louis Verdier combines financial and strategic expertise with the leadership of Europa Group and K.I.T. Group, supporting medical and scientific communities through congresses, information and continuing education. His work focuses on international development and lasting partnerships with associations and healthcare professionals.

Markus Preussner

Managing Director & Co-owner · INTERPLAN

Dr Markus Preussner has been Managing Director and co-owner of INTERPLAN since 2003, following a career in publishing. He shares responsibility for an agency that has delivered more than 4,000 congresses, with a particular focus on medicine and science, and now has over 120 employees.

Sissi Lignou

President & CEO · AFEA Congress · Greece

From the Athens 2004 Olympic Games organising committee to the leadership of AFEA Congress, Sissi Lignou brings more than two decades of experience to Greece’s meetings industry. As President and CEO of AFEA Congress and IAPCO President for 2025–2027, she combines agency leadership with an international role in advancing professional standards and education.

Nicola McGrane

Founder & CEO · Conference Partners International

Inge Hanser

Founding Partner & Managing Director · CPO HANSER SERVICE

Inge Hanser combines her leadership of CPO HANSER SERVICE with a distinguished record of international industry service, including the IAPCO presidency from 2002 to 2006. The German agency brings more than 40 years of experience to congresses, events and destination management in Germany and worldwide.

#11

Gema Rodriguez

Managing Director · TFI Lodestar · United Kingdom

Gema Rodriguez built her career at Informa and Banks Sadler before joining TFI Group in 2016 and becoming Managing Director of TFI Lodestar in 2024. She helped steer the agency’s integration and 2021 relaunch, bringing commercial and operational expertise to a business serving both corporate and association clients.

#13

Antonia Alexandrou

President & Managing Director · CONVIN

Antonia Alexandrou built her career in tourism and shipping before co-founding CONVIN in 2000. As its President and Managing Director, she has helped develop the Greek agency into a specialist in scientific congresses, bringing international meetings and knowledge exchange to Greece.

#15

John Healy

Managing Director · Abbey Conferences

John Healy brings more than 25 years of leadership experience in tourism to his role overseeing Abbey Group’s MICE division. His work connects the group’s wider travel expertise with Abbey Conferences’ delivery of national and international association meetings.

#16

Cengiz Korkmaz

Chairman · DEKON Group

Cengiz Korkmaz has led the DEKON Group of companies since 2004, combining agency leadership with a wider commitment to Türkiye’s meetings industry. His experience includes advising the Turkish Association of Travel Companies on MICE matters, serving on the executive board of Istanbul’s convention and exhibition centre, and lecturing at universities.

#17

Michel Huguenin

Founder & CEO · planitSwiss

#18

Claudia Maria Golinelli

President & Partner · EGA Worldwide

#19

Tomáš Maxa

Co-owner & Statutory Director · C-IN

Tomáš Maxa helped establish C-IN in 2002 and has guided its development as a Prague-based congress and events agency. As a managing partner, he combines entrepreneurial leadership with a focus on strengthening the systems behind complex event delivery.

#20

Michaela J. Görls

Founder & Managing Director · Conventus Congressmanagement & Marketing

#22

Dušica Todorović

Director, Congress & Commercial Programme / Assistant to the General Director · Cankarjev dom PCO & Events

Dušica Todorović became Director of Cankarjev dom’s Congress and Commercial Sector in June 2026 after more than two decades with the institution. Her career combines securing and delivering international congresses with business development, industry partnerships and teaching the next generation of tourism professionals.

#23

Stjepan Žunić

Founder, Owner & Director · Penta

Stjepan Žunić founded Penta in 1991 after building his career at the travel agency Putnik, helping pioneer professional congress organisation in Croatia. He continues to contribute to the Zagreb-based family company’s strategic decisions, following the transfer of operational leadership to his son Nikica in 2017.

#24

André Vietor

Managing Director · BCO Congresos · Spain

André Vietor moved from international hotel sales into congress management in 1995, building a career spanning association development, bidding strategy and professional education. As Managing Director of BCO Congresos and a former IAPCO President, he brings international experience to the congress and association-management specialist within Ávoris Corporación Empresarial.

#25

Olivier Cassedanne

Directeur Général · Hopscotch Congrès

#26

Stefan Walter

Managing Director · Mondial Congress & Events · Austria

Stefan Walter leads Mondial Congress & Events with an emphasis on financial discipline, steady development and a balance between people and structure. The Vienna-based agency supports associations through congress organisation, bid consulting, sponsorship and association management.

#28

Luděk Voclka

General Director · GUARANT International

Luděk Vocílka has built his career at GUARANT International, progressing from events management to Managing Director in 2012. As a co-owner and General Director, he combines long-standing operational experience with leadership of the Prague-based congress and association-management specialist.

#29

Cem Tuncel

Co-Founder & Managing Partner · BROS Group

#30

Natalie de Chalus

Founder & President · Colloquium · France

#31

Mustafa Fethi Gürbüz

Founder & CEO · Serenas Group

Mustafa Fethi Gürbüz combines his leadership of Serenas Group with the role of CEO of GL events Türkiye. The group brings more than 25 years of event experience and an integrated team of over 140 professionals to congresses, corporate events and diplomatic gatherings, supported by its partnership with GL events since 2011.

#33

Bener Atakay

General Manager · Figür

#34

Mirjana Saletić

Founder & General Manager · Miross · Serbia

Mirjana Saletić founded Miross in 1989 and has built a career spanning congress organisation, business travel and event logistics. With operations in Belgrade and Podgorica, the agency connects regional expertise with the demands of international meetings and long-standing client partnerships.

#35

Noel Mitchell

Founder & Managing Director · Keynote PCO

With a PhD in Experimental Physics and more than 25 years of international conference-management experience, Noel Mitchell brings both a scientist’s and an organiser’s perspective to association meetings. The founder of Keynote PCO has also served on the IAPCO Council and as President of AIPCO, supporting professional standards in Ireland and internationally.

#36

Alain Gargani

Founder · Atout Organisation Science (AOS) · France

Alain Gargani began his career as a physics researcher and lecturer before founding Atout Organisation Science in 1996. His move from science into event entrepreneurship underpins a congress agency specialising in scientific and medical meetings, with professional standards and responsible delivery at the heart of its stated approach.

#39

João Paulo Oliveira

Founder & Managing Partner · Leading

João Paulo Oliveira is the Founder and Managing Partner of Leading, a Portuguese specialist in congress organisation. The agency marked its twentieth anniversary in 2025 with a record of more than 700 congresses, 65% international, reflecting its role in bringing global professional communities to Portugal.

#40

Anna Jędrocha

President · Symposium Cracoviense

#41

Diana Kraus

Managing Director · Intercongress

Diana Kraus leads Intercongress with a personal commitment to the company’s growth and a collaborative, family-friendly working culture. As Managing Director, she brings that people-focused approach to a specialist team working across congress organisation and association management.

#42

Gerben Plasmeijer

Owner · Congress by design

#43

Pepijn Klerkx

Partner & Managing Director · Congress Care · Netherlands

Pepijn Klerkx progressed from project assistant at Congress Care in 2009 to co-owner in 2021, building his career through hands-on congress delivery. His responsibilities span client relationships, sponsorship and project involvement at a Dutch agency specialising in healthcare congresses.

#45

Georgia Tsatsou

Owner & CEO · Erasmus Conferences & Events

Georgia Tsatsou co-founded Erasmus in 1993 after a career in tourism and brings more than 40 years of professional experience to congress management. She helps lead a team described by the company as 25 people handling around 50 projects annually, supporting meetings in Greece and internationally.

#46

Paul Harrison

Managing Director · Fitwise Management Ltd

#47

Margaret Sherry

Founder & Managing Director · In Conference Ltd

Margaret Sherry founded In Conference and has overseen numerous international conferences throughout her career. From its Scottish base, the company organises congresses and exhibitions for scientific, medical and academic associations, as well as government and public-sector clients, across Europe and beyond.

#48

Irene Charalambous

Managing Director · ERA Congresses & Events

Irene Charalambous has specialised in business travel, incentives, corporate events and international congresses since 1995. At ERA Congresses & Events, she brings that experience to the coordination and supervision of projects and the management of the people delivering them.

Role · Agency · Country

#49

Leader to be revealed

Role · Agency · Country

#50

04 / The live moment

Meet the leaders at Conventa.

Conventa connects agency leaders with destinations, venues and specialist suppliers through pre-scheduled meetings and curated networking.

Explore exhibiting at Conventa Meetings Star

05 / About the selection

Why these leaders?

PCO recognises leaders of agencies whose continuing core work is the professional management of institutional congresses. The assessment considers the accountable leader together with the agency’s proven ability to manage delegates, programmes, finances and stakeholders.

How are PCO leaders assessed?

The PCO category recognises leaders of agencies whose continuing core business is the professional management of institutional congresses, including delegates, programmes, finances and stakeholders. Each leader and agency unit is assessed together against 50 criteria worth 100 points: 60 for the integrated leadership and agency core, and 40 for PCO-specific excellence.

Assessment draws on current, verifiable evidence and three completed congress projects from the previous 24 months, including at least one from the latest 12 months. Particular attention is paid to congress expertise, delegate management, financial stewardship and operational excellence, alongside scientific programmes, sponsorship, technology, compliance and lasting impact.

Publication requires at least 75 points, all six eligibility gates, the mandatory criterion thresholds, at least 70% weighted evidence coverage and independent review, with no unresolved major issues. Missing evidence earns no points; reputation alone cannot substitute for proof. Agencies normally enter one primary category; exceptional second-category inclusion requires independently verified attributable revenue of at least 40%, together with full eligibility in that category.

This editorial methodology draws on selected ISO principles; it does not constitute ISO certification or accreditation.