Stuart Ruff-Lyon, CMP, DES has worked in the events and hospitality industry since 1998 and joined RIMS in 2012 as Director of Meetings and Events, and was promoted in 2016 to Vice President, Events and Exhibitions. Stuart is passionate about business events and is an advocate for strategic events that increase revenue, grow brand exposure, and support the goals and objectives of RIMS. He currently oversees event sponsorship sales, attendee acquisition strategies, and all content for RIMS Annual Conference and Exhibition. Ruff-Lyon is the lead liaison to the Exhibits Advisory Committee (EAC) and the Annual Conference Programming Committee (ACPC, and leads a team of 6 event and exhibition professionals. Stuart is a Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) and a certified Digital Events Strategist (DES). He serves on business event advisory boards for the cities of Denver, Chicago, and San Francisco. He also serves as the 2020 Chair of the Board of Directors for the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA). On the PCMA BOD, Ruff-Lyon works on strategic planning and global development strategies.