Jenny Abreu, CMP, MTA
Meeting & Event Planning SME
Jenny Abreu, CMP, MTA
Meeting & Event Planning SME
Ms. Abreu has been planning association, academic, social, corporate and non-profit events for over 19 years. Her event planning philosophy is centered on creating memorable event experiences that appeal to the five senses. She loves all things EVENTS – but more importantly loves to create the experiences that bring people together for socializing, networking, learning and of course fun!
In 2014, Ms. Abreu founded and launched Forever Etched Events, LLC a boutique meeting and event firm that provides experience design, planning, management and production services. Her firm provides services for social events and for corporate, not for profit, higher education, and government related organizations, with a special interest in faith-based events. In December 2016, Ms. Abreu joined Howard Community College’s Center for Hospitality & Culinary Studies as an Adjunct Instructor/Professor for the Event Management program and still teaches.
Currently Ms. Abreu has returned to the American Bar Association, International Law Section as the Director of Meetings.
Other event related experiences includes, volunteering on the United States Presidential Inauguration Committee for the 2009 Presidential Inauguration, and working as staff on worked on events such as the Greater Washington Sports Alliance Sneaker Ball, The National Kidney Foundation (National Capital Area) Casino Night, the United States Office of Executive and Management Development- President’s Quality Awards, the Annual Children’s Charities Foundation Basketball Gala, Latinas Leading for Tomorrow 2012 Conference to name a few.
On her spare time, Ms. Abreu also freelances with a number of reputable event production and planning agencies, she serves as a contractor for a government contractor, volunteers as the Chair for The George Washington University Latino Alumni Network and is an Academic Mentor.
Chana Brissett
Catering SME
Wallace Johnson, CTS
Audio/Visual SME
Wallace’s 18+ year corporate live event audiovisual career began in the Washington, DC hospitality market with Swank Audio Visuals where he gained his foundational knowledge of a customer service first approach to delivering technology solutions. He later moved south to join AVI-SPL’s Hotel & Event Production division where he spent over 10+ years lastly in the role of VP of Operations overseeing 100+ hotel & staging offices throughout the US, Puerto Rico, and Mexico. After the division was acquired by Freeman AV, he transitioned to Tampa based audiovisual company DCE Productions to serve as President, leading their expansion as a full-service AV production company. From there Wallace joined Mertzcrew as VP of Business Development, where he was responsible for educating & advising clients on how to remove compliance & insurance risk when working with freelancers while maximizing efficiency and profitability in crew management. Today Wallace heads up WLJ Consulting where he produces live events and consults with live event audiovisual companies on how to Be BETTER Now by focusing on improving People, Processes & Technology. Wallace is Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certified and a Certified Technology Specialist. Wallace has served as AVIXA’s Chair of the Live Event Council and was named AVIXA’s 2017 Young AV Professional of The Year. Currently, he serves on AVIXA’s Board of Directors and Foundation Board. In 2017 he was named in Commercial Integrator Magazine 40 under 40 lists. Wallace is the host of AVNation.TV podcast – “The LIVE Life” where he brings influential guest to discuss topics related to the selling, planning, designing, producing and delivering Live Event Audiovisual Productions. To help develop the future workforce of the audiovisual industry he acts as a speaker and advisor to several education organizations that have courses related to the live event audiovisual industry.