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The Experiential Design Authority Announces Esteemed Judging Panels for the 2026 ExSys Awards

The Experiential Design Authority (TEDA) is honored to unveil the distinguished professionals who will serve as judges for the 2026 ExSys Awards. These individuals, each a respected leader in experiential design, marketing, and/or brand strategy, will lend their expertise to evaluate entries across categories, celebrating the most innovative and effective system-based exhibits of the year.



Preliminary Panel

This year's initial round of evaluations will be conducted by a select group of industry veterans with deep experience in trade show marketing, event strategy, and brand engagement:

  • Allison Saget, Author and Event Marketing Consultant, EventBLT

  • Frank Jones, Experiential Producer, A Team Experiences

  • Liz Nacron, Partner, President of Creative and Production, Live Marketing

  • Stephanie Chavez, CTSM, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, BlackPearl Technology

  • Steve Riches, CEO & Principal, Laguna Displays

Their collective insights will shape the shortlist of finalists that will be evaluated by our final judging panel.


Best Student Design Judging Panel

To ensure a thoughtful assessment of tomorrow’s experiential leaders, TEDA has assembled a diverse panel of professionals to judge the Best Student Design category:

  • Al Mercuro, Strategic Marketing & Client Engagement Advisor, Genesis Exhibits

  • Alex Hill, Vice President, Experiential Solutions, Taylor Corp.

  • Axel von Hagen, Founder/Managing Partner, von Hagen Design, Germany

  • Courtney Soice, Chief Marketing Officer, Hamilton

  • Jeannette Sanders, Vice President, Marketing & Strategy, 2020 Exhibits

  • Rita Meno Price, Senior Vice President, Experiential Innovation, MC2

  • Stephen Ross, Vice President, Executive Creative Director, Access TCA

These awards recognize fresh perspectives and creative potential among student designers, interns, and/or recent graduates.



Final Judging Panel

The final stage of judging will bring together a broader group of experiential design experts and brand leaders from around the world, whose combined experience spans disciplines from creative direction to large-scale production. These individuals will all finalists to determine this year’s Gold, Silver, and Bronze Award winners.

  • Christian Lachel, LEED AP, Chief Creative Officer, BRC Imagination Arts

  • Christina Lyons, Professor & Chair, FIT Graduate Exhibition & Experience Design

  • Christina Stoll, CTSM Diamond, CDMP, PCM, Former Senior Marketing Manager, Event Marketing, HD Supply

  • Isabel Lorenzo, CEO, Octaplan Arquitetura e Promocoes Ltda., Brazil

  • James Inedu-George, Head of Design, HTLAfrica, Nigeria

  • John Pavek, Director of Partner Development, Willwork Global Event Services

  • Mike Denison, Head of Design, Smithsonian National Museum of American History

  • Rohit Saraogi, Co-Founder and Director - Europe & USA, Design Desk, Poland

  • Dr. Sachel Josefson, Associate Professor of Exhibit + Experience Design & Production, Bemidji State University

  • Smart Xu, Vice President, Lingtong Exhibition System Co. Ltd., China

  • Takhmina Turdialieva, Director, Tatalab.uz, Uzbekistan

  • Vickie Velji, Chief Experience Officer, Kubik, Canada


TEDA extends its sincere thanks to all judges for their time, expertise, and thoughtful evaluation of the many exemplary entries.



 
 
 
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