Angela Harar (l) and Christine Flanagan.
​
ALEXANDRIA, Va.—Angela Harar, senior director for The Vision Council and Christine Flanagan, vice president of operations for Reed Exhibitions are to be honored by event industry publications, BizBash and Trade Show Executive (TSE) for their work that contributes to the success of the Vision Expo portfolio of shows. Vision Expo East and Vision Expo West, co-owned by the Vision Council and Reed Exhibitions are global conferences and exhibitions in the optical industry that draw more than 30,000 eyecare professionals each year.

Harar was named to the BizBash inaugural list of Top 500 People in Events, consisting of event professionals from the United States and Canada who lead the largest trade and consumer shows, orchestrate global brand campaigns and plan high-visibility cultural events that garner heavy traffic on social media.

In her role at The Vision Council, Harar is responsible for strategy, marketing and communications for Vision Expo and works closely with the team at Reed Exhibitions. In 2015, Harar served as the youngest chairperson on the Major American Trade Show Organizers Council (MATSO) within the International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE). Harar regularly speaks at industry events, including BizBash’s Elevate, a conference for event and meeting professionals that addresses topics such as using new event technology tools and improving association events and trade shows.

“I am honored to be recognized by BizBash alongside contemporaries I am continually inspired by,” said Harar. “Every day I strive to fulfill two goals: motivate myself and my team to bring passion and precision to ensure the success of our shows and serve as a role model to my family.”

Flanagan was named to Trade Show Executive’s inaugural Women to Watch – a program that identifies and encourages the next generation of leaders in the trade show industry. In her role as the vice president for operations for Reed Exhibitions’ portfolio of shows, Flanagan is responsible for overseeing the logistics of Reed’s operations teams, including the team dedicated to Vision Expo. From 2011-2014, Flanagan served as the director of operations where she directly managed pre-show and onsite logistics for several events including Vision Expo. Flanagan will be honored at TSE’s Gold 100 Awards & Summit this week.

“Receiving the Trade Show Executive’s Women to Watch award is an honor, it is exciting to be recognized alongside such like-minded women,” said Flanagan. “This award brings to life the influence that women have in our industry and I am proud to help pave the way for the generations to come. I love what we do and the impact I can make to our industry while also being a wife and a mom.”