The agency leaders shaping Europe’s live experience economy
TOP 100
EVENT AGENCY LEADERS 2026
Selected by
How The Score Is Built
Leadership & Agency Fit
10%
Agency Scale & Performance
14%
Awards & Market Recognition
16%
Personal Visibility & Influence
16%
Networks & Ecosystem
10%
Creativity, Innovation & Impact
15%
Sustainability & Responsibility
9%
Public Data Quality
10%
Since 2014, Kongres Magazine has been mapping the most influential live communication and creative agency leaders in New Europe. The TOP 100 EVENT AGENCY LEADERS 2026, created by Kongres Magazine in cooperation with the UNICORN Awards, is the next evolution of that editorial project.
This is not a new ranking for the sake of ranking. It is a sharper, more transparent benchmark of the people behind the agencies: those with creative authority, industry trust, business relevance and lasting European impact.
Every day, we will reveal two finalists from the list. The full ranking and PDF brochure will be published on 17 July 2026. At the UNICORN Awards, leading individuals will also receive special recognition.
How The Score Is Built
Each finalist is assessed on a 100-point scale. The final score combines editorial evaluation, public evidence, agency business indicators and external industry signals. As a basic criterion, the methodology also considers the agency’s annual turnover and number of employees, where reliable public data is available.
#1
Colja DAMS
CEO at Vok Dams, Germany
#2
Arne KOEFOED
Head of ideas and founder at
Wink Netherlands
#3
Patrick ROUBROEKS
XSAGA Founding Director
#4
Cyril GIORGINI
President Auditoire Group
#5
Stefan KOZAK
Founder & CEO at CREATIVE PRO group
#6
Marco Jannarelli
President, Next Group
#7
Alfredo ACCATINO
President at Filmmaster
#8
Jens Oliver MAYER
Managing Director at
Jack Morton Worldwide
#9
Sebastien TONDEUR
Group CEO, MCI Group
#10
Jonathan McCALLUM
Managing Director Europe,
SVP at George P Johnson
#11
Arlindo FRAZÃO
CEO & Co-Founder, Desafio Global
#12
Wouter BOITS
Founder & CEO at OVAL
#13
Simone MAZZARELLI
CEO at NINETYNINE
#14
Maria CRISCUOLO
Chairwoman & Founder –
Triumph Group International
#15
Dario REGATTIERI
CEO at beon. Worldwide
#16
Marco BALICH
Chairman at Balich
Wonder Studio
#17
Richard HANNAH
Managing Director, UK &
Europe at Imagination l
#18
Bernhard Fischer-Appelt
Founder fischerAppelt AG
#19
Gianluca BUONGIORNO
President at AIM Group International
#20
Victor KNAAP
Co-Founder Monks
#21
Aris THEOPHILAKIS
Director and Co-founder, NOSLEEPTILLBROOKLYN
#22
Maciej LEDZION
Founding Partner / Member of the Board, Endorfina Events
#23
Øystein HJOHANSSEN
CEO/ Founding Partner Fieldwork
#24
Martin RAUAM
Creative strategist &
Co-founder, Jolos, Estonia
#25
claudia maria golinelli
President an Partner, EGA Worldwide congress & Events
#26
Valentin VACARUS
Founder of Godmother Group, Romania
#27
gjermund hellan
Managing Director, Just Cruzin’ Production AS
#28
Raoul D'SOUZA
Director at Pico EMEA
#29
miro antić
Chief Experience Officer at M2Communications // Founder od NEO
#30
Brice MOURER
Co founder, CEO, Magic Garden
#31
Rafal KRAWCZUK
Managing Partner, PLEJ, Poland
#32
Dia WOLF
Managing Director at Lounge Event
#33
Inese LUKAŠEVSKA
Founder Luka Agency, Latvia
#34
Roshan SOOMARCHUN
Founder at LEAP CREATIVE STUDIO
#35
Aurimas KAMANTAUSKAS
Founder & CEO at Rekurai
#36
Florian HALDER
CEO, Stargate Group Werbeagentur GmbH
#37
Alexandros MAKRIS
CEO at Magna Events
#38
Daniele ZAMBELLI
Founder, President and Creative
Director at Simmetrico Network
#39
Mario VISCARDI
CEO, Founder, Creative Director
at Pianob
#40
Frédéric BAULT
Co-président chez HAVAS EVENT
#41
Alberto CASSONE
Chairman ALPHAOMEGA
group & CEO Hurry!
#42
Jamie DEASY
Co-founder and Managing
Director at FUEL
#43
Norbert PYCHA
CEO at Event Arena
#44
Ralf Herrmann
General Manager at marbet
#45
Ercan ASLAN
CEO at DOIT
#46
timo aalto
CEO, LIWLIG Group
#47
Andreas GÖLTL
CEO, Media Apparat
#48
Michael COURCOUX
President, UBI, France
#49
Francicso SERZEDELLO
CEO, GR8 Events
#50
Niels JANSSEN
CEO at Daymakers, Netherlands
#51
gundega skudrina
Creative Director, Skudras Metropole
#52
Lana BEDEKOVIĆ ROSANDIĆ
Owner & Managing director of Alert Croatia
#53
Tomaš RUČKAY
Managing Director, Leopard
Production, Slovakia
#54
Dale Permenter
Founder & Group CEO, DRPGroup
#55
Patrick WALLDEN
Chief Executive Officer at
BANG Agency, Sweden
#56
René CÉLESTIN
Founding Partner, OBO France
#57
Jyrki AITTOLA
CEO, Senior Partner
at Woltigroup Finland
#58
Lena Ferstere
CEO/ Founding Partner
at SponsorKing
#59
Christian POSWA
CEO, insglück Gesellschaft für Markeninszenierung mbH
#60
César GONZÁLEZ PERDIGUERO
CEO at SOMOS Experiences
#61
Vinciane MOREL DE WESTGAVER
General Manager WMH
Project Brusses!
#62
Franco GATTINONI
President, Gattinoni Group
#63
Volker SELLE
CEO & President
at Cheil Worldwide
#64
Thomas KENYERI
Founder KESCH Group, Austria
#65
Tim LIVSON
CEO & Founding Partner
at Lataamo Finland
#66
Olga YUNAK
Founder at SUN Event
#67
Marian DUMITRESCU
Founder, Fieldstar Romania
#68
manuela Šola
General Manager at Komunikacijski laboratorij d.o.o.
#69
Maris ALTSOO
Co-Founder, CEO & Creative
Producer at ALL-SET
#70
Luca BASSETTO
Founder & CEO at FMA hub, Italy
#71
Fran SÁNCHEZ DEL FORCALLO
CEO en AB SO LU TE
#72
Sebastian OPRZADEK
President at El Padre, Poland
#73
Oliver MONOD DE FROIDEVILLE
CEO & Partner at 360 Experience Group
#74
Anton JERGES
Founder and CEO at We Are Collider
#75
Dominik GÓRKA
Co-CEO at Live Age Poland
#76
bartel van iseghem
Managing Director meetmarcel & partner 62MILES
#77
Goro KIDO
CEO, Kuoni Tumlare
#78
Rafal Kupiduro
Owner & CEO, IF NATION GROUP
#79
Mariusz PAZIK
COO & Creative Director
Ministry of Creativity
#80
Marcus WILD
Founder, IDEAL Live Marketing GmbH
#81
Mojca Madea MAJHEN
CEO and Founder of Paideia Events
#82
Thomas STRANDSKOGEN
CEO Z Event AS
#83
András PALKÓ
CEO at Special Effects Ltd.
#84
Jesper GÖTSCH
Founder at Jazzunique
#85
Hélio SOARES
CEO at UPpartner Portugal
#86
Jan LIEBREGTS
Partner & managing director Obsession
#87
Marck FELLER
Founder We Are Live
#88
Konrad WIELGÓRSKI
CEO at Bespoke Poland
#89
Olivier MOTHES
Co-founder Groupe Manifestory
#90
Xavier VINCENT
CEO of VO Group
#91
Dace OZOLA-SLAIDINA
Owner, Meduza Events
#92
Felice CASTRIGNANÒ
Founder & CEO at Mosaico Studio
#93
Dieter ZAND
Executive Partner at Brandmood
#94
Michael MEYER
CEO & Managing Partner JEFF Zürich GmbH
#95
Marcus HÅKONSEN
Managing Director / partner, Appetite for Production AS
#96
Simone TOMAELLO
Co-Founder and General
Manager at 2Night Italy
#97
Kim MEISINGER
CEO at Pure Perfection
GmbH, Germany
#98
Joe Bašić
Director, MPG South-East Europe
#99
Marko PERICA
CEO and founder at fakat
#100
Jesús GARCÍA
Presidente at Experientia Group
FAQ
When will the final Top 100 Event Agency Leaders 2026 ranking be revealed?
The final ranking will be officially revealed on 17 July 2026. Until then, visitors can follow the daily development of the ranking on the official page:
How many finalists are revealed each day?
Two finalists from the Top 100 Event Agency Leaders 2026 list are revealed every day until the full ranking is published.
Will there be a PDF brochure?
Yes. The full ranking and PDF brochure will be published on 17 July 2026.
Who publishes the ranking?
The ranking is published by Kongres Magazine in cooperation with the UNICORN Awards.
What is the main purpose of the ranking?
The main purpose of the ranking is to highlight event agency leaders and agencies that stand out for quality, innovation, professionalism, creative authority, business relevance, and European impact.
What reference does the ranking provide?
The ranking provides a credible reference for clients, partners, media, and the wider industry.
Is the ranking about agencies or individual leaders?
The ranking focuses on the people behind the agencies: founders, CEOs, directors, senior decision-makers, and influential leaders shaping Europe’s live experience economy.
Where can I find information about the ranking methodology?
Detailed information about the methodology is available on the official ranking page:
How is the ranking score built?
Each finalist is assessed on a 100-point scale. The final score combines editorial evaluation, public evidence, agency business indicators, and external industry signals.
Which criteria are included in the methodology?
The methodology considers leadership profile, agency scale and performance, awards and market recognition, personal visibility, industry networks, creativity, innovation, impact, sustainability, responsibility, and public data quality.
Is the ranking based only on awards won?
No. The ranking is not based solely on awards such as BEA World, Eventex, UNICORN Awards, or similar competitions. Awards are one part of a broader methodology that also considers leadership, business relevance, market influence, creativity, responsibility, and credible public evidence.
Does agency size matter?
Agency scale is considered, including team size, business stability, revenue signals, market reach, and delivery capacity where reliable public data is available. However, size alone does not determine the ranking.
Why does the methodology mention public evidence?
Public evidence helps ensure that the ranking is based on traceable, recent, and credible information. This supports transparency, claim realism, and reputational risk control.
Does the ranking include sustainability and responsibility?
Yes. Sustainability and responsibility are part of the assessment, powered by the Planet Positive Event methodology. The ranking looks at responsible production practices, carbon-conscious planning, supplier and procurement choices, accessibility, DEI, waste management, and wider social impact. The focus is on credible, traceable evidence rather than general sustainability claims, including practices aligned with measurable impact, ESRS reporting logic, and continuous improvement.
Is there a regional focus?
The ranking highlights leaders shaping Europe’s live experience economy, with special attention given to New Europe, where Kongres Magazine has long identified outstanding talent, original thinking, and agencies with strong cross-border relevance.
Will leading individuals receive additional recognition?
Yes. According to the communication plan, leading individuals will also receive special recognition at the UNICORN Awards.
Will there be further communication about the ranking?
Yes. Further information, daily reveals, methodology explanations, finalist profiles, social media posts, and updates will be published through UNICORN Awards and Kongres Magazine channels.
Where can agencies, media representatives, or PR teams request further information?
For additional questions, please contact:
