BizBash Fresh Faces 2026: 15 Up-and-Coming Event Professionals You Need to Know Now
These ambitious event profs—some who pivoted from unrelated fields—are redefining experiential marketing with culturally relevant work that prioritizes emotional impact.
This year's class of BizBash Fresh Faces is impressive for many reasons. Yes, the portfolio of clients and events they've worked on in such a short amount of time in their experiential careers is awe-inspiring, but what really excites us? The fact that many of them pivoted from different, unrelated industries—and are thriving in the world of experiential. In the list below, you'll find fast-learning, ambitious professionals not far out of college, but you'll also meet people with backgrounds in comedy, architecture, and corporate tech.
Together, this group paints an incredibly exciting picture for the future of the events industry. "I'd love to see our industry continue pushing beyond beautiful photo moments," says Alfie Willing, a creative strategist for BMF and a 2026 Fresh Face. "Those are important, but the work I admire most feels culturally relevant and meaningful enough that people remember how it made them feel, not just that they were there. That's the kind of impact I hope to have."
Through the links, get to know the 15 event profs on our 2026 Fresh Faces list—all sourced from reader nominations. Learn how they each got their start, the impact they hope to have on the event industry, the advice they'd give their peers, and other insights.
BizBash Fresh Faces 2026: Thai McCabe
McCabe is a project coordinator for Seen Presents, where—at only 19—she has had the opportunity to support the execution of global campaigns for brands like Netflix and TikTok.
Thai McCabe is a project coordinator for brand experience agency Seen Presents, delivering events and experiences internationally, with a focus on the U.K. and the U.S. She's based in London.
A quote from her nomination: "It blows my mind that Thai is only 19 years old. She has shown great maturity in her client handling and project delivery, showing that she can make clear and decisive decisions; she can track deliverables in a measurable way for the client and drive creativity in her understanding of trends and cultural shifts. A tangible example of this is a project she's currently working on with our U.S. TikTok client for an event in Switzerland—she's handling creator logistics, design, and production, alongside showcasing financial skills, including billing and GP tracking, all on her own and is thriving."
How she spends her workdays:
"A typical day for me is a balance of creativity and project delivery. I work across multiple global projects, supporting everything from developing moodboards to managing budgets, coordinating internal teams and suppliers, maintaining project timelines, and supporting day-to-day client communications. I enjoy being involved from the very beginning of a project, helping shape ideas in the early stages before seeing them come to life on site."
Impact she hopes to have on the industry:
"I hope to leave a mark on an industry that is always evolving by helping brands create experiences that are thoughtful in the way they connect with people. I think the strongest events are the ones that transform a space into something memorable and leave people with a feeling that stays with them long after they’ve left.