ASU special events management professor named to top 100 list

Erin Schneiderman once helped put on a Super Bowl in Arizona, and in 2021 the ASU clinical assistant professor arranged for her students help get people vaccinated outside stadiums. Her dedication and accomplishments in staging events and teaching special events management students just helped her score a touchdown for her career.

This month, Schneiderman was named to the list of this year’s Top 100 Influential People in the Event Industry. Schneiderman, who directs ASU’s Special Events Management program, joins a list of event professionals from 27 countries picked via an election in which 20,000 votes were cast.

The awards are presented by Eventex Awards. The honors it has presented since 2009 represent “the most esteemed accolade in the world of events and experiential marketing, a true symbol of excellence,” according to its website. View the list of the top 100 here.

The list recognizes “the people who left a mark on the events world with their creativity, vision and capacity for innovation in 2021,” according to Eventex.

Since 2015, Schneiderman has taught in the ASU School of Community Resources and Development, based at the Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions.

Her program trains students to become full-time event professionals, but it also prepares those who occasionally manage events as part of duties in other positions.

Before her career in education, Schneiderman put on events for both the NFL and the Thunderbird School of Global Management. She worked for the NFL’s Corporate Hospitality Village as an account manager from 2001–05. From 2005–08, she served on the Arizona Super Bowl Committee as its vice president of events. Then she went to work as director of special events at Thunderbird, which has since become part of ASU, serving until 2019.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Schneiderman’s students were cut off from hands-on learning experiences due to widespread shutdowns. Her solution: She asked to include her students with ASU teams helping move thousands of people through Valley stadium parking lots to get vaccinated.

Schneiderman’s students worked more than 16,000 hours at two stadium sites in Phoenix and Glendale during the spring 2021 semester.

Earlier this year, the Watts College honored her with its 2021 Emerging Public Sector Educator Award.

School of Community Resources and Development Director and Associate Professor Christine Buzinde praised Schneiderman’s commitment to her students.

“Erin has worked very hard to ensure that students pursuing the Special Events Management Certificate program have numerous opportunities to engage in hands-on learning. She always actively involves special events students in multiple local events,” Buzinde said. “The fact that she was voted one of the top 100 most influential people in the event industry is great recognition of her service to the field, as well as her commitment to social-embedded practice.”

Schneiderman said the award tells her she is making a difference in the community.

"I love the idea that I can help shape the paths of aspiring event professionals with meaningful education,” Schneiderman said. “I am proud of the program that we have designed at ASU that combines in-class education with experiential learning. To be recognized on an international platform excites me for the future for our students."