Staff Spotlight: Judy Larson
Judy has been with SSH since April 1, 2008 as director of meetings and exhibits. Her experience includes association meeting and exhibit manager for more than 30 years, starting first in International Agribusiness for 12 years, followed by 18 years with American Academy of Neurology before joining SSH.
Judy thoroughly enjoys working in the medical meetings industry, feeling that in some small way, she is making a difference in people’s lives. She thrives on the variety and changing nature of the business. No one year, meeting or location is ever the same.
Judy has served and continues to serve on several Industry Customer Advisory Boards related to the changing nature of the business and current trends in citywide meetings. As such, she keeps abreast of the changing trends, market developments and growth (as in convention centers and hotels), possible new locations to consider – all affecting the market conditions for not just IMSH, but all meetings that are in hotels and facilities. Judy fits the description of a meeting planner, which is to take all the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle and make sure they all fit together when they need to and on schedule.
In addition to meetings, Judy’s duties include managing the exposition marketplace, where she brings members together with industry to experience the latest and greatest, newest and best. The IMSH exhibits have grown from just 75 booths in 2009 to an impressive 214 in 2016, mirroring the growth of attendance. This is what makes her job exciting.
Judy is a native of Iowa, raised on a working family farm, and is forever grateful to her parents for instilling a work ethic at a young age. She attended school in Minneapolis and currently lives in a suburb of St. Paul, Minnesota.
Judy is a mother to son, Brian, daughter, Kira, and grandmother of a lovely five-year-old, Aubry. Besides hockey, she enjoys baseball, movies, crime and “who-done-it” shows. She is an avid reader and traveler and has an ongoing love affair with Italy and Fiji. Visiting Samoa and the South Pacific are on her “bucket” list.