Having graduated from Oxford University, UK, in Politics, Philosophy and Economics in 1998, Carina began her career in retail and catering – setting up and running a family owned chain of coffee shops located throughout the South of England – GoodBean Coffee. As Managing Director, Carina was in charge of the expansion of the business which grew to 13 stores in 3 years and was sold to a publicly listed company in December 2001.

Following a short break working in a ski resort in Italy, Carina entered the meetings industry in 2002 as the Marketing and Operations Director for the IMEX exhibition in Frankfurt. As a part of the original launch team for the exhibition, Carina managed all aspects of the marketing mix including all promotional campaigns and materials, educational and new vision projects, strategic partnerships and sponsorships, plus website and online development.

Following the expansion of the IMEX brand into America in 2009, Carina was appointed CEO of the IMEX Group. In this role, Carina is responsible for all aspects of the business. She retains a special focus on strategic partnerships and PR. She is the driving force behind the two largest global meeting exhibitions, IMEX Frankfurt and IMEX America.

Bauer is a keen advocate for the meetings industry, working to ensure that corporations and politicians know the value meetings bring to company bottom lines and global economies. She has served as chair of the marketing committee for Meeting Professionals International's European Meetings & Events Conference and currently holds positions on the advocacy task force for the Professional Convention Management Association, the SITE International Foundation board and more.

Female Leadership, Women in Business, Business, Public Relations,