Chris Collinson

| Idea Maker |
Chris Collinson
Chief Strategist, Collinson Media and Events

Atlanta, Georgia
Age: 33

There are people who come up with good ideas and do nothing with them. Then there are people who act on their ideas. Chris Collinson falls into the latter group, and that’s why Connect magazine exists. We’d be remiss if we didn’t include our own chief strategist on this list as he’s one of the idea makers, with the help of his parents and brother, who has grown Collinson Media and Events from a small publisher’s rep firm to a full-service media company. He joined the company in 2003 and launched Rejuvenate Marketplace and magazine in 2007. “We all took the best from all the meetings and conferences we attended and left the worst,” he says. “We asked, ‘What if it was free to attend? What if we did reverse trade show style appointments? What if we got really cool entertainment?’” He’s since added Connect and Collaborate Marketplace events to the annual calendar. Collinson is part of the creative team behind the company, but he admits his best ideas come when he brainstorms with others. “As long as you have an end goal that you are trying to get to, you can bring in a lot of points of view to bring an idea forward.” —L. Hoppe

What’s your advice for someone just starting out in the industry?
“Ask a lot of questions. Don’t make assumptions. Never stop learning. And be a little—just a little—pushy and persistent.”