Below are the speakers from the 2025 Winter Symposium that took place January 23-24, 2025 in Philadelphia, PA.
Sonny Ingui
2:15-3:15 p.m.
At Sage Restaurant Concept’s Urban Farmer Philadelphia, Executive Chef Sonny Ingui highlights the inherent flavors of locally sourced, high-quality ingredients with a culinary approach he describes as elegant simplicity. “I like to focus on the ingredients and let them speak for themselves,” he says. “If you start with quality ingredients, pair them well and pay respect to the food, then you’re likely to create a great dish.” He ensures the steakhouse’s purveyors have close community ties and good practices, accenting menus with seasonality while meeting the unique needs of the Philadelphia community.
With attention to every detail, he brings the same local spirit to a large-scale operation through thoughtful artisanship and chef-driven cuisine. Ingui desires for each guest to leave with a memory —whether a story drawn from the distinct flavors of sustainably sourced meats, the freshness of microgreens grown in-house or the knowledge of their server. Fostering an atmosphere of loyalty and professionalism, he approaches his team through leading by example. “I strive to be the manager that associates, in all departments, can turn to for answers or advice,” he says. By holding himself and his staff to the same standards, his team elevates guest experiences from the kitchen to the table.
Exposed to the benefits of farm-to-table cuisine from a young age, Ingui grew up on a farm in Medford, NJ, where his family grew and prepared their own vegetables. His mother's guidance in the kitchen piqued his interest, although he harbored dreams of becoming a meteorologist. Still, with cuisine in his roots, he joined a bakery at age 15, solidifying his passion and launching his professional career in the industry as a baker and cake decorator.
Ingui later attended Atlantic Cape’s Academy of Culinary Arts, graduating in 2002 with a degree in culinary arts and a certificate in baking and pastry. Across New Jersey and Pennsylvania, Ingui held head baker and chef positions at various hotel properties and bakeries including Marriott’s Seaview Resort, Borgata Casino, and the Radisson Hotel. Additionally, he worked for his father throughout his career —cultivating respect, a sense of responsibility and leadership, as well as the ability to think ahead —shaping his skillset to become a successful sous chef.
In 2010, he joined the luxury hotel Le Méridien Philadelphia as an executive sous chef and rose to executive chef in just three years, honing his management skills. Embracing a new challenge in events, Ingui joined the new Logan Hotel’s Urban Farmer Philadelphia as banquet chef in 2015, spearheading the opening procedures of the property while running events with over 500 guests. “After surpassing our clients’ expectations — many who worked with the former Four Seasons management — and earning their trust, I felt more pride in my team, this operation and our capabilities than ever before,” he recalls. Within two years, he became executive sous chef and soon after, brought his talents to the role of the executive chef — expertly melding art, culture and the elegance of Philadelphia in every dish.
Outside the kitchen, Ingui enjoys exploring the culinary scene and also spends his time fishing, biking and visiting family.
Sarah Lockwood
2:15-3:15 p.m.
Sarah Lockwood is a 20-year veteran in the food and beverage industry in Philadelphia.
After opening a coffee shop in the Northern Liberties neighborhood in the early 2000s, she joined the Starr Restaurant Organization where she worked for ten years. Starting as a server, she quickly rose to a management role with SRO. Lockwood also worked with the Garces Restaurant Group and Defined Hospitality before joining Sage Restaurant Group in 2017. At SRG, she worked in a leadership role at Urban Farmer before joining Sage Hospitality as Director of Banquets in 2024. With a proven ability to lead and motivate, Lockwood cultivates an environment that allows her team to continually deliver exceptional service, while driving operational efficiency and maximizing event success.
Melissa Majors
11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Melissa Majors, chief executive officer of Melissa Majors Consulting, is an innovator and optimizer of education, inclusion and leadership strategies. She has dedicated her career to maximizing the business impact associated with these areas of focus.
The team at Melissa Majors Consulting has extensive experience and a proven reputation for driving better business outcomes through innovative and inclusive strategic planning. They bring deep expertise in improving profitability and innovation, boosting organizational performance and optimizing inclusion strategies. Melissa formally studied strategy and innovation at Harvard University.
Melissa Majors is a crowd-pleasing speaker who masters brain-friendly talks that engage her audiences and spark not just inspiration but action as well.
Melissa is featured in publications such as Forbes Magazine, Smart Meetings, The Meeting Professional, NorthStar Meetings Group’s Eventful Podcast, The Event DR and on the keynote stage at events such as Meeting Professional’s International’s WEC, The Northwest Event Show, Catalyst Events, Legg Mason’s DEI Conference and many more.
Kathryn Meagher, CMP, CMM
1:00-2:15 p.m.
A graduate of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Kathy’s career began in hotel sales and marketing. Since shifting to the planning side of the meetings industry, she has served on or managed teams for three Fortune 100 organizations. Kathy joined Cigna in 2013, becoming a manager of the meeting services in 2019 and is currently the sr. manager, operations and compliance for the Cigna Group’s Event Center of Excellence.
Kathy has been active in the meetings industry, serving two terms as president of the CT River Valley Chapter of Meeting Professionals International and has served as a member of the Education Committee for FICP.
In her spare time, Kathy loves to spend time by the ocean in Maine or hiking our beautiful National Parks. She is a proud Mom of two grown children and two grandchildren with whom she frequently travels.
Monica Mobley
2:15-3:15 p.m.
Monica Mobley, CMP, is assistant vice president of Event Management for Lincoln Financial. In her role, she leads a team of accomplished event professionals and oversees the operation and execution strategy for Lincoln Financial meetings and events.
Monica’s background encompasses diverse experiences in hospitality and event management. She started her career in the hotel industry and has worked in sales and event management at the Pennsylvania Convention Center and tourism marketing at Visit Philly. In 2005, she became an association meeting planner at ASTM and was eventually promoted to director of Meetings and Events at Fernley & Fernley. She joined the event team at Lincoln Financial in 2016 and was promoted to assistant vice president in 2020.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Spelman College and a master’s from Drexel University. She resides in Philadelphia with her husband and three daughters. She is passionate about the hospitality and events industry and enjoys coaching and mentoring young professionals.
Stephen Wheeler
1:00-2:15 p.m.
Stephen is a senior strategic account director at Meeting Tomorrow, where he partners with clients to design and execute impactful productions for in-person, virtual and hybrid events. With a passion for creativity and collaboration, Stephen excels at building complex events from the ground up, serving as an extension of his clients’ planning teams and transforming their visions into successful, memorable experiences.
Stephen earned his degree in Theatre and Communications from NYU. He currently resides in Charlotte, NC, where he combines his love for travel and triathlons with his commitment to community service as a Volunteer Coordinator for Charlotte Pride.