Money20/20, a fintech and financial services content, sales and networking platform, has appointed seasoned trade show and media industry veteran Jessica Blue as its new executive vice president of Money 20/20 USA, one of three annual fintech trade shows and conferences for the global money ecosystem. 

Bringing more than 25 years of experience in the B2B trade show and media industries to her new role, including 15 years in the U.K. with UBM plc (now Informa plc) and Advanstar Communications, Blue most recently served as executive vice president at Emerald, where she was responsible for a large portfolio of industry-leading events and conferences. At Money20/20, she is responsible for strategy, growth and leading the team that delivers the USA show. 

“I’m thrilled to join the phenomenal Money20/20 team who are dedicated to delivering the world’s leading fintech show,” Blue said. “Money20/20 brings together the industry’s visionaries and innovators and I couldn’t be more excited to bring my events experience to the brand and the team.” 

Founded in 2011 and acquired by London, U.K.-based Ascential in 2014, Money20/20 creates destination shows for the payments, fintech and the broader financial services industries. Known for high-impact networking, the U.S. edition is held annually at The Venetian in Las Vegas (Oct. 27-30, 2024) and the European edition at Rai Amsterdam in Amsterdam, Netherlands (June 4-6, 2024). 

Each year, the Vegas event attracts thousands of attendees and 3,000 leading companies, and features more than 350 industry-leading speakers and more than 60 hours of educational content, according to Money20/20 officials. 

The company also recently launched an Asia edition, set to run April 23-25, 2024, at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center in Bangkok, and Twentyfold, a Digital Intelligence product containing the deepest and widest repository of fintech startup data in the world, according to Money20/20 officials.

Tracey Davies, Money20/20 global president, said Blue’s impressive track record and wealth of industry experience come at an opportune and expansive time for the Money 20/20 brand. 

“With her impressive event management experience and her empathetic, customer-focused leadership, I am confident that Jessica will play a pivotal role in shaping Money20/20’s continued growth and success,” Davies said. 

TSNN had a chance to catch up with Blue to learn more about her new role, what appealed to her about working for the leading fintech brand and what she’s most excited about moving into 2024. 

Why move to Money20/20 USA and why now? What about working with a fintech event appealed to you?

There are many reasons this opportunity excited me. Money20/20 is a unique event. The team is very creative and laser-focused on delivering the very best experience, networking and education for all participants whether it’s a speaker, delegate, partner or sponsor. The feel of the show is more akin to a consumer-style festival than a traditional trade show. I would describe it as a true ecosystem show covering all aspects of the business of money: payments, banking, fintech and financial services. The potential in that is very exciting. 

Something that is important to me is the team’s proactive advocacy for diversity and inclusion in the fintech and banking space. They run specific, global programs, [such as] RiseUp and Amplify to champion women and people of color, [and] all stages feature a minimum of 45% women thought leaders. These are just a handful of the many aspects that attracted me to the company and the brand.   

What about your past professional roles in the business events industry prepared you for your new position?

My whole career has been in B2B trade shows, conferences and media. I started in sales 25 years ago and progressed from there. I have run many shows for large trade show organizers in different industries in the U.K. and U.S. Over that time, you learn a lot from the various industries, customer groups and geographies, and how to lead effective strategic growth.

Tell us about the Money20/20 shows – when and why did they launch and what have been their growth trajectories since then?

Fintech exploded in the aftermath of the financial crisis of 2008/9 and a period of intense disruption began in the sector. This was driven by regulatory changes and the rapid rise of e-commerce. Money20/20 created a place to meet at a time when connections and education were critical. The industry continues to evolve and move at pace and scale and the show has evolved and grown quickly with it. 

What are your future plans for the Money20/20 USA show?

This is a global brand, and I am working closely with my counterparts in Asia and Europe as our customer base continues to grow. Innovation takes center stage here, an example is Twentyfold, Money20/20’s new digital intelligence platform offering access to the widest and deepest fintech dataset on the market. Twentyfold is full of ultra-detailed founder, funding, tech stack, partnership and investor information for more than 80,000 fintech start-ups.

We also have exciting plans for how to continue to innovate across Money20/20 USA 2024 and beyond. We’re particularly focused on how we help our customers share their stories and innovations with the world’s media, investors and potential partners ... watch this space! 

Anything else you’d like to share?

Money20/20’s incredible focus on creating brilliant outcomes for customers is one of the most compelling reasons to join the organization. I’ve been lucky enough to hear some of the incredible impacts Money20/20 has on its customers and I know there will be many more.

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