People Come To Us Just For the Experience

Together, they’ve been highly effective in helping manufacturers and suppliers in a wide range of industries to maximize their impact and exposure with event attendees.

Anna M. Riker, President

Anna Riker began her event planning career in 1982 with the Independent Television Association (INTV) in Washington D.C. where she escorted government regulators and other VIPs throughout their annual conventions. She also supported the introduction of Showtime Networks for Viacom, a new dimension in cable called pay television.

As Manager of Special Projects for the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE) in Exton, PA, she was responsible for attendee registration, exhibitor marketing and the financial success of their annual tradeshow, which directly insured the financial stability of SCTE. In 1997, she was appointed Director of National Conferences, coordinating all aspects of the cable industry’s first and only hardware-focused tradeshow, including: site selection, registration, housing, transportation, sponsorship opportunities, and hospitality. Under her direction, attendance at the Society’s annual tradeshow grew from 600 to more than 10,000 attendees.

In 1998, Anna created Riker Conference Connection. Her current responsibilities include the marketing and promotion of meetings ranging in size from 50 to 1500 attendees. Through a staff of 4, she oversees registration, exhibition sales, booth design and fabrication, catering, event marketing, public relations, speaking opportunities and audio/visual for events of up to 10,000 attendees and 1100 booths.

In her spare time, she has donated her experience and expertise to The Cable Center in assisting with its Cable Television Hall of Fame induction ceremony and, in 2004, the 25th Anniversary Celebration of satellite program distribution. Anna was also inducted in the Cable TV Pioneers in 2001.

William W. Riker, Executive Vice President

Bill is co-founder of RCC and a 30-year veteran of the broadband telecommunications industry. Most recently, he was Senior Vice-President of Operations and Chief Technical Officer at The Cable Center, a non-profit organization dedicated to education and information resources for broadband telecommunications. While there, he was part of the leadership team that developed and implemented the strategic master plan for The Center, overseeing the technical, special events departments, and supervising the overall operation of its 74,000 sq. ft. international headquarters facility.

Prior to this, he was President of the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE) for fourteen years. During his tenure, he expanded the organization from 2,500 to over 14,000 members in the United States and 70 foreign countries.

Inducted into the Cable TV Pioneers in 1994, his prior industry experience includes Director, Office of Science and Technology for the National Cable Television Association (NCTA), Director of Engineering at Showtime Networks, and Chief Engineer for AmVideo Corporation. He had served on the National Cable Television Center and Museum Board of Directors for fifteen years.

For his work at SCTE, Bill was named the first ever “Man of the Year” by CED magazine in 1986. He also received Communications Technology’s “Service In Technology” award in 1987 and 1997. He was honored with the 1996 NCTA Vanguard Award for Science and Technology. In 2000, he was inducted into the SCTE Hall of Fame.

Maria A. Dawson, Director of Marketing

Maria has a widely recognized track record of achievement based on more than 20 years experience in marketing and trade show management for equipment vendors. Prior to joining Riker Conference Connection, she held positions as the Director of Advertising for Texscan Corporation, and Event Manager for Philips Broadband Networks.

She has extensive experience managing diverse vendor exhibits. This includes staging booths at more than 35 NCTA, SCTE, NAB, and international exhibitions. As a result of working with so many shows, Maria is acutely sensitive to the goals and expectations of all exhibitors.

She now brings her organizational skills and creative talent to coordinating similar events for Riker Conference Connection. Her attention to detail, superb follow through and exceptional personal service assures that each managed event is a rewarding experience for all participants.

Maria is active in her community, having been an Advisory Board member for Ronald McDonald House, and ABC House in Manlius, NY. She is a member of the SCTE and served as Chair of the Exhibitor Subcommittee in 2001.

Martha L. Schrade - Manager of Finance

Martha brings nearly 30 years of business finance and administrative capabilities to Riker Conference Connection. She began her career as an Office Manager for 12 years, managing all functions of a private and corporate medical practice. This included accounting, billing, collections, and insurance preparation, along with overseeing the schedules of physicians and ancillary help.

She continued building her financial and business management experience, spending four years as Secretary for University College, a division of West Chester University, and six years with VisionQuest. From 1997-2003, she worked in a variety of finance and administrative roles for the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers. Her primary duties focused on coordinating accounting procedures, national conference payment processing, and annual sponsorship invoicing.

As Manager of Finance for RCC, Martha is responsible for all finance, accounting and administrative duties. She attended West Chester University in Pennsylvania.