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Association News
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People & Places Presented By Association News (January 2017)
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Los Angeles, CA – January 2017 / Newsmaker Alert / Each monthly issue of Association News contains information from state and regional associations, convention bureaus, hotels and hotel chains and other meeting facilities.

CVBs/DMOs
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People & Places Presented By Association News (January 2017)Mary German has been promoted to chief operating officer of the Arlington (Texas) Convention & Visitors Bureau. She has been with the Arlington CVB for 25 years, leading several departments and initiatives including the Arlington Tourism Public Improvement District.

Angela Val has been named chief administrative officer of the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau, where she will manage the internal dayto- day operations of the organization. Val most recently served as deputy executive director of the 2016 Philadelphia Host Committee for the Democratic National Convention.

Destination Cleveland has appointed Jennifer Sullivan and Alexis O’Connor as national sales managers serving the association market in the District of Columbia. Both Sullivan and O’Connor previously worked at Visit Baltimore, as senior national sales manager and national sales manager, respectively.

Nick Arnold has been named senior sales manager of the Athens (Georgia) Convention & Visitors Bureau. Prior to starting at the bureau, Arnold spent three years leading sponsorship and in-house advertising sales at the Classic Center, also located in Athens.

Julie Stow has been named director of meetings and conventions at Go Cedar Rapids (Iowa), effective January 3. Stow most recently worked for the Fontanella Winery in Napa, California, and, prior to that, she worked for the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance.

Cheryl Little has been promoted to director of sales and destination services at Team San Jose (California). Little has been with Team San Jose for 26 years, serving in various roles, including national sales manager for the state association market and associate director of sales.

Hosts & Suppliers

Dean Dennis has been named general manager of the Atlantic City (New Jersey) Convention Center. He previously was general manager of the Owensboro (Kentucky) Convention Center, where he oversaw its opening. Dennis has also served as general manager of the Pueblo (Colorado) Convention Center.

Mohsen Khaleghi has been appointed chief business development officer of the San Diego Convention Center Corporation, where he most recently served as a member of its board of directors and as chair of the Business Development Ad Hoc Committee. Khaleghi also previously worked for Hyatt Hotels & Resorts for more than 30 years.

Neil Poisson has been appointed general manager of the Fess Parker, a DoubleTree by Hilton Resort in Santa Barbara, California. Poisson most recently was general manager of the DoubleTree/San Jose in California, and, prior to that, he served as executive assistant manager at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort in Honolulu.

Gregory Leinweber has been named general manager of the Kimpton Hotel Monaco/ Washington, D.C. Leinweber most recently serve as area director of sales and marketing for four of Kimpton’s downtown Washington, D.C. hotels: Hotel Monaco, The George, the Donovan House and Hotel Helix (now Mason & Rook).

Jim Morrissey has been hired as general manager of the Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa in Tucson, Arizona. Morrissey has formerly served as general manager of the Gwen Hotel in Chicago and the Sheraton Music City Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee.

Heidi Dennis has been named general manager of the Pelican Grand Beach Resort in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. She most recently served as general manager of the Atlantic Hotel & Spa, also located in Fort Lauderdale. Prior to that, Dennis held different roles with hotel franchises including Hyatt, Sheraton and Marriott.

Heather Strauss has been named general manager of the Embassy Suites by Hilton Deerfield Beach Resort & Spa in Deerfield Beach, Florida. Strauss previously served as general manager of the Embassy Suites by Hilton/Birmingham in Birmingham, Alabama. 

Stefan Huber has been named managing director and general manager of El San Juan Resort & Casino in Carolina, Puerto Rico, scheduled to reopen in early 2017 following a multimillion-dollar renovation. For Huber, it’s a return to the property; he previously served as its director of housekeeping from 1985 to 1987. Most recently, he was general manager of the InterContinental/Dallas.

William Yahr has been appointed hotel general manager of the Ritz-Carlton/ New York–Westchester in White Plains, New York. Yahr has been with the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company for more than 10 years, most recently serving as hotel manager of the Ritz-Carlton/ Coconut Grove, Miami.

Kim Rediker has been hired as assistant general manager of Antlers at Vail Hotel in Vail, Colorado. Rediker previously served as general manager of the Simba Run Vail Condominiums in Vail.

The Lotte New York Palace in New York City has promoted David Shenman to director of sales and marketing and Megan Ferguson to director of sales. Shenman most recently served as the property’s director of sales, and prior to that, worked with both Starwood Hotels and the InterContinental Hotels Group. Ferguson was previously group sales manager at Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts before starting at the Lotte New York Palace in 2011.

After 33 years as president and executive director of the Saratoga Springs City Center in Saratoga Springs, New York, Mark Baker has retired. Baker was present for the center’s groundbreaking in 1983 and its opening in 1984, and he oversaw its expansion in 2011. A selection committee is interviewing candidates for his replacement.

Construction & Expansion

The Henderson, A Salamander Beach & Spa Resort, has opened in Destin, Florida. It features 170 guest rooms, a spa, a bar with views of the gulf, a rooftop terrace and private beach access. For meetings, the property offers 30,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor space, which includes the 5,221-square-foot Crystal Ballroom and a junior ballroom.

The W/Las Vegas has made its debut on the north end of the Las Vegas Strip. Housed within SLS/Las Vegas, the new W Hotel features 289 guest rooms, 15,000 square feet of dedicated meeting space as well as an additional 30,000 square feet of outdoor function space.

The SLS Brickell Hotel & Residences has opened in downtown Miami. The 55-story hotel offers 124 guest rooms, 450 condo residences, two dining options (one run by James Beard Award–winning chef José Andrés) and three pools. For meetings, it features more than 58,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor space.

The 20-story Conrad/Chicago has made its debut just steps from the city’s shopping district, the Magnificent Mile. The hotel offers 287 guest rooms and 10,000 square feet of space. Dining options include Il Tavolino, Baptiste & Bottle and the rooftop Noyane, which is scheduled to open this summer.

The Fort Lauderdale Marriott Harbor Beach Resort & Spa in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, has completed a guest-room renovation that included the updating of furnishings, fixtures, flooring and décor. Set on 16 acres, the 650-room hotel offers three restaurants, a 22,000-square-foot spa and more than 100,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting space.

The Hyatt Regency/Los Angeles International Airport has unveiled new meeting space as part of its recent $75 million renovation. The 580-room hotel offers a 10,000-square-foot conference center with several boardrooms and larger rooms for groups of up to 300 attendees. The hotel features a total of 50,000 square feet of meeting space.

The Hyatt Regency/Coral Gables in Coral Gables, Florida, has completed a four-month renovation of its mezzanine- level rooms, boardrooms, the Alcazaba Ballroom and the Two Sisters Restaurant. The hotel offers 250 guest rooms and more than 26,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting space.

The W/Boston, located in the heart of the city’s Theater District, has unveiled newly redesigned guest suites and a welcome area with design elements inspired by iconic figures and events including Edgar Allen Poe and the American Revolution. The 235-room hotel offers 5,000 square feet of meeting space.

The Deer Path Inn, located in Lake Forest, Illinois, has reopened after the completion of a year-long renovation project. The property now features 57 guest rooms and more than 4,500 square feet of function space.

And Finally…

The Flanders Meeting & Conventions Centre recently opened in Antwerp, Belgium, with event space for groups of up to 2,700. Located in the Antwerp Zoo, which opened in 1843 and houses some 7,000 animals, the center offers the “Room With a Zoo” experience that utilizes the entire zoo, with activities such as breakfast with penguins, a yoga practice by the flamingo pool or networking among elephants.

This current issue of Association News can be viewed in digital format online by clicking here.

About Schneider Publishing
Schneider Publishing is the parent company of Association News, America’s most-read magazine for association executives, and SportsTravel, the sports world’s event magazine. In addition to Meetings Quest, Schneider Publishing organizes the TEAMS Conference & Expo, the world’s largest gathering of sports-event organizers, TEAMS ’17 will be held October 30–November 2, in Orlando, Florida. The group travel markets served by Schneider Publishing generate 156 million hotel room nights annually.

For press information, please contact Ann Shepphird, or call 310-577-3700.

Association News, Meetings Quest, SportsTravel and TEAMS are registered trademarks of Schneider Publishing.

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Publishing Dates: 01/19/17 – 03/19/17
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