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Association News
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People & Places Presented by Association News (March 2015)
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Los Angeles, CA – March 2015 / 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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Association News (March 2015)Jeff Seifried has been appointed president and CEO of the Branson/ Lakes Area (Missouri) Chamber of Commerce and Convention & Visitors Bureau. Seifried most recently served as manager of regional development for the Springfield (Missouri) Area Chamber of Commerce.

David Downing has been named executive director of Visit St. Petersburg/ Clearwater (Florida). Downing had been the organization’s interim executive director since August 2014 and prior to that, he served as its deputy director.

Todd Bertka has been named vice-president of convention sales and marketing at the Virginia Beach (Virginia) Convention & Visitors Bureau. He previously was vice-president of sales and services at the Greenville (North Carolina) Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Barbara Balaguras has been named senior national account executive of Visit Orlando (Florida). Balaguras most recently served as director of corporate sales at Choose Chicago. She also has held sales and marketing positions at several hotels in Chicago.

Johanna Walker has been appointed sales manager of the DuPage Convention & Visitors Bureau in Oak Brook, Illinois. Walker has more than 10 years of experience working in hotel sales, predominantly at Marriott properties in the Atlanta and Chicago areas.

Hospitality & Suppliers

Jason Herthel has been promoted to president and chief operating officer of Montage Hotels & Resorts. Herthel has worked with Montage since 2011, most recently as executive vice-president of acquisitions, development and strategy. Prior to his role with Montage, he served as senior vice-president of project development for the Viceroy Hotel Group, based in Abu Dhabi. 

Daniel Kuperschmid has been appointed general manager of the Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Gainey Ranch in Scottsdale, Arizona. He most recently served as general manager of the Hyatt Regency/ Newport Beach in Southern California.

Teri Agosta has been appointed general manager of the Hilton/Cleveland Downtown, which is scheduled to open next year. Agosta has more than 20 years of industry experience and most recently served as general manager of the Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak Resort in Phoenix.

Joel Bunde has been named general manager of the Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort, Spa & Casino in the Caribbean. He was previously general manager of Florida’s Hyatt Key West Resort & Spa.

Matt Humphreys has been named general manager of the Hyatt Regency/ Santa Clara in California. Humphreys most recently served as general manager of the Hyatt/Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco.

Jason Murgia has been promoted to general manager of the Conference & Event Center Niagara Falls in New York. Murgia formerly served as the venue’s assistant general manager and, prior to that, he served as its director of events.

Scott Allen has been named general manager of the Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort in Hawaii. Previously, he served as general manager of the Park Hyatt Aviara Resort in Carlsbad, California.

Carlos Blanco has been appointed general manager of the Resort at Pedregal in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Blanco was formerly general manager of various other properties in Mexico, including the Viceroy/Zihuatanejo and Villa La Estancia/Cabo San Lucas.

Josh DeBottis has been appointed general manager of the Omni/San Antonio at the Colonnade. He previously served as general manager of the Benjamin Hotel in New York City.

Bob Peckenpaugh has been named managing director of the Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa in Austin, Texas. An industry veteran of nearly 30 years, Peckenpaugh was most recently general manager of the Omni/San Francisco.

Jon Chocklett has been named vice-president of sales and business development at the Watergate Hotel in Washington, D.C. Chocklett previously served as director of sales and marketing for the Mandarin Oriental/Washington, D.C., and as director of sales for the Four Seasons/Washington, D.C. 

Jessica Baran has been named vice-president of sales, conventions and meetings at the Grand Sierra Resort & Casino in Reno, Nevada. She has previously worked at resorts that include the Venetian Resort Hotel Casino in Las Vegas and Kerzner International’s Atlantis Resort Casino in the Bahamas.

Steve van der Molen has been named vice-president of meeting operations for the Atlantic City region of Caesars Entertainment. He will be responsible for the scheduled August opening of the Waterfront Conference Center at Harrah’s Resort/Atlantic City in New Jersey. Van der Molen has served as the director of on-property sales for all of Caesars Entertainment’s Las Vegas.

Aaron Missner has been appointed regional director of accounts in the Northeast for the Wynn Las Vegas. Missner most recently served as director of Northeast and Southeast convention sales for the Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board.

Rocco Mastrangelo has been appointed director of group sales for the Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel in Dana Point, California. Mastrangelo most recently served as director of group sales for the Ritz-Carlton/Key Biscayne–Miami and the Ritz-Carlton/Coconut Grove–Miami.

Construction & Expansion

Marriott International recently acquired Delta Hotels & Resorts for approximately $135 million. The transaction increases Marriott’s distribution in Canada to more than 120 hotels and 27,000 guest rooms, making it the largest full-service hotel company in Canada.

The DoubleTree by Hilton Fresno Convention Center has opened in Fresno, California, following a $7 million renovation. The hotel features 321 guest rooms and 27,000 square feet of flexible function space, including a main ballroom and 18 separate meeting rooms.

Le Meridien/Columbus, The Joseph has opened in downtown Columbus, Ohio, with 135 guest rooms and close to 7,000 square feet of meeting space. Its Michael B. Coleman Grand Ballroom can host up to 250 people.

The Virgin Hotel Chicago has opened in the heart of the city’s Loop district and is the first hotel under the new Virgin Hotel brand. The 26-story hotel offers 250 guest rooms and three meeting spaces—totaling 2,300 square feet—that can host groups of up to 108. Virgin Hotels has plans to open a second hotel in Nashville, Tennessee, in the summer of 2016 and a third property in New York City by the fall of 2017.

The newly reflagged Radisson/ Phoenix North has opened next to the Metro Center Mall following a five-month, $8 million renovation. The hotel includes 284 guest rooms, more than 14,000 square feet of meeting space, a new fitness room and a renovated lobby.

The Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center has completed a $30 million renovation that has transformed its 1,298 guest rooms and 100,000 square feet of meeting space. Updates to the 70-floor hotel also include new technological innovations and amenities and a refresh of its public areas.

The Chateau on the Lake Resort, Spa & Convention Center in Branson, Missouri, has completed a renovation of its 301 guest rooms and suites and its smaller meeting rooms. The resort has also added a 684-square-foot executive boardroom, bringing its total meeting space up to 43,500 square feet.

Hawks Cay Resort, located in Duck Key, Florida, has completed a renovation of its 20,000 square feet of waterfront event space, which can accommodate groups of up to 600 people. Expected to open later this year is a the new Marina Walk, which will serve as an entertainment destination within the resort, and a new restaurant overlooking the Marina Walk.

And Finally...

In Southern California, the Viceroy/ Santa Monica has teamed up with Priority Bicycles, a New York Citybased company specializing in recreational bikes, to provide guests with a bicycle concierge program. Guests can pedal to shopping and dining located within blocks of the hotel or head out to the local bike path for beachfront cycling. The program will offer customizable and curated routes based on guest preferences, allowing them to explore specific aspects of the beachside community.
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What’s Ahead at Convention Centers for Meeting and Event Planners?
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Download “Convention Trends 2015” (PDF File)
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This current issue of Association News can be viewed in digital format online by clicking here.

About Schneider Publishing
Schneider Publishing (SchneiderPublishing.com) is the parent company of Association News (AssociationNews.com), America’s most-read magazine for association executives, and SportsTravel (SportsTravelMagazine.com), the sports world’s event magazine. In addition to Meetings Quest (MeetingsQuest.com), Schneider Publishing organizes the TEAMS Conference & Expo (TEAMSconference.com), the world’s largest gathering of sports-event organizers, which will be held November 9-12, 2015, in Las Vegas. The group travel markets served by Schneider Publishing generate 106 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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Placement Dates: 03/17/15 – 05/17/15
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