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Association News
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People & Places Presented by Association News (April 2014)
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Los Angeles, CA – April 2014 / 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

NYC & Company has named Fred Dixon president and CEO. Dixon started with the organization in 2005 and had been serving as interim president and CEO since January. Prior to NYC & Company, Dixon served in leadership positions for the Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau. Additionally, Cory Rosenberg has been appointed regional director of national and global MICE (meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions) accounts for the organization.
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People & Places Presented by Association News (April 2014)The Norman (Oklahoma) Convention & Visitors Bureau has named Dan Schemm executive director. Previously, Schemm was the director of destination sales and services at Go Wichita (Kansas).

John McNichol has been named president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Convention Center Authority in Philadelphia. McNichol has served as vice-chairman of the center’s board of directors and has been acting president and CEO of the PCCA since December 2013.

The DuPage (Illinois) Convention & Visitors Bureau has promoted Beth Marchetti to deputy director. Marchetti has worked for the CVB since December 1999 and most recently served as its director of development.

Visit Aurora (Colorado) has promoted Briley Peters to vice-president and hired Justin Clark as director of sales and marketing. Peters joined the organization in 2011 and most recently served as its director of marketing.

The Charlotte (North Carolina) Regional Visitors Authority has named Steve Bagwell vice-president of venues. Bagwell has worked for the visitors authority for nearly two decades, most recently as director of the Charlotte Convention Center, a role he is expected to continue in addition to his new duties as vice-president.

Visit Tucson (Arizona) has promoted Allison Cooper to vice-president of sales and marketing. Most recently, Cooper worked as the organization’s vice-president of marketing. Prior to turning to tourism, she served as the deputy director of the Joint Economic Committee of Congress in Washington, D.C.

Elsie Jean Rodriguez has been appointed national sales manager for Visit Huntington Beach (California). Rodriguez most recently served as senior sales manager of the Laguna Cliffs Marriott Resort & Spa in Dana Point, California.

Hospitality & Suppliers

Thomas Meding has been promoted to area vice-president for the SBE Hotel Group’s Florida portfolio, which includes the SLS/South Beach, the Raleigh Hotel in Miami Beach and the Redbury/South Beach. Previously, Meding served as the company’s area general manager.

Red Lion Hotels has appointed Bill Linehan executive vice-president and chief marketing officer and promoted Harry Sladich to executive vice-president of hotel operations and sales. Linehan most recently served as chief marketing officer and managing director of Richfield Hospitality and Sceptre Hospitality Resources. Sladich joined Red Lion Hotels in 2010 and led the company’s new brand image and segmentation.

W Hotels Worldwide has named general managers at four New York properties: Anna MacDiarmid at the W/ New York in Midtown Manhattan; William Bunce at the W/New York–Union Square; Jorge Tito at the W/New York–Times Square; and Patrick Horstmann at W/New York–Downtown.

David Lemmond has been appointed general manager of the Hotel Vitale in San Francisco. Lemmond previously worked for André Balazs Properties for 15 years. He also served as the general manager of the Standard High Line in New York City.

The Pacific Hospitality Group has named Sam El-Rabaa general manager of the Balboa Bay Resort in Newport Beach, California. He most recently served as hotel manager of the Meritage Resort & Spa in Napa, California.

The W/Los Angeles–Westwood has appointed Mark Eberwein general manager. Eberwein has more than 20 years of industry experience and was previously director of operations at the W/San Francisco.

The Palace Hotel in San Francisco has named Mark Sneen hotel manager. Sneen was formerly resort manager at the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa in Chandler, Arizona.

The Coastal Hotel Group has named Diana Delgado as senior vice-president of marketing. Bringing more than 18 years of experience in marketing, sales and revenue management to her new position, Delgado most recently served as director of marketing and sales for the Pan Pacific/Seattle.

Denise Bradbury has been appointed director of sales and marketing for the Algonquin Resort, which opened in March in St. Andrews by-the- Sea, New Brunswick. Bradbury was most recently director of sales for the Westin Nova Scotian in Halifax.

The One Ocean Resort & Spa in Atlantic Beach, Florida, has named Christopher Quinlan director of sales and marketing. Quinlan previously worked at the Omphoy Ocean Resort & Spa in Palm Beach, Florida, as director of sales.

The Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa in Tucson, Arizona, has named Matt Brody director of sales and marketing. Prior to joining the resort, Brody held sales and marketing leadership roles, most recently with Marriott International as a director of sales and marketing.

Tia Graham has been named director of sales and marketing for The London/West Hollywood in Los Angeles. Prior to her new position, Graham worked as the director of sales and marketing at the W/ Hollywood.

The Meliá Caribe Tropical, a resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, has appointed Florian Connert director of sales and marketing. Connert previously served as regional director of sales and marketing for BlueBay Hotels & Resorts in Cancún, Mexico.

The Langham Huntington Hotel in Pasadena, California, has named Kathy Van Vechten director of marketing and sales. Van Vechten previously worked for Omni Hotels & Resorts, most recently as task force director of sales and marketing, and for KSL Capital Partners as director of marketing, special projects.

The Westin Hilton Head Island Resort & Spa in South Carolina has hired two sales managers: Mike Drinkwalter and Tina O’Keefe-Holly. Previously, Drinkwalter represented a group of luxury hotels as national sales manager. O’Keefe-Holly was formerly a sales manager for the Sheraton Nassau Beach Resort & Casino in the Bahamas.

Construction & Expansion

The Riverside Convention Center in Riverside, California, has completed a $43 million renovation and expansion project. The center now offers more than 65,000 square feet of indoor event space, including a larger exhibit hall and new meeting rooms, and 20,000 square feet of outdoor space.

The Loews Portofino Bay Hotel at Florida’s Universal Orlando Resort has completed a $22 million renovation, which included its 750 guest rooms. The hotel offers 42,000 square feet of meeting space, and planners also have access to Universal Orlando’s 250,000 square feet of indoor event space and its outdoor venues, which can accommodate groups of up to 20,000 people.

On the south side of Ireland’s capital city, the DoubleTree by Hilton/ Dublin–Burlington Road has completed a $21.6 million renovation of its public areas, guest rooms and conference facilities. The exterior of the 501- room property was also updated, and the hotel now offers more than 30,000 square feet of event space.

The Orlando World Center Marriott in Florida has completed a multimillion- dollar renovation. The 2,009-room hotel offers more than 450,000 square feet of meeting and event space.

The iconic Plaza Hotel in New York City has completed a renovation of its exterior. Its brick and marble façade was restored and much of its ornamental terracotta was replaced. The historic property features 282 guest rooms and 21,000 square feet of event space.

The Park Central Hotel, also in New York City, has completed a multimillion- dollar renovation, which included upgrades to its meeting spaces. The 761-room property offers 15,000 square feet of event space.

The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in central Florida has opened the $100 million Space Shuttle Atlantis exhibit. The 90,000-square-foot attraction features the shuttle as its centerpiece.

And Finally…

Registration has begun for Texas Travel Industry Association’s Travel & Tourism College, a three-year program taught by industry CEOs and college professors through which students can receive the Certified Tourism Executive designation. Open to anyone in the travel and tourism industry in the United States, Travel & Tourism College will be held June 16 – 20 at the Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort in Lost Pines, Texas. For more information, visit travelandtourismcollege.com.
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What’s Ahead at Convention Centers for Meeting and Event Planners?
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Download “Convention Trends 2014” (PDF File)
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This current issue of Association News can be viewed in digital format online by clicking here.

Timothy Schneider is the publisher of Association News and SportsTravel magazines, which serve group travel planners responsible for generating 106 million hotel room nights annually. Schneider Publishing also organizes Meetings Quest, America's longest-running series of trade shows for meeting planners, and the TEAMS Conference & Expo, the world’s largest gathering of sports-event organizers. TEAMS '14 will be held in Las Vegas, November 10-13, 2014. For further information on advertising or sponsorship opportunities, please call toll-free 877-577-3700 or 310-577-3700 if calling from outside the United States.

Association News, SportsTravel and TEAMS are registered trademarks and Meetings Quest is a trademark of Schneider Publishing Company, Inc.
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Media Contact:
Timothy Schneider
310-577-3700
Schneider Publishing Company, Inc.
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TEAMS '14 will be held in Las Vegas, November 10-13, 2014
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Placement Dates: 04/10/14 – 06/10/14
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