people and development
The meetings industry continues to demonstrate a rosy outlook for the year ahead as event-related organizations across the U.S. announce a bevy of new hires and an array of leadership promotions. Check them out!
The corporate meetings industry is moving full steam ahead into 2023, with organizations far and wide continuing to welcome new leaders and fill newly created positions with experienced professionals. Here’s the latest people news you need to know!
Leading hospitality partner Sodexo Live! has tapped proven international business leader Belinda Oakley as its new CEO, North America. Bringing two decades of foodservice management experience to her new role, Oakley is responsible for leading more than 20,000 team members at more than 150 partner venues throughout the U.S. and Canada.
As the corporate events industry kicks off 2023, event-related organizations across the country are welcoming new leaders and promoting hard-working staff as they prepare for a year of growth, increasing demand and continued post-pandemic recovery. Take a look!
Destination DC (DDC), the official destination marketing organization for Washington, D.C., recently appointed a new executive and senior staff to its leadership team.
Straight out of college, Kelly Gleeson Smith knew she had fallen into her dream career after landing her first job in “meeting connection sales” at the Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort in San Antonio, Texas. From the start, she reveled in what she described as the “power of meetings” that affect so many people.
“It was like a pebble falling into the water, and then the centrifugal rings just continue to expand,” Gleeson Smith said. “I thought, ‘Wow, this is an amazing industry.’”
Starting a new job in a difficult business climate can be challenging enough, but what about during the height of a global pandemic? That’s exactly where Claude Molinari found himself when he took the helm of Visit Detroit as its new president and CEO in January of 2021 as the global events industry was reeling from the impacts of COVID-19.
While the hiring craze that has consumed the corporate events industry over the past 18 months is beginning to slow, event-related organizations far and wide are still welcoming new and experienced talent to their teams, including established industry veterans, as they set their focus on success and growth in 2023. Take a look!
Growing up in Guatemala, Chef Walter Perez remembers watching his mom and aunt cooking and admiring their creative talent for combining different ingredients into their recipes, an admiration that inspired his journey into the culinary arts.
While the job market may be cooling off across the nation, the meetings and events industry appears to be keeping steady as venues, tourism agencies, event tech companies and more continue attracting new talent, promoting staff and expanding their leadership teams.
Ask Kerry Painter about her celebrated career in the events industry and she will tell you she can’t imagine doing anything else with her life. As the director and general manager of the Raleigh Convention and Performing Arts Complex in Raleigh, N.C., Painter is responsible for overseeing three downtown venues: Raleigh Convention Center, Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts and Red Hat Amphitheater, as well as the nearby Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek.
