People News: Suppliers, Show Organizers, Destinations All Make Hires

July 26, 2016

Summertime hiring has been brisk, with a lot of companies bringing on new employees before the busy season gets into full gear again.

IMN Solutions has appointed Claudia Maurer, CEM as the new vice president of Strategic Accounts. IMN Solutions is a global, full-service association, meeting and event management company located in the Washington, D.C., area.

In this role, Maurer will oversee division project teams to ensure successful delivery of client goals and objectives.

Additionally, she will lead business development initiatives and collaborate with key division stakeholders for the continued growth and development of the IMN divisions business model with a commitment to strong service delivery, innovative thinking and enhancements for IMN clients.

Most recently, Maurer was an account director and international event marketing strategist for mdg and previously worked for Messe Frankfurt in Germany and the U.S.

Marketplace Events, North America's largest home show producer, hired Frank J. Bird II as president of a new marketing services division. Bird joins the company after spending the last 25 years in publishing in Cleveland, Ohio, including the last 14 years as publisher of Cleveland Magazine.

Marketplace Events also announced the hiring of Jennifer Wallin as brand manager, Holiday Boutique.

Holiday Boutique is an upscale holiday shopping event that the company first produced in Kansas City in 2014 with huge success; Marketplace Events intends to roll the event out in new markets.

Bellagio appointed Gregg Herning as the resort’s new vice president of sales.  In this role, he is responsible for providing leadership and strategic direction for all sales efforts at Bellagio, a AAA Five Diamond, 3,933-room resort.

Most recently, he served as the vice president of sales for MGM Grand. Before joining MGM Resorts International in 2013, Herning served as brand vice president for the award-winning Peabody Hotel Group.     

Association and event marketing agency mdg promoted Jennifer Johnson to vice president, association marketing, and Caitlin Fox to vice president, event marketing.

With 25 years of experience as an association marketing professional, Johnson leads mdg’s Reston, Va. office. She serves as director of strategy for the National Association of Secondary School Principals, which also administers the National Honor Society.

Before joining mdg, Fox earned a Master of Business Administration in Marketing from Fairfield University and developed her event industry knowledge at 1105 Media and Access Intelligence.

In her current role, she consults directly for and leads teams serving event clients in myriad industries, from food and beverage to technology to energy and more.

Expanding the geographic footprint of its promotion of Kansas City, Visit KC, the region’s leading hospitality and tourism organization, is pleased to announce the recent addition of Francis Darko as sales manager. 

As sales manager, Darko will work in the short term meetings market, consisting of 200 or less room nights on peak. He will handle the East Coast market and Southeast market of the United States.

U.K-based IT Group appointed Andrew Beach as the company’s CFO. He will assume his role as CFO by Jan. 1 and will join the company’s main Board of Directors. Des McEwan will continue as Interim Group Finance Director until this time and will work closely with Beach as part of an orderly transition.

Beach joins from Ebiquity plc, a marketing analytics specialist, where he is currently CFO and COO.

SMG and Albany Capital Center promoted Doug McClaine to general manager of the Albany Capital Center. 

As general manager, McClaine will have direct overall management responsibilities for the Albany Capital Center in regard to facility sales, finance, event coordination, parking and operations.

McClaine will retain his title and duties as assistant general manager of the Times Union Center where he’s held various positions for 18 years in addition to his new role with the Albany Capital Center. 

Yuhi Kim was upped to senior event services manager of Edlen Electrical Exhibition Services’ Mandalay Bay office.

Kim joined Edlen in 2014 with five years of hospitality experience and has continued to take on a larger role in managing major events.

She has traveled to various Edlen offices to assist on events as well as with the production of such Las Vegas events as JCK, MAGIC, Black Hat USA and SupplySide West.

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Partner Voices
Less than six months ago, Lisa Messina joined the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) as the first-ever chief sales officer after leading the sales team at Caesars Entertainment. A 12-year Las Vegas resident, Messina is a graduate of Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration and serves on MPI International’s board of directors. TSNN had a chance to catch up with this dynamic leader and talk to her about her vision for the new role, current shifts in the trade show industry, creating more diversity and equity within the organization, and advice to future female leaders. Lisa Messina, Chief Sales Officer, LVCVA With Las Vegas becoming The Greatest Arena on EarthTM, what are some of the things you’re most excited about in your role? Our team was at The Big Game’s handoff ceremony earlier this month, and I couldn’t help but think, “We’re going to crush it next year!”  These high-profile events and venues not only drive excitement, but also provide unmatched opportunities for event planners. Allegiant Stadium hosts events from 10 to 65,000 people and offers on-field experiences. Formula 1 Grand Prix will take place in Las Vegas in November, after the year-one F1 race, the four-story paddock building will be available for buyouts and will also offer daily ride-along experiences that will be available for groups. And, of course, the MSG Sphere officially announced that it will open in September, ahead of schedule, with a U2 residency. It’s going to be the most technologically advanced venue as far as lighting, sound, feel, and even scent, and it will be available for buyouts and next-level sponsorships inside and outside. There’s no ceiling to what you can do when you’re doing events in Las Vegas.  Allegiant Stadium As the trade show and convention business returns to the pre-pandemic levels, what shifts are you noticing and how do you think they will impact the industry going forward? Our trade show organizers are very focused on driving customer experience. Most of our organizers are reporting stronger exhibitor numbers and increased numbers of new exhibitors, with trade shows proving to be almost or above 2019 levels. Now our organizers are really doubling down on driving attendance and focusing on the data to provide that individualized, customized experience to help attendees meet their goals and get the best value. Some companies continue to be cautiously optimistic with their organizational spend when it comes to sending attendees, but I think it will continue to improve. As the U.S. Travel Association makes more progress on the U.S. visa situation, we also expect a growing influx of international attendees. What are some innovative ways the LVCVA helps trade show and convention organizers deliver the most value for their events? We focus on customer experience in the same way that trade show organizers are thinking about it. We got rave reviews with the West Hall Expansion of the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC), so over the next two years, we will be renovating the North and the Central halls, which will include not just the same look and feel, but also the digital experiences that can be leveraged for branding and sponsorship opportunities.  Vegas Loop, the underground transportation system designed by The Boring Company, is also a way we have enhanced the customer experience. Vegas Loop at the LVCC has transported more than 900,000 convention attendees across the campus since its 2021 launch. Last summer, Resorts World and The Boring Company opened the first resort stop at the Resorts World Las Vegas , with plans to expand throughout the resort corridor, including downtown Las Vegas, Allegiant Stadium and Harry Reid International Airport. The LVCVA also purchased the Las Vegas Monorail in 2020, the 3.9-mile-long elevated transportation system that connects eight resorts directly to the convention center campus. This is the only rail system in the world that integrates fares directly into show badges and registration. For trade show organizers, these transportation options mean saving time, money and effort when it comes to moving groups from the hotels to LVCC and around the city. Also, the more we can focus on building the infrastructure around the convention center, the more it supports the customer experience and ultimately supports our trade show organizers. Scheduled to debut in Q4, Fontainebleau Las Vegas will offer 3,700 hotel rooms and 550,000 square feet of meeting and convention space next to LVCC.  What are some of the plans for advancing DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) within your organization? We’re currently partnering with instead of working with a leading consulting firm, to lay the foundation and create a solid DEI plan and be the leader when it comes to DEI initiatives. The heart of that journey with the consulting firm is also talking to our customers about their strategic approaches to DEI and driving innovation in this space.  What are your favorite ways to recharge? My husband and I have an RV and we’re outdoorsy people. So, while we have over 150,000 world-class hotel rooms and renowned restaurants right outside our doorstep, one of my favorite things to do is get out to Red Rock Canyon, the Valley of Fire, and Lake Mead. Five of the top national parks are within a three-hour drive from Las Vegas, so there’s a lot you can do. We love balancing the energy of Las Vegas with nature, and we’re noticing that a lot of attendees add activities off the Strip when they come here.  Valley of Fire What advice would you give to women following leadership paths in destination marketing? I think it’s about being laser-focused on what you want to accomplish; building a team around you that lifts you and helps you achieve your goals; and being humble and realizing that you do it as a group. No one gets this done alone. Thankfully, there are a lot of women in leadership in this organization, in our customers’ organizations, and in this city that we can be really proud of. We’re a formidable force that is making things happen.   This interview has been edited and condensed. This article is exclusively sponsored by the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority. For more information, visit HERE.