People in the News: Rob Mesirow Steps Down from CTIA, Atlanta Convention Bureau Adds to Team

October 27, 2015

Robert Mesirow, vice president of business operations for CTIA – The Wireless Association, will be stepping down, after 17 years at the association.

“I want to thank CTIA, its board members and all of the wireless executives I have collaborated with over the years.  Special thanks to my dedicated team,” Mesirow said.

He added, “This Association has been at the forefront of every major mobile event since the inception of the wireless industry, and it’s been a great ride!”

Nov. 4 is Mesirow’s last day at CTIA, and he said he will be staying in the industry as well.

There was a shakeup in Reno, Nev.’s tourism community, with the Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority (RSCVA) Board of Directors appointing Jennifer Cunningham as interim managing director, replacing President and CEO Chris Baum.

Cunningham has more than 30 years of tourism and sales related experience, including a previous stint with the organization as the director of tourism sales from 1987-1996.

 Since that time, Cunningham worked for the Silver Legacy Resort Casino as the director of tour and travel sales, and spent nearly 10 years as the director of sales, advertising, entertainment and casino marketing at Circus Circus Reno.

Cunningham has served as the executive director of marketing for the RSCVA since 2010.

“I’m honored by the board’s confidence in my capacity to lead the RSCVA through its most current evolution,” Cunningham said. “I look forward to working with our partners to help promote and improve the perception of Reno Tahoe and to ensure our tourism endeavors are persuasive and impactful.”

The Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau (ACVB) hired four new staff members to support the sales and convention services teams.

Vince Almoina and Amanda Dyson Dana are the newest sales managers to the organization, while Courtney Curry and Katie Kling joined as convention services managers.

The Meetings Mean Business Coalition (MMB), a cross-industry communications and advocacy initiative, appointed Richard Harper, executive vice president at HelmsBriscoe, as the coalition co-chair effective January 2016.

Harper will work with fellow co-chair Michael Dominguez, senior vice president and chief sales officer at MGM Resorts International, to lead the organization as it showcases the substantial value of meetings, conferences, conventions, incentive travel, trade shows and exhibitions.

Hargrove promoted two veteran employees to senior director positions in the trade shows division.

Will Alvey, with Hargrove for 20 years, has been promoted to senior director, National Sales & Industry Relations – Trade Shows, and Chuck Taylor, with Hargrove for 14 years, has been promoted to senior director, Business Development – Trade Shows.

DoubleDutch, the global leading provider of mobile event technology and event performance analytics, today announced the expansion of its executive team with the appointment of Brad Roberts as Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Roberts will be responsible for overseeing DoubleDutch’s finance and accounting teams globally.

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