IN BRIEF INDUSTRY PULSE
CHICAGO, IL — PCMA President and CEO Sherrif Karamat recently announced changes to the organization’s leadership structure that will support its goal of becoming a global leader in the business events industry. “For the past two years I have worked with our leadership and partners to activate our strategic plan and bring our vision of economic and social transformation through business events to life,” said Karamat. “Our results to-date demonstrate that our strategy is working. Our opportunity now is to build on our momentum to the benefit of our stakeholders everywhere.” The organizational changes include the following: •B ruce MacMillan, Chief Marketing Officer, will now oversee the EMEA and APAC teams. •P CMA formally launches PCMA Insights, a consulting division that will report to MacMillan. •M arcia Mawe joins PCMA as Vice President, Marketing and Communications. •M eredith Rollins, Chief
Community Officer, will assume responsibility for Business Development and Client Services. •S tacey Shafer has been promoted to Vice President, Community Engagement and will lead PCMA’s membership engagement efforts as part of Rollins’ team. •M ona Cotton, Chief Business Officer, will now focus on developing PCMA’s educational products.
4
LOUISVILLE, KY — Louisville Tourism has named Elizabeth Yienger its fourth National Sales Manager. Yienger’s responsibilities include promoting and selling Louisville as a convention, meeting and trade show destination to Northeastbased national associations, government organizations and corporations from
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FL — The Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort recently appointed Kathleen Bernesby as Director of Sales for the entire complex. She will lead the sales team in conjunction with the director
Elizabeth Yienger
Kathleen Bernesby
Bruce MacMillan
from 1998-2008 and positions with Earl Enterprises, Westin Diplomat Resort and Loews Miami Beach. (For more Miami Beach meeting industry updates, see the feature on page 36.)
of sales and marketing for the 2,270-room resort, including its upcoming expansion, The Cove at the Walt Disney World Swan, a 349-room tower scheduled to open in 2021. Bernesby brings over 30 years of experience in hospitality sales and marketing, including a previous tenure at the resort
Maryland to Maine. She is based in New York. Yienger has held regional director roles with Hilton Worldwide and Starwood Hotels, handling large accounts throughout the Northeast. She has also held regional roles for both Visit Baltimore and Visit Orlando, focused on Northeast corporate and association customers for each of those organizations. PHILADELPHIA, PA — The ASM Global-managed Pennsylvania Convention Center recently announced that Director of Business Analysis Mary Ann Torres received her Certification in Meeting Management
Mary Anne Torres
(CMM) after completing the 15-week course hosted by MPI Academy and taught by the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University. The CMM program focuses on developing strategic thinking needed to assume a leadership role. “It was a great opportunity to continue to learn and grow professionally,” Torres said. “My role is so customer focused that I really wanted to use this opportunity to further understand the needs and goals of the meeting planners that we service.” SAN FRANCISCO, CA — CadmiumCD, EXPOCAD, Freeman, GES, Map Your Show and Personify A2Z Events are collaborating to establish unified exhibitor data elements intended to streamline operations and improve the customer experience. “As a result of establishing industry standards for exhibitor data, we are able to better serve our clients by providing a seamless process to share exhibitor data,” said GES Chief Information Officer Rick Britton. “Going forward, the quality of data all parties receive will dramatically improve, providing clarity and increased productivity. GES is honored to take a Continued on page 6
FACILITIES & DESTINATIONS 2020 SPRING
