Jun 06, 2022
When asked how she started her career in convention facility management, Peggy Daidakis chalks it up to being in the right place at the right time. The much-respected convention industry veteran started her events career in the late 70s at the genesis of Baltimore’s meetings and events industry, cutting her teeth as an event coordinator and sales representative for the newly formed Baltimore Convention and Visitors Bureau (now Visit Baltimore), tasked with attracting conventions and trade shows to the soon-to-be-opened Baltimore Convention Center (BCC).
“I was working as an aide to the… more
May 30, 2022
Spring continues to blossom with a slew of new hires and promotions and newly created positions at trade show and event-related organizations across the U.S. and abroad. Here’s the latest news about hard-working professionals in the trade show industry that you need to know!
Spiro
Spiro, the brand experience agency within the GES Collective, has named marketing, PR and digital media content veteran Beki Winchel its thought leadership and innovation director. Based in Gothenburg, Sweden, she will focus on creating impactful thought leadership content, strategies and campaigns designed to… more
May 16, 2022
The second quarter of the year continues full steam ahead as organizations covering all facets of the trade show and events industries continue their strong hiring and promoting activities to fill key positions and reward hard-working staff with elevated titles. Check them out!
CloserStill Media
London, U.K.-based CloserStill Media, a leading global exhibition business, has tapped exhibition industry veteran Yancy Weinrich as president of North America. In this newly created position, the award-winning trade show executive will spearhead the company’s major U.S. expansion and high-growth… more
May 09, 2022
Born and raised in the Hawaiian islands, Teri Orton’s passion for the hospitality industry started early. In fact, it’s part of her family legacy. Both her parents worked in hospitality, so she was born into and exposed to the industry as a small child, yet never felt the need to rebel against or stray from the family business as a young adult.
After majoring in communications at the University of Hawai‘i and advancing her training in hospitality management through various certifications with Starwood and Hilton Hotels, Orton stayed the course, spending more than 25 years holding an array… more
Apr 26, 2022
Event industry suppliers, CVBs, marketing and tech companies throughout the U.S. and abroad are fine-tuning their departments and promoting team members as the industry continues its robust hiring and promoting trend. Take a look!
Spiro
Spiro, the brand experiences agency within the GES collective, has named Carley Faircloth chief marketing officer, responsible for Spiro’s global brand launch and beyond.
Bringing extensive experience leading brand-building strategies in the events and experience sector, Faircloth previously spent just under six years at Freeman, most recently serving… more
Apr 25, 2022
Some people are fortunate enough to be born into their life’s calling. Chef Purvill Chaney is such a lucky individual. A consummate culinary professional who discovered his passion for cooking while working as a chef in his parents’ restaurants in his hometown of Flint, Mich., the budding chef wasted no time in embarking upon a professional career path in hospitality after college, cutting his teeth as a sous chef at a local Hyatt Regency. Since then, Chaney’s long and storied career has included more than 27 years with Hyatt at a dozen different locations in multiple cities followed by a 15-… more
Apr 12, 2022
Sometimes the path to a rewarding career is made up of happy accidents. Like many who work in the trade show industry these days, Yancy Weinrich “fell into” the profession via the jewelry industry, working for the American Gem Society and exhibiting at jewelry trade shows. One of those major events happened to be JCK, a leading annual jewelry event produced by RX, which later hired her to sell exhibit space for its jewelry portfolio comprising JCK and its sister event, Luxury.
“I can’t say that I ever thought I would be in jewelry or events—I really fell into both,” Weinrich explains. “I was… more
Apr 11, 2022
Event-related organizations throughout the U.S. and abroad are continuing to scoop up new team members and elevate executives as the industry-wide hiring and promoting frenzy continues unabated. Check them out!
Visit Seattle
Following a nationwide search, Visit Seattle and its board of directors have tapped hospitality veteran Tammy Blount-Canavan to be its president and CEO, starting May 9. As Visit Seattle’s first female CEO, she replaces 15-year leader Tom Norwalk, who retired earlier this spring.
With a rich leadership history spanning two countries and three decades, first in the… more
Apr 06, 2022
Sherrif Karamat is a life-long learner with an impressive list of credentials—an MBA and post-graduate certificates in business, management, strategic negotiations, data intelligence and big data, to name a few. But some of his greatest lessons—personally and professionally—have come over the past two years of the pandemic.
Capitalizing on those lessons is one of his top priorities as he guides the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) and its members in successfully moving forward in the evolving events environment.
Reinvention is key, according to Karamat.
“Our industry… more
Mar 28, 2022
The trade show industry’s hiring and promoting trend continues its forward trajectory as event-related organizations throughout the U.S. appoint new executives, elevate top-performing staff and welcome new team members. Take a look!
Choose Chicago
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Choose Chicago have tapped Lynn Osmond as the CVB’s new CEO, effective May 9. As the first woman to helm the city’s tourism agency, Osmond brings deep knowledge of Chicago’s tourism and hospitality community to her new leadership role, most recently serving as president and CEO of the Chicago Architecture Center… more
Partner Voices
MGM Resorts is committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse culture, not just among employees and guests but also within its supply chain. The company prioritizes procuring goods and services from businesses owned by minorities, women, veterans, people with disabilities, LGBTQ individuals and those facing economic disadvantages. This commitment is integral to MGM Resorts' global procurement strategy.
Through its voluntary supplier diversity program, MGM Resorts actively identifies and connects certified diverse-owned suppliers to opportunities within its supply chain. The company is on track to spend at least 15% of its biddable procurement with diverse-owned businesses by 2025, demonstrating that supplier diversity is not only a social responsibility but also a strategic business imperative.
Supplier diversity isn’t just the right thing to do – it’s good for business. A diverse supply chain allows access to a broader range of perspectives and experience, helping to drive innovation, entrepreneurship and resilience, while strengthening communities. At MGM Resorts, engaging diverse suppliers ensures best-in-class experiences for guests and clients. Supplier diversity ensures a more resilient supply chain while supporting economic development in the communities in which it operates.
The impact of MGM Resorts' supplier diversity initiatives is significant. In 2023, these efforts supported over 3,500 jobs across more than 30 states, contributed over $214 million in income for diverse-owned businesses and generated more than $62 million in tax revenue. The story extends beyond the numbers – it reflects the tangible benefits brought to small and diverse-owned businesses, fostering economic empowerment in their communities.
MGM Resorts also supports the development and business skills of diverse-owned businesses through investment, mentorship and education. Through the MGM Resorts Supplier Diversity Mentorship Program, the company identifies, mentors and develops diverse-owned businesses to fill its future pipeline, while providing businesses with tools and resources to empower and uplift. Since 2017, the program has successfully graduated 105 diverse-owned businesses and is on track to achieve its goal of 150 graduates by 2025.
MGM Resorts’ commitment to supplier diversity not only enhances its business operations but also plays a crucial role in uplifting communities and fostering economic development. This approach reinforces the idea that diversity is a powerful driver of innovation and resilience, benefiting both the company and the wider community.