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
Just when it seems like Las Vegas can’t get any bigger, brighter or more exciting for groups, MGM Resorts raises the bar again. The company continues to invest and innovate across its portfolio of Las Vegas resorts, with new attractions and upgraded experiences for attendees of all interests.  Remodeled Guest Rooms MGM Grand is the largest single hotel in the world with over 5,000 guest rooms and an 850,000-square-foot conference center. It is home to the newly remodeled MGM Grand Studio Tower—700 reimagined guest rooms with a fun mid-century vibe. Nearby, the iconic New York-New York Las Vegas Hotel & Casino recently completed a $63M redesign and remodel of its 1,830 guest rooms and 155 suites. Down the street, Bellagio Las Vegas is sporting renovated rooms in the Spa Tower with sunrise-inspired decor and luxurious soaking tubs in Premier King rooms after a $110-million transformation. Reinvented Luxury Experiences The Luxury Meetings District, made up of Bellagio Las Vegas, ARIA Resort & Casino, Vdara Hotel & Spa, The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Park MGM and NoMad Las Vegas, is now more connected than ever before. A new interior walkway opened this October for a seamless attendee experience – connecting Vdara, Bellagio, and The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, guests can now walk from Park MGM to Bellagio in around 15 minutes. New on the scene in the Luxury Meetings District is Cathedrale at ARIA, TAO Group’s upscale establishment specializing in exquisite French-Mediterranean cuisine offering elevated private dining experiences that opened in May. Heralded by World’s Best 50 Restaurants, GQ and VOGUE, LPM at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas is opening this fall and will deliver its signature spontaneity and imaginative celebration of France’s Mediterranean cuisine, art, and culture to the unique luxury resort in impeccable fashion.  A “New Wave  for Mandalay Bay A new wave of enhancements and experiences has arrived at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, including Flanker Kitchen + Sports Bar, an 8,445-square-foot restaurant that opened this June, perfect for pre- and post-game eats and drinks. Event planner’s favorite, Chef Michael Mina’s StripSteak, received a full renovation and now includes one of the largest private dining rooms on The Strip. Retro by Voltaggio debuts a one-year residency with a fun take on pop culture of the 80s and 90s with classic American dishes. An exciting addition planned for 2024 is Swingers, a 40,000-square-foot oasis of street food, miniature golf and art at Mandalay Bay. Most exciting for meeting planners, the 2.1 million-square-foot Mandalay Bay Convention Center  is undergoing a complete refresh, with lightened space, added eye-catching art, and improved technology infrastructure for even more flexible space. Energy-efficient digital signage now leads the way with faster internet speeds and new AV options. From renovated guest rooms and meeting spaces to celebrated dining options and dedicated teams, MGM Resorts is dedicated to delivering exceptional and innovative meeting experiences.