As the corporate events industry kicks off 2023, event-related organizations across the country are welcoming new leaders and promoting hard-working staff as they prepare for a year of growth, increasing demand and continued post-pandemic recovery. Take a look!  

Destination DC 

Destination DC (DDC), the official destination marketing organization for Washington, D.C., recently appointed a new executive and senior staff to its leadership team. 

Danielle Davis has been promoted to vice president of communications after joining the organization as director of communications in 2015. She leads the communications department in executing organization-wide messaging and strategy, crisis communications and editorial coverage and now expands her communications footprint by providing presentation training, refining messaging and collaborating on annual campaigns and industry events. She also joins DDC’s executive team.  

Twenty-five year DDC veteran Calvin Morgan has been appointed director, information technology and business intelligence, responsible for managing all the organization’s IT needs and technical training. Along with auditing current and new technological developments, Morgan is charged with enhancing DDC’s usage of CRM, software and training as well as building future IT systems. 

Torri Christian has been tapped as director, marketing. As the longest serving member of DDC’s marketing and communications team, she has held nearly every position from assistant to manager to associate director. Besides managing DDC’s $5M advertising budget in FY23, Christian is responsible for advertising strategy and research and will manage a new paid social media strategy designed to complement DDC’s advertising.   

Ten-year DDC veteran Andrew O’Connor is now director, content marketing, focused on content marketing and leveraging new technology, market shifts and changing trends. Managing DDC’s content strategy, he leads the team responsible for inspiring travel through the DMO’s website, social media, email marketing and publications. 

After leading DDC’s human resources department since she joined the organization in 2016, Terri Carter has been appointed director, people and culture. She was instrumental in converting the payroll system in 2018 and manages both onboarding and deboarding processes for current and former DDC employees. In her new role, Carter will expand her team with the position of talent acquisition manager to focus on recruitment, onboarding, talent development and DEI in the workplace.

Baltimore Convention Center

After a nationwide search, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott has nominated certified venue professional Mac Campbell as the new executive director of the Baltimore Convention Center. His appointment follows the Sept. 1 retirement of Peggy Daidakis after 49 years of service to the City of Baltimore.

Campbell began his career at the center in 2012 as director of client services, responsible for managing more than 70 employees in charge of event operations. He was promoted by Daidakis to deputy director in 2017 and was tasked with leading the center’s senior staff team, focusing on employee engagement, promotion and sales, as well as assisting Daidakis in making long-term decisions directly impacting the organization’s mission, vision, capital improvement projects and corporate social responsibility.

Campbell returns to the center after assuming the role of vice president of operations for the Strathmore Hall Foundation in 2021.

Cobb Galleria Centre and Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre 

The Cobb-Marietta Coliseum & Exhibit Hall Authority recently hired Nick Alvarez as executive chef at the Cobb Galleria Centre and Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre in Atlanta, where he will be responsible for overseeing kitchen and stewarding operations.

With a culinary foundation in classical French training, Alvarez brings more than 15 years of experience working in a variety of culinary settings, including the Cherokee Town & Country Club, Ansley Golf Club and as sous chef for Bacchanalia, one of Atlanta’s most recognized fine-dining restaurants. Most recently, Alvarez served as executive chef at Kennesaw State University in Marietta, Ga.

PCMA

Recognized business events and destination marketing executive Junior Tauvaa recently joined PCMA as chief business officer, responsible for overseeing events and education, CEMA at the strategic level, Convene and the product development teams.

Tauvaa joins PCMA with more than 25 years of experience in the meetings and tourism industries, most recently serving as chief sales officer with Visit Anaheim for nine years. Besides his instrumental role in raising the profile of Anaheim and Orange County as a premier business events and leisure destination, he helped open the Anaheim Convention Center’s (ACC) most recent expansion, ACC North, and launched the Orange County Sports Commission. 

Tauvaa’s previous positions include leadership roles at MPI and the MPI Foundation and the Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board. A PCMA member for more than 15 years, he has also served as chair for PCMA’s annual Partnership Summit.

Choose Chicago  

Choose Chicago recently filled key leadership positions within its convention sales team. 

T. Cahal Mowery has joined the Choose Chicago sales team as vice president of sales. In this role, Mowery will work with Dawn Young, also vice president of sales, to promote Chicago as a premier meetings destination by managing the daily sales activities of the organization, including developing and implementing strategic sales plans. He previously served as director of convention sales for Visit Denver for four years, and prior to that, held positions as director sales and catering for JW Marriott Houston and at Visit Houston as a national account executive, convention sales.   

Eric Kincaid was promoted to associate vice president of sales, responsible for supervising and leading Choose Chicago’s Mid-Atlantic sales team. He most recently served as the CVB’s senior director of convention sales and boasts more than a decade of experience in sales at destination marketing organizations and hotels, most recently as a national account director at Destination DC before joining the Choose Chicago team in 2021.  

In November, Robert Leff joined Choose Chicago as director of business development and sales strategy, responsible for attracting new mid- to large-scale meetings and events to Chicago. He most recently worked for Visit Pittsburgh as senior national sales director for nine years, and prior to that, held leadership positions at Gaylord Hotels and Meet Minneapolis. Leff has also worked at the Hilton Minneapolis, the Hiltons of Chicago and the Hilton Chicago O’Hare Airport.

Mowery, Leff and Kincaid will be key members of the team selling and marketing McCormick Place Convention Center and the City of Chicago under the leadership of Dustin Arnheim, senior vice president of sales and services.

CompuSystems 

Event registration and lead management services provider CompuSystems (CSI) has promoted Mark LoGiurato to CEO, responsible for guiding the organization in its mission to provide premium event experiences across the many markets the company services, including trade, association, corporate and government.

LoGiurato spent the past four years working as CSI’s COO and chief revenue officer, and during his tenure, led the operations, sales, marketing and client management teams. A veteran of the trade show industry, he has held various senior executive roles in media and SaaS companies, including senior vice president for Reed Exhibitions.  

CSI also welcomed event industry veteran Josiah Taulbee as executive vice president, business development and strategy. His responsibilities will encompass new target market initiatives, new product development, identifying partnership and acquisition opportunities, in addition to contributing to the company’s overall sales, marketing and business strategies. 

Bringing nearly 20 years of event operations, marketing, data analytics and leadership experience to his new role, Taulbee led high-performance registration, operations and client support teams at UBM Advanstar, UBM Americas and Informa Markets before coming to CSI. 

ASM Global 

Leading venue management, event strategy and entertainment experiences producer ASM Global has made several executive hires as it moves along its ambitious growth trajectory.

Veteran entertainment and sports executive Gary Jacobus was recently named president of business development for the U.S. and Latin America, responsible for overseeing the company’s rapidly expanding business development and account-retention footprint across the Americas. He will also provide support and assistance to the European and APAC business development teams.

Jacobus previously served as senior vice president of business development and sales for Zippin. 

The company also made additional executive hires: Bryce G. Townsend, senior vice president, commercial partnerships; Kevin Dent, vice president, sponsorship sales and business development; and Emily Wilson, director of marketing solutions.

Townsend brings more than 20 years of strategic consulting, brand marketing and commercial strategy experience to his new role, with a diverse background that includes executive leadership roles at GroupM, Momentum Worldwide and the Drone Racing League.

Dent has spent more than 25 years in various sports and lifestyle corporate sponsorship roles, including AT&T, NBA, MLS, the Summer Olympics and Host Communications.

Wilson comes to ASM Global from Dotdash Meredith, America’s largest digital and print publisher, following stints at Time Inc. and Universal McCann. 

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