Just Ten, and Still Growing

President's Message

By Brian Stevens

Our ten-year anniversary comes with not only a sense of humble accomplishment, but as an expanding business, – it arrives with growing pains as we manage that growth.

We're excited about recent changes to our organizational structure which help position our company for the next 10 years.

Brian Richey and I are pleased to announce the promotion of Jerry Horan to Chief Operating Officer and the appointment of Jeffery Devine as Vice President of Conference Management. In addition to being Executive VP Brian Richey will add Chief Talent Officer to his roster of responsibilities. I will continue to work on marketing, industry relations, and work closely with our Chief Marketing Officer and board. In the near future, we'll announce new appointments in our Housing & Registration leadership, and name professionals to fill our new CFO and CIO positions.

We will also expand internationally to help some of our customers who enjoy a more global focus. We're believing that the economy will continue to improve. Our records are strong on the hotel side of the economy and we will always find ways to save you time and money when planning your meetings.

We want to thank each one of you who have helped us grow. We are so grateful for our customers and look forward to meeting your needs for the next 10 years and beyond.

For more information on how you can join our team, click here.

THE BEST OF THE BEST

At its recent Annual Meeting, ConferenceDirect recognized its top performers.

Externally, awards went to:

• 2007 Convention Bureau of the Year: San Diego, California
  Given to the Convention Bureau which, as voted on by our Associates, is most helpful in serving our customers.
• 2007 National Sales Person of the Year: Julie Schlachter, Marriott Hotels
  Given to the hotel sales person who, as voted on by our Associates, is most helpful in serving our customers.

Internally, awards went to:

• 2007 Associate of the Year: Fred Mitzner
  Given to the Associate booking the most business in 2007.
• 2007 Rookie Associate of the Year: Melissa Ronacher
  Given to the Associate booking the most business during their first year.
• 2007 Conference Manager of the Year: Joe Dymek
  Given to the Associate who produced a volume of events in the conference management area, drove excellent customer satisfaction and upheld the standards of our company.
• 2007 Rookie Conference Manager of the Year: Christy Norcross
  Given to the Associate who produced a volume of events in the conference management area, drove excellent customer satisfaction and upheld the standards of our company during their first year.

ConferenceDirect at 10: Leadership and Learning in the Crescent City

By Brian Richey

During the week of April 27, ConferenceDirect held its Annual Meeting in the great (and greatly recovered) city of New Orleans. During this week of fond reflection and forward movement, we recalled our first Annual Meeting held in Nashville, Tennessee, and hosted by the Opryland Hotel. For that initial meeting, we had the general session room set for 16 – a classic U-shape to encompass our 10 ConferenceDirect Associates and the 6 vendors/suppliers that sought to make presentations. This year, more than 650 Hotels and Convention Bureaus met with 170 Associates, and, as you can imagine, we're no longer able to set the room in a U-shape.

Moving beyond reflections, and to help keep ConferenceDirect Associates at the top of their collective game, two full days were filled with training on matters including:

• Sustainability – Moving to Greener Meetings
• Legal – Latest in Contract Writing and Solving Contract Issues
• Industry Trends – Understanding Ever-changing Hospitality Markets
• Strategic Meeting Management – How this Program Can Help Our Customers

Soon joined by more than 650 suppliers from all over North America, we explored touch points of collaboration with these partner companies, properties, and hotel chains.

ConferenceDirect Associates strive to be indispensable partners to our customers and to bring a level of wisdom and industry expertise to those interactions that are unparalleled in our industry. As I often say, Brian Stevens and I were just the idea – our Associates make ConferenceDirect what we are today. In New Orleans, we acknowledged those among us who sat at that small U-shape table configuration 10 years ago in Nashville.

We can't help but reflect on the diverse array of customers that have entrusted us with their business through the years. Some companies and organizations have been working with ConferenceDirect since our first year and others only recently made a decision to use our services. As we look back on these first 10 years, we're grateful for all that has taken place and which has allowed us to arrive at this moment. We know the next 10 will offer different challenges and adventures. Along the way, we'll continue to look for ways to save our customers time and money. Here's to ten more!

About the Author: Brian Richey is Executive Vice President and co-founder of ConferenceDirect.

HOTELS, HISTORY AND HOLLYWOOD
Who Knew?

Selected snippets of fact and trivia to enhance your "Hotel Culture IQ" and amaze your industry friends.

Starring in Arthur, North by Northwest, and Crocodile Dundee, among others, New York's Plaza Hotel is a grand old dame of movie roles. In the various storylines, Cary Grant was abducted from the lobby in Hitchcock's North by Northwest, Dudley Moore as Arthur entertained in the Oak Bar, and Paul Hogan learned about unusual bathroom fixtures in Crocodile Dundee. The Plaza also played the temporary home of Macaulay Culkin's character in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. After a recent renovation, she reopened for her 100th birthday and, undoubtedly, even more starring location roles.