NEW YORK CITY
TJ Fimmano, President IACC-Americas and general manager at Dolce Hotels and Resorts/GE Crotonville in Ossining, New York, has announced the election of new directors for a two-year term from January 1, 2014 through December 31, 2015.
Here are the esteemed new board members named by IACC-Americas:
Joseph Blake, Director of Sales & Marketing for Rizzo Conference Center in Chapel Hill, N.C. Joe has been active in the conference center segment for eight years and has participated in the IACC University Conference Center group. Joe is an active member of MPI since 1996 and was Vice President of Education for the Carolinas Chapter, Vice President of Finance, Leadership Development Committee, Scholarship Committee, International Membership Committee, International Brand Marketing Committee and many other committee roles. He has also been active with the Association Executives of North Carolina since 1996.
Cedric Fasbender, vice president of operations for Benchmark Hospitality International. Cedric has been active in the conference center industry for more than 20 years and has served as General Manager and Regional General Manager at successful conference centers including Lansdowne Resort, Tarrytown House Estate and Conference Center, Hayes Mansion, PGA National Resort & Spa and others.
Meghan Bean, sales associate for Cvent has been involved in conference centers for two years. Meghan works with Event Management and Web Survey solutions at Cvent to send 3RFPs through the Supplier Network to conference centers, hotels, and unique venues around the world. Earlier this year, IACC announced a partnership with Cvent to raise awareness of conference centers on a worldwide basis.
Jeff Loether, president of Electro-Media Design, Ltd was re-elected to the board of directors. With more than 30 years in the conference center industry, Jeff has actively participated in 15 annual conferences and is a part of the Membership and Quality Committee. In the recent past, he has served on the Technology Committee and the Annual Conference Planning Committee. He is a recipient of the prestigious IACC Award for Excellence and the IACC Pyramid Award for education and achievement. Jeff is recognized as a thought leader in conference center technology and has developed and taught many workshops, seminars, and classes for the design and facility management industries.
Dan Techman, director of sales & marketing at Doubletree Suites by Hilton Hotel & Conference Center Chicago-Downers Grove was re-elected to the board of directors. With 26 years in hospitality, including seven years in the conference center industry, Dan has served IACC in several capacities including the Annual Conference Planning Committee in Recreation, Production, and Education. Dan currently serves on the Member to Member, and Leadership Committees.
Derek Grimaldi, general manager of the Ivey Spencer Leadership Centre, located in London, Ontario was re-elected to the board of directors. Derek has been actively involved in the affairs of “IACC Canada” as host of SPIN (Small Property Information Network), the Canadian SIG (Special Interest Group) and the Canadian Copper Skillet Competition. During his first term on the board, Derek continued to grow the Co-operative marketing efforts of the Canadian properties through collaborative advertising campaigns, trade-show participation and Canadian Copper Skillet Competitions that have included participation as part of targeted industry audiences.
The IACC-Americas Board of Directors is comprised of elected members who represent Full, Associate, and Corporate Headquarters members in good standing.
According to Fimmano, “the election of these hospitality experts brings a wide range of skills and experience to the Board of Directors at a critical time when IACC is moving forward with dynamic initiatives that assist members in providing exceptional meeting experiences.
Founded in 1981, the International Association of Conference Centres is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting understanding and awareness of the conference center industry and to giving member properties the tools necessary to provide an exceptional IACC meeting experience. Active members meet a set of stringent Quality Standards and agree to a Code of Ethics.
Currently, the association includes approximately 400 members from the United States, Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Denmark, Sweden, Belgium, France, Spain, England, Scotland, The Netherlands, Germany, South Africa, and the Philippines.
