Meetings and events industry leader Marin Bright, founder and CEO of Smart Meetings, passed away January 28 due to complications from surgery after a fall, according to a statement from Smart Meetings.
Bright had a very successful career in the hospitality and meetings and events industry that lasted four decades, including positions as a national sales manager for Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group and as West Coast sales manager for Meeting News, then owned by Miller Freeman and now owned by Northstar Meetings Group.
Bright worked for Stamats Communications, which owns Meetings Today magazine and MeetingsToday.com, from 1993-2001 in the role of publisher and finally vice president and publisher of titles such as Meetings West, Meetings South and Meetings East before founding Bright Business Media.
Industry accolades Bright has achieved include two Folio Top Women in Media Awards and recognition as a Legend by the San Francisco Bay Area chapter of PCMA. She was also named one of the 100 Most Influential People in the Event Industry by Eventex.
Stamats and Meetings Today mourn her passing and extend our condolences to her family, friends and colleagues.
