ON THE MOVE
Planners
Felsher joins George P. Johnson
Louise M. Felsher, CMP, CMM, has taken a position as senior event operations manager with George P. Johnson Experience Marketing in San Carlos, Calif. Her new duties have her overseeing the operations team for GPJ’s technology conferences. Felsher previously worked as a marketing event consultant.
Gordon takes sponsorship role at Global Executive
Beth Gordon has been appointed director of sponsorships for The Global Executive in Ridgefield, Conn., an event logistics, management and marketing company. Gordon previously was director of sales for the World Shoe Association.
Suppliers
The 300-room Liberty Hotel, Boston, set to open this summer, has filled three sales positions: Alexis Anninos is associate director of sales, Jessica Keohane is sales manager, and Jessica Feldman is sales and marketing coordinator.
John Bettag, CMP, has been promoted to vice president of association markets for Twinsburg, Ohio-based Experient, a third-party planning firm.
The 2,019-room Hyatt Regency Chicago has named Jerry Gibson as vice president/managing director, and Patrick Donelly as general manager.
Andrew J. Fersch has been appointed director of hotel and casino group sales for the 1,941-room Cable Beach Resort & Crystal Palace Casino, Nassau, Bahamas.
Kevin Kamenzind has been named senior vice president of sales and marketing for the Greater Phoenix Convention & Visitors Bureau. Donn Oswald has been promoted to associate director of sales.
Lance Koenig is the new national sales manager for PRA Destination Management New York.
Jim Mauer has been named general manager of the 637-room Harbor Beach Marriott Resort & Spa. An extensive renovation of the property begins in July.
Robert J. Newman has been appointed general manager of the 334-room Ocean Edge Resort & Club in Brewster, Mass.
“My technical background
helps me analyze problems, because
I learned to get to their roots.”
Norman Ford, director of business and
operations for the Vicksburg (Miss.) Convention Center and
Auditorium, is the new president of the board for the Association
for Convention Operations Management. Before joining the
50,000-square-foot convention center, Ford worked at a nuclear
power plant.
How does somebody with a degree
in nuclear engineering become a venue manager? I was
unhappy. I also have a business degree and wanted to use it, so I
readjusted my schedule and changed professions.
What about nuclear engineering
informs your job at the convention center? An engineering
background helps me understand the technical operations of the
building, the lighting, the software systems. My technical
background helps me analyze problems, because I learned to get to
their roots. The nuclear part helps me study problems thoroughly
before going after them with a solution.
What do you hope to achieve as
president of ACOM? I want to continue to increase our
membership and develop chapters around the country. We also are
laying the groundwork to work with students around the country, to
offer internships and mentorships. I want to help members energize
themselves and their employees. We have a real excited board, and I
want to foster that.
How has ACOM helped
you? Through ACOM I have gained contacts in convention and
visitor bureaus and hotels around the country. It’s a big relief to
know there are very few problems that nobody has faced before.