People 7-1-2003

Meetings & Conventions: People July 2003

People

By Terence Baker

Ian Dockrill, CMP ,is the Plano, Texas-based director of global industry relations and strategic development, meeting and incentive events, for Reed Travel Exhibitions. He oversees the annual La Cumbre (www.lacumbre.com) trade show, which matches Latin American incentive and leisure buyers to U.S. suppliers. Dockrill is from England.

How are you developing La Cumbre? We plan to have business go both ways, not just from Latin America to the States. Our coordinators work in most Latin and Caribbean countries to identify major meetings and incentives buyers. Do you see Latin America becoming a large market for U.S. meetings and incentives business? Initially more business will go to Mexico and the Caribbean, and then farther south from there. I think Argentina will benefit, once it sorts out its financial troubles, as it has the infrastructure and the sophistication. However, sometimes these countries are their own worst enemies, with their media reporting only on corruption and crime.

How did you get into this industry? This was what I always wanted to do. After gaining a degree in hotel management, I worked for 12 years for Sheraton, which brought me to Philadelphia. Then I worked as a meeting planner for a multinational company based in New Jersey and in global development for Meeting Professionals International. That got me to Texas.

How’s Texas? I have three children in the Texas school system, and it is a great place for kids. Myself, I prefer the East Coast.

PLANNERS

Gauthreaux promoted at Freeman Companies
David Gauthreaux has been promoted to national director of corporate events for Dallas-based Freeman Companies, a meeting planning firm. Gauthreaux previously was general manager, corporate event services, for the company. He remains in Freeman’s Seattle office.