Quick Chat With Jerry Murphy

Jerry Murphy 

Vice President, Strategic Account Services, Experient

With a prior background in food and beverage and con­vention services, Jerry Murphy joined the Twins­burg, Ohio-based event-planning company Experient in 1998, in its earlier incarnation as Conferon (last month the firm was acquired by Maritz Travel). Based in Chicago, Murphy loves his job, citing how "every day gives me an opportunity to think creatively to affect creative solutions." He recently chatted with M&C about that and more.

What are the main facets of your job? I oversee the strategic meetings management department, the global and domestic sourcing department, and the online services department.

When it comes to SMM, what pitfalls should planners be wary of when implementing a program? I think perhaps the most common pitfall is that planners try to take on too much too quickly and think they have to implement everything at once. Indeed, it stops a lot of planners from even beginning, as the task seems so enormous and daunting. I tell them to break it up into smaller pieces.

Where's a good place to start? We usually counsel clients that the area in which they can achieve the largest amount of documented success is in sourcing -- managing contract negotiations. The very act of centralizing the company's sourcing helps you better identify and understand how many meetings you're doing, who's doing them and who you're spending money with. Then you move through the process from there.

What do you like to do in your spare time? In the past several years I've become a runner -- I even try to do a triathlon every summer. It's a challenge here in Chicago, where we only get four or five months of good weather.    

 

 

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On the Move

Planners

  

Brian Knapp has been named president of Washing­ton, D.C.-based IMN Solutions, a meetings-management company and strategic consulting partner in association and foundation management.
 
Suppliers

 

 

At the 162-room One&Only Le Saint Géran in Mauritius,  Charles de Fou­cault has been appointed general manager.

 

At the 2,265-room Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotel, Angel M. Faire has been named national sales manager for the Midwest region.

Michele Frank has been appointed director of sales and marketing at the 481-room Westin Resort & Casino, Aruba.

 

Paul Howe has joined Associated Luxury Hotels International as national sales manager for the West U.S. region.

 

 

 

At the 182-suite Blue Harbor Resort & Spa in Sheboy­gan, Wis., John Klemme has been named senior sales manager.

 

 

 

Starwood Hotels & Resorts has named Michael Master­son as director of sales and marketing for the 1,200-room Westin Ka'anapali Ocean Resort Villas, 759-room Westin Maui Resort & Spa, Ka'anapali, and 508-room Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa.

 

 

Visit Milwaukee has appointed Meg McKenna as director of development. Previously, she served as executive director for the Wauwatosa (Wis.) Cham­ber of Commerce.

 

 

In Napa, Calif., Christine Merc­nik has been named food and beverage manager at the 415-room Silverado Resort and Spa.

 

 

Michael Nenner has joined the 200-room Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis as hotel manager.

 

NYC & Company has named Rachel Nocera (pictured) as Midwest convention sales director and Diane Brady Ander­son as regional director, national accounts, Northeast.

 

 

 

Jim Pedone has been hired as director of sales and marketing for the 215-room Mira­monte Resort & Spa in Indian Wells, Calif.

 

 

At the 2,000-room Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City, Bernie Sefcik has been named director of hotel sales.

Debra Stottlemyer has been appointed sales manager at the Santa Fe (N.M.) Convention & Visitors Bureau.