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Champion Announces New Exhibitor Zip Service http://t.co/I5ZZ1ei

I thought you would find this interesting. I never thought this would happen. http://soc.li/suMuRRd

New food and beverage director hired at The Renaissance Hollywood Hotel & Spa http://t.co/SaLE8NF

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Hospitality veteran Roderick “Rod“ Tan Gopiao has joined The Renaissance Hollywood Hotel & Spa as Food and Beverage Director, overseeing all culinary aspects for the property’s business, group and leisure guests.

With experience dating back to 1989 and most recently as Director of Event Management for the Marriott Los Angeles Airport, Rod knows how to motivate a busy hotel staff. He has also held positions as Director of Food & Beverage at the Omni Los Angeles Hotel and Renaissance Montura Hotel as well as Director of Banquet Operations at the Hilton Burbank Airport and Convention Center.

“We are extremely lucky to have Rod join of our team at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel and Spa,” said Dan Shaughnessy, Director of Sales and Marketing at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel & Spa. “Rod has a wide variety of experience and an impeccable track record of food and beverage excellence in his previous roles, including being part of the 2008 Event Management Team of the year for Marriott’s Western Region.”

In his new role, Gopiao will have a large scope of responsibility to apply his expertise. Featuring nearly 65,000 square feet of hotel meeting space, the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel & Spa can accommodate everything from large conventions and fundraisers to more intimate social gatherings. [10/12]

LANHAM, Md. — Hargrove recently announced the addition of industry veteran Tom Durkee to its growing special events team as sales executive.

Hargrove, one of the top event companies in the United States, is involved with a wide range of high profile events globally including recent success with the World Equestrian Games in Lexington Kentucky, highly anticipated Charity Works Ball at the National Building Museum and G20 Seoul Summit 2010.

Durkee brings over a decade of events experience to Hargrove and worked closely with the Hargrove team in his previous capacity as one of Occasions Caterers leading account executives where he worked on Washington’s most prestigious social events and galas including the Corcoran Ball, Opera Ball, and U.S. Chamber of Commerce annual holiday party. He last served as director of catering and special events for Café Milano and the renowned restaurant’s off-site catering operation, Embassy Row Catering.

Durkee will leverage his broad experience in the events industry to Hargrove’s expansion efforts into new markets and reintroduce Hargrove to Washington’s established event community.

“The market has undergone tremendous change in the last two years, and planners need partners like Hargrove who have an expertise in every aspect of the event,” Durkee said.

CHICAGO — MG Design Associates has named John Patten to the new position of President where he will oversee all operational aspects of the award-winning firm. Michael Grivas retains the title of Chief Executive Officer of MG Design and will remain actively involved in serving clients and marketing of the 51-year-old firm which is experiencing a year of tremendous growth.

“Hands-on experience, exceptional vision, and outstanding energy are just a few of the qualities John brings to this position,” explained Grivas. “Constant evolution is a hallmark of successful companies and with this promotion; we are positioned to help our clients continue to build best-in-class exhibit and event marketing strategies. Since joining MG Design, John’s enthusiasm, integrity and passion bring out the very best of our talented team. With this promotion, I am able to focus on our clients and the creative process knowing that John’s unwavering focus is on continued operational excellence.”

“As we close this year of growth, this is just the start of a number of initiatives that MG Design is undertaking to ensure best-in-class exhibit experiences,” said Grivas. “Working together, we are focused on refining our processes and establishing measurable benchmarks that will help our clients to improve their customer engagement strategies.”

Patten joined MG Design in 2009 as vice president of operations and has been a part of the team that delivered a positive 2010 for MG Design including the firm’s “Best of Show” Fresh Ideas exhibit at Exhibitor2010 in Las Vegas and a very successful presence at HCEA’s 2010 annual meeting.

“MG Design is one of the most innovative and dynamic agencies in our industry,” said Patten. “The creative spirit and can-do attitude are contagious and a large part of the reason MG Design is able to consistently produce top line results for our clients. Who else in this industry can say that they have 20 clients who have been with them for 20 years? In this new role, my job is to focus on a business model that ensures the ongoing success of our clients and our firm for decades to come.”

MG Design has been exceeding expectations for 5 decades by responding to clients’ needs with inventive solutions and marketing ingenuity. MG Design specializes in corporate and retail branding environments, strategic marketing, customized training and logistics management. MG Design is unexpectedly unconventional in the marketplace and is a key resource in helping companies connect with their audiences. [10/11]

NEW ORLEANS — Kelli Zohar-Davis has joined the Human Resources team at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center – the sixth largest convention center in the nation. In the newly created position of “SPICE Manager,” she is responsible for leading and enhancing the Center’s two-year old employee customer service program, called SPICE, which stands for “Serving with Professionalism, Individuality, Courtesy and Excellence.”

The purpose of the program is to motivate and inspire employees to embrace the Convention Center’s mission of exceptional service and apply it in every customer interaction. Employees from every level of the organization collaborated to develop ten Customer Service Standards that are the guiding philosophy of the program, which are reinforced daily. Zohar-Davis is charged with implementing new and innovative ways to educate and engage our 300+ employees and developing, coaching and motivating the team.

Zohar-Davis has an extensive background in the food service industry and is a Certified Corporate Trainer. She most recently served as the Director of Training for Sonic Restaurants, where she oversaw employee education in forty-three franchised locations in Southwest Louisiana. She also developed training programs as the Learning Manager for Chili’s in Houston, TX, and was a Training Operations Consultant and Incentives Manager for McDonald’s USA, where she provided employee guidance on McDonald’s operating standards, management tools and systems to maximize restaurant performance.

Prior to working in the food service industry, Zohar-Davis honed her passion for education as a teacher in the Pasadena, Texas school district. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Sam Houston State University, and a Bachelor of Hamburgerology Degree from the McDonald’s Corporation, which is equivalent to an Associate Degree in Restaurant Management.

“Kelli has all the skills we were looking for — and more — in our very first SPICE Manager. The program is the cornerstone of our culture at the Convention Center, and her training background, enthusiasm and creativity will no doubt ‘Raise the Bar’ and take us to the next level,” said Convention Center President/General Manager Bob Johnson.

ATLANTA, Ga. — The Kellen Company has promoted Jim Fowler from senior account executive to vice president.

Fowler has been a Kellen Company employee since 2002, applying his depth of experience and expertise in the food industry as well as areas of leadership development, financial management and association membership services.

“Jim has consistently demonstrated his skills and value to the Kellen Company as a significant member of our management team,” said Peter Rush, chief executive officer, Kellen Company.  “His commitment to excellence and innovation on behalf of his clients and Kellen’s food practice is exemplary.”

Since joining the firm in 2002, Fowler has worked exclusively for Kellen clients in the food industry.  He currently serves as executive vice president of the Research Chefs Association.  As EVP for RCA, he focuses on strategic direction, Executive Committee and Board support, organizational leadership, priorities management, quality assurance and directing the general operations of the society.

Prior to joining Kellen Company, Fowler led association management activities at Cornerstone Communications Group, where he was responsible for oversight of organizational operations, meetings management, member services, recruitment, public affairs strategy and continuing education for a number of association clients.  He is a Certified Association Executive (CAE), a designation awarded to association executives demonstrating the highest level of management knowledge, ethics, leadership and activity in community affairs, as well as a member of the American Society of Association Executives and a member of the Board of Directors of the Georgia Society of Association Executives (GSAE). [10/12]

NEW YORK — Kellen Company has promoted Michael Cummings from business development manager to vice president.

Cummings joined Kellen Company in 2006 to revitalize the company’s brand marketing and new business outreach.  In his new role, Cummings will be further responsible for spearheading the company’s marketing and business development initiatives, as well as communicating the vast talent, expertise and capabilities under Kellen’s global umbrella to multiple stakeholders.

“Michael delivers results for Kellen Company as an integral member of our team, leading our business development and marketing efforts seamlessly,” said Peter Rush, chief executive officer, Kellen Company.  “He has contributed significantly to Kellen’s growth and his commitment to excellence is unsurpassed.”

Prior to joining Kellen Company, Cummings owned a brand consulting firm where he crafted mixed-media marketing campaigns to deliver unique client messages to diverse audiences.  Additionally, he was previously the first head of business development at Omnicom marketing agency Cone, Inc., where he specialized in brand consulting, strategic public relations and online marketing for pre-IPO companies and global media brands.

“I am honored and excited to have reached this point in my career, while at Kellen Company,” said Cummings.  “I look forward to presenting Kellen Company’s innovative solutions and service-excellence to prospective client-partners around the world.”

Cummings is an active member of the American Society of Association Executives and the New York Society of Association Executives, which has awarded him with various achievement awards for his efforts on behalf of membership and education within the organization.

TWINSBURG, Ohio — Experient, the source for integrated meeting and event solutions, has appointed Rob Gruebert as eastern regional director for its Sales Network. The Experient Sales Network, a division of more than 60 business development specialists located in primary customer markets throughout the United States and Canada, also welcomes Debbi Beldon as national account manager.

“Experient is committed to building a world-class sales team,” said Andy Smith, vice president, independent agent channel. “Rob and Debbi possess the talent and experience we need in order to continue providing superior customer service.”

Gruebert is based in St. Louis and will support a team of national account managers throughout the eastern United States. His background incorporates over 20 years of experience in meeting, event and incentive travel management in a variety of positions, including strategic account manager for Experient from 2004-2010.

Beldon is based in Denver and joined Experient in 2000 where she served as a strategic account manager and, most recently, as vice president. She joined the Experient Sales Network in August 2010 in order to better serve customers with her sourcing and contract negotiation strengths. Prior to joining Experient, she was a hotel sales professional with several convention and resort properties. Beldon currently serves as the National Network for the Needy Chair for PCMA and on the Executive Board of the Meetings Industry Council of Colorado.

Experient leads the industry as one of the best-known and most respected brands in the event management world. Its core services include providing registration, housing, event planning and management, site sourcing/contract negotiation, and lead retrieval services for association, corporate and government clients. Experient employs professionals dedicated to fulfilling its vision of perfecting the event experience to deliver leading-edge thinking, experience and technology solutions for meetings, conventions and trade shows around the world.