October 2009
Current Issue

SPOTLIGHT: Industry leaders announce job advancements

The Philadelphia CVB has announced that Executive Vice President Jack Ferguson will replace Tom Muldoon as president and CEO when Muldoon steps down on Dec. 31, 2010. Ferguson will continue in his current role heading the PCVB’s sales and services efforts and will begin transitional responsibilities of overseeing all of the organization’s departments and operational duties over the next year.

The Orlando/Orange County CVB promotes Tammi Runzler from vice president of convention sales and services to senior vice president of convention sales and services. Runzler will oversee the company’s worldwide meeting, convention and tradeshow sales efforts and participate on the organization’s senior leadership team.

Pete Hayda joins RockResorts Vail Collection as area director of sales and marketing while continuing in his current role as director of sales and marketing for Vail Marriott Mountain Resort & Spa. Hayda joins RockResorts after 15 years with Marriott International Corp., where he most recently worked as the director of sales and marketing for the Miami Marriott Biscayne Bay Hotel. This role earned Hayda numerous sales accolades, including Marriott International 2005 Sales Team of the Year.

Former general manager for the Wynfrey Hotel at Riverchase Galleria in Hoover, Ala., Tynette Lynch returns to Hospitality Business Solutions Inc. as president and CEO.  Lynch founded Hospitality Business Solutions in 2003. The Birmingham native left the company in 2005 to become the Wynfrey Hotel’s director of sales and marketing.

Mary Beth Baluta accepts the role of Washington, D.C.-based sales director for the Cincinnati USA CVB. For the past two decades, Baluta has honed her sales skills in a variety of industries including development, music and catering. She has extensive experience with third-party meeting management firms, having most recently served as director of national accounts with ConferenceDirect. Baluta also has CVB sales experience in Las Vegas, St. Louis and Chicago.

Corinthia Hotels welcomes Matthew Dixon as general manager of the Corinthia Hotel in London, which is scheduled to open in late 2010. In his early career, Dixon gained deluxe international experience in various senior executive roles with Mandarin Oriental in Hong Kong and Manila. He has also worked for the Rocco Forte Collection as general manager of the Hotel de Russie Rome and the Brown’s Hotel London.