Visit Orlando Chair Paul Mears III today named George Armando Aguel president and CEO of the organization.

“George is an incredibly accomplished industry leader, with extensive experience in both leisure and business travel,” Mears said. “His knowledge of the meetings and conventions industry, as well as his relationships throughout the travel and tourism segment, matches perfectly with the criteria that our search committee identified as priorities.” 

Aguel—a former MPI chairman—brings a tremendous amount of experience to his new role at Visit Orlando, including more than 35 years of executive-level experience in sales and marketing. Most recently as senior vice president of Global Corporate Alliances and Operating Participants at The Walt Disney Co., he led worldwide management for the company’s strategic corporate alliance agreements across all business units of the company. Aguel also served as senior vice president of Worldwide Sales and Services for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts for 22 years. His responsibilities included catering sales and operations, convention services, national and international sales offices, trade marketing, Disney Cruise Line charter and incentive business, as well as internal corporate meetings and events. He was also general manager of The Disney Institute, which provides professional development training and consulting services to a diverse audience of domestic and multinational corporate brands. 

“Orlando is a world-class destination and the Visit Orlando team is highly respected amongst its peers and the industry," Aguel said. "I’m looking forward to working with the team and to have the opportunity to represent the destination and the company." 

Throughout his career, Aguel has proven himself to be a leader in the industry, as well as in the community. He has twice been recognized as one of the “25 Most Extraordinary Minds in Sales and Marketing” by Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International. He is among a select group of industry professionals to receive the Academy of Leaders Award from the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) and be inducted into the Convention Liaison Council Hall of Leaders. He’s also an ASAE Fellow and recipient of the Professional Convention Management Association Professional Achievement Award and the APEX award from Black Meetings & Tourism.  

Aguel’s contributions to Central Florida include two years as chairman of Visit Orlando (2009-2010), vice chairman of the Central Florida Sports Commission and past member of the Orange County Tourist Development Council. He’s also a past recipient of the Metro Orlando Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Don Quixote Award. 

“After nearly 23 years as an Orlando resident, my desire to serve this community has never been stronger,” Aguel said. “The Visit Orlando team leads the industry in collaborating with member partners and community partners to market our region around the globe. It’s an honor to have the opportunity to lead this highly respected team toward ensuring that Orlando not only remains the vibrant travel brand it is today, but continues to be positioned for prosperity in the decades to come.” 

Aguel’s initial responsibilities will include developing strong relationships with Visit Orlando board of directors and staff, member partners, regional business leaders and elected officials, as well as gaining an immediate and deep understanding of the organization’s three-year strategic plan.

Congratulations, George! And be sure and check out the best advice he's ever received from our May 2010 issue of One+.  

JUNE 4, 2012, UPDATE: The memory and contributions of Gary Sain will be honored by U.S. Travel, as well as other friends from the travel industry and beyond, on June 26 in Washington, D.C. Proceeds from the event, which will include receptions before and after the tribute program, will benefit the Gary C. Sain Memorial Endowed Scholarship Fund at the University of Central Florida’s Rosen College of Hospitality Management.

You can help carry on Gary’s legacy through participation in this event. You may pledge sponsorship, purchase tickets, buy an ad in the special program or simply send a contribution through a specially created event website. For more information, contact Peggy Marilley at (703) 739-4480 or peggy@teamprecision.com.

The news of Orlando CVB president Gary Sain’s passing was top story on the evening news in Orlando Friday night. 

The Orlando Magic held a moment of silence prior to Saturday afternoon’s NBA playoff game in Sain’s honor. 

Both displays were testament to a man whose passion for his city showed in everything he did—from promoting the city he loved, to volunteering countless hours within its many communities. 

Last July, when Sain presented during the Opening General Session at MPI’s World Education Congress 2011, which was held at Orlando’s Orange County Convention Center, the crowd roared with applause for a man whose influence within the meeting and event industry spilled out way beyond the city limits of Orlando. The success of our WEC conference last year had everything to do with the success of our many valuable partners in the Orlando area—and as the premier host sponsor of the event, Sain and the Orlando CVB led the charge.  

“Gary was one of those few individuals whose personal passion for his community and our industry synched perfectly with his gift for story-telling,” MPI President and CEO Bruce MacMillan wrote on his blog over the weekend. “He made both his community and our industry better.” 

Gary’s career in Orlando was, to say the least, impressive . . . and his passion for the meeting and event industry was legendary and second to none. It was well known in Orlando, Gary’s passion was bringing success to every conference or event that entered his city—promoting all that is good about Orlando. 

We, at MPI, would like to offer our sincere condolences first and foremost to Gary’s family and extended family and also to his family at the Orlando CVB. We bid farewell to a great man who has left an indelible impression on our industry. We encourage you to share your memories of Gary as a comment below. 

Some of you readers may be attending our upcoming World Education Congress in Orlando, Florida. While you're there, you may even stay over and visit Disney World. I've thought about doing the same thing, too. 

I think it's interesting, and maybe a sign, that one of my favorite magazines decided run a story on the Walt Disney World Resort on its blog. In the piece, Stacy Conradt explains why Disney build the theme park on swampland. 

"With an eye on Florida because swampland was cheap there, Walt flew above the state to scout locations on November 22, 1963–the day JFK was assassinated," Conradt wrote. "At one point, he looked down and saw where the under-construction Interstate 4 was going to cross the Florida turnpike and knew he had his location. The crosspoint of two major thoroughfares and the nearby airport would make for easy access to his park."

That Walt, he's crafty one. Read the rest of the story over at Mental Floss and find out how he actually acquired so much land and what you're walking on when you visit. 

Congratulations to Ilona Kauremszky, one of frequent contributers. She recently won a 2011 Discover American Travel Writer Award for her article, "More Than Amusement," which appeared in our January 2011 issue. 

The story won in the “Best Trade Article” category and focused on the behind-the-scenes efforts that go into the International Pow Wow (IPW) show. Taking the perspective of the host destination and the event’s management company, Kauremszky explored the planning, logistics and endless hours that go into producing the event, as well as the positive economic impact the trade show has on its host city Orlando, Florida. 

Sponsored by the U.S. Travel Association and CityPASS, the 2011 Discover America Travel Writer Awards received more than 150 entries from travel journalists and editors who attended IPW 2011.

During their evaluation of the entries, the judges looked for articles that featured original ideas and exceptional storytelling skills, as well as prose that would inspire readers to travel to the U.S.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is more than just looking out for the environment—it's also about looking out for the economies and people of the local economies we become parts of during our meetings and events worldwide. 

The impact meetings and events have on local economies is huge. In last year's Meetings Deliver white paper, for example, it was reported that for every 10 percent of increase in business travel to these events, an increase of 1.5 percent will be seen in positive impact on the economy. 

Convention Centers worldwide are doing their due diligence in bringing the best meetings and events to their city, but it's the ones that take the extra mile to work with their clients on giving back to the community that truly make a positive mark on the world and are inspirations to us all. 

A great example of what I am talking about came to me in an email earlier today. It was from the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. Known for providing an economic boost to the Central Florida community, the OCCC has also become a major source of donations for several of the area's charitable organizations.  

In 2010, it's estimated more than US$1.7 million in funds, goods and services were donated to local organizations by visiting conventions and tradeshows and their exhibitors and attendees.   More than three dozen visiting shows made donations that included nearly 250,000 pounds of food to local food banks, more than US$175,000 in educational supplies and grants and more than US$100,000 in building supplies.    

"We're very proud of all the conventions that choose to make a donation to one of our local charities," said Kathie Canning, the convention center's deputy general manager. "It's great to see our visitors are providing a positive economic impact to our community not only by spending locally, but also giving locally."   

As meeting professionals it's important to remember we have two clients every time we plan or host a meeting or event—the client and the city. The positive impact we have as an industry can not only open doorways for economic growth for our clients and the local communities, but can also open the eyes of lawmakers and business leaders to the importance our industry has to the successful growth of business. 

Thank you to Orange County Convention Center for leading by example!