Names in the News – November 2009

Renaissance Hotels and Resorts named Greg Cook general manager of the Eden Roc Renaissance in Miami Beach. Cook has lived in South Florida for 25 years, and has served as a board member on the GreaterMiami & The Beaches Hotel Association.

The Meeting Professionals International Foundation (MPIF) has appointed Paula Hughes as executive director. Hughes reports directly to MPI president and CEO Bruce MacMillan and works with the MPI Foundation Global Board of Trustees and councils. She has served as executive director of three not-for-profit organizations within the North Texas region.

The New Hanover County (N.C.) Tourism Development Authority has named Shawn Braden as executive vice president of marketing for the Wilmington/Cape Fear Coast CVB. Braden has more than 20 years of experience in destination marketing.

Alisha Waid, CMP, joined Associated Luxury Hotels International (ALHI) as the mid-Atlantic vice president of sales. In her new position, Waid will provide meeting professionals, association executives and convention specialists with ALHI national sales services. She is based in Washington, D.C., and reports to Ed Simon, regional vice president of sales.

Chateau on the Lake Resort, Spa & Convention Center in Branson, Mo., hired Brad Duncan as sales manager. A 14-year hospitality industry veteran, Duncan joined the Chateau from Wyndham Vacation Ownership, where he served as an in-house sales representative.

The Corpus Christi CVB welcomed Vanessa Kager as director of sales for the State of Texas. Kager will lead a newly opened CVB satellite office in Austin, handling agency and association bookings.

Longtime regional VP of convention sales for the Greater Fort Lauderdale CVB, Tom Durkin, passed away in October. With the GFLCVB since 1993, he moved to the CVB’s Washington, D.C., office in 1995. “On every level, Tom will be missed by his many friends at the GFLCVB, and the vast universe of meeting and hospitality professionals who knew him for his charm and loyalty to greater Fort Lauderdale,” says Nicki Grossman, GFLCVB president/CEO.