Brett Sterenson

| One-Man Show |
Brett Sterenson
President, Hotel Lobbyists

Washington, D.C.
Age: 34

“I always envisioned doing something on my own,” says Brett Sterenson. That’s certainly what he’s doing at Hotel Lobbyists, a conference site-selection firm. He’s the president, but he’s also the marketer, accountant, salesman, secretary and coffee-making intern. He’s been a one-man show since he left Kimpton Hotels in 2007 to start the company. “I didn’t leave my old job because I didn’t love it,” he says. Kimpton is a boutique company, and a number of meeting planners calling Sterenson for hotel space couldn’t get the space they needed. “So, I thought, ‘What if I could help them every single time they called me?’ Since April Fool’s Day 2007, I haven’t said no to anyone.” That commitment to customers has served Sterenson well. He was the SGMP Sam Gilmer Supplier of the Year in 2010, an SGMP Gilmer Trustee this year, member of the SGMP National Capital Chapter board member for five years, and Kimpton’s sales manager of the year in 2006. Like many in the industry, he loves to travel, but he’s not afraid to take a different route. He road tripped to the SGMP conference in Kansas City, Mo., last year and didn’t take a single interstate highway from D.C. He wrote about that trip on his blog, which also includes other travel stories and industry info, at hotel-lobbyists.com. —L. Hoppe

What’s your advice for someone just starting out in the industry?
“Stay visible. You want to make sure your clients are thinking about you as much as you’re thinking about them. Attend every function you can. Join committees. Stay involved. The moment you go invisible, you’re no longer relevant.”