Meet the cover leaders at IMEX America 2024

Latest Updates on Past Catalyst Award Winners

As we walked the aisles of IMEX America 2024 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center this month, we saw many Smart Meetings Catalyst Award winners. We asked these leaders, who also appear on the cover of Smart Meetings, to tell us what’s going on in their lives and how they support meeting professionals.

Lisa Messina

Since Messina was named the 2022 Fusion Catalyst Award winner, she has transitioned from her position as chief sales officer at the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority to chief sales officer at Visit Orlando.

She said the Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) recently announced it has an annual economic impact of approximately $3.9 billion on the Central Florida economy, including direct, indirect and induced impacts, according to a new study by PFM Group Consulting . In recent years, OCCC has held an average of nearly 200 events, attracting approximately 1.5 million visitors to the market each year.

The center also continues to make improvements to the North and South Buildings, which include an additional 60,000 square feet of meeting space and an 80,000 square foot ballroom, as well as new entrances along the convention center to the North and South Buildings.

learn more: A conversation with Smart Meetings founders Marin Bright and Lisa Messina about considering the well-being of others

“Beautiful City” will also be launched next year:

• Universal’s epic universes debut, including The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Super Nintendo World, How to Train Your Dragon – Berk and The Dark Universe.

• The Disney Experience Expansion and Disney Meetings & Events Creative Studio at the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort.
• SeaWorld Orlando unveils the world’s first Arctic Flying Theater.
• Evermore Orlando Resort, a new beach-style hotel with 20 acres of sandy beach centered on 8 acres of crystal-clear Evermore Bay, will host smart meeting experiences at the newly opened Conrad Orlando hotel. The luxury hotel is an example of Hilton’s expansion and renovation efforts at the Waldorf Astoria Orlando and Signia by Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek.
• After a $25 million renovation, the B Resort & Spa at the Disney Springs shopping and entertainment complex has been renamed the Renaissance Orlando Resort & Spa.
• As part of a $140 million redesign, Caribbean Royal Hotel Orlando debuts the Stadium Club, a collection of high-tech sports bars, nightclubs and chef-driven restaurants that will attract the next generation of audiences.

Mike Massari

When we interviewed Caesars Entertainment Chief Sales Officer Mike Massari for a cover story in 2018, he was preparing to welcome the 550,000-square-foot Caesars Forum Convention Center to Las Vegas. We all know what happened to the conference industry that year, but even during the break, Caesars continued to host the industry’s major conferences: MPI World Education Congress 2021 and PCMA Convening Leaders 2021, in addition to ConferenceDirect, HelmsBriscoe and Experion. This sustainable, technologically advanced building has been a gathering place for a variety of events and has been used to host:

• OpenText World 2024 Artificial Intelligence Conference
• Expo 2025 Self Storage Inside ISS
• HPN Global 2025
• National Association of Managed Care Physicians Fall 2025 Managed Care Forum.

learn more: Mike Massari Lessons for Leaders

When asked about how Caesars impacts attendees and the communities in which they operate, a theme at IMEX America 2024, Massari sounded cautious. “It’s about being good stewards of the environment. It’s about integrating wellness into meetings and events so attendees can really have a full, complete experience while they’re there. We lean into these things because our clients share these values ​​and they want Work with partners who share these values.”

Dan Surette

As we learn more about Omni Hotels & Resorts Chief Sales Officer Dan Surette in 2023, the company has just cut the ribbon on the 500-room Omni PGA Frisco Resort in Texas, which features 127,000 square feet of meeting space and two 18 ft. high meeting space. hole championship golf course.

“The PGA is awesome,” he said. “It has some very unique features including a dance floor, a two-acre putting green and The Swint, a quick and easy short course. Both courses are great for groups who don’t want to play two championship courses. It’s efficient. It’s part of the entertainment area, with ice storage, barbecue facilities and retail.”

Read more: New Golf Course – Adjacent Venue Emerges

Exciting now is the Omni Fort Lauderdale, a new 801-room hotel with 120,000 square feet of meeting space and ocean views that will open in fall 2025 and connect with the expanded Broward County The conference center is connected. “Broward County is on the map for major convention projects,” Surette said. The project will mark Omni’s first presence in South Florida in 25 years. Like all Omni hotels, it will feature a style unique to Lauderdale, Adding a sense of place to accommodations In fact, 20 percent of the brand’s 50 hotels, from the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif., to the Omni Parker House in Boston, have been updated this year, as 15 As part of a $1 billion investment to ensure a boosted brand profile, investments are being made in the training of new hires and new hires as part of the Power of Engagement programme.

Surette emphasized that one of Omni’s core pillars is local market leadership. The company partnered with Feeding America in 2016 to donate a meal per stay. Over eight years, that’s an additional 27 million meals. The company also provides support opportunities for groups and their participants.

When Hurricane Helene hit Asheville, North Carolina, the Omni Circle Plan made it easy for employees to donate $15,000 to help victims at the Omni Grove Park Inn and surrounding areas.