First meeting held on heels of best performance for Meet Puerto Rico in 10 years.
SAN JUAN – Meet Puerto Rico (MPR), the organization in charge of bringing groups and conventions to Puerto Rico continues its aggressive growth and quest for excellence, with the announcement of the new MPR Customer Advisory Board (CAB). Comprised of 11 professionals representing a diverse mix of companies – from associations, corporations and third party planners – the CAB will act as a sounding board and idea generating body to analyze and critique and then provide feedback regarding critical sales, marketing and operational issues impacting Puerto Rico.
The objectives of the CAB are to improve the use of sales, marketing and operations in terms of planning and spending; explore new revenue opportunities and creative programs to reach customers; establish deeper and more meaningful relationships with key accounts and enhance customer loyalty.
“The formation of this board allows us to learn and tap into their collective experiences and knowledge to provide us with the strategic guidance we need to continue forward along this growth trajectory,” said President & CEO of Meet Puerto Rico, Milton Segarra.
The inaugural CAB meeting, held July 9-11 in San Juan, was comprised of three days of interactive group and individual breakout discussions. Some of the key topics included: Destination and current marketing reviews and updates; discussions regarding the importance of social media to meeting professionals, attendees and key stakeholders and the competitive landscape and sales booking motivators. Discussions regarding destination best practices and recommendations on ways to provide enhanced products and services to meeting professionals and attendees were also reviewed.
New Advisory Board members include:
- Cameron Curtis, CMM, Meetings & Events Manager at Courtesy Associates;
- Nancy DeBrosse, CMP, Senior Vice President, Sales and Account Management at Experient;
- Lisa Dreier, Senior Travel Buyer, Creative Group;
- Chris Gasbarro, Chief at Creative Officer, C3LLC;
- Eli Gorin, CMP, CMM, Owner of Hospitality Growth Partners;
- Adam Hayes, Manager Industry Affairs at Procter & Gamble;
- Kimberly Lewis, CEO, Senior Vice President, Community Advancement Conference & Events at US Green Building Council;
- Laura Miller, Firmwide Events & Sustainability Manager at McKenna Long & Aldridge;
- Amanda Rushing, Director Conferences & Meeting Services at American Society of Civil Engineers;
- Brigida Petro, Vice President, Conference, Roadshow and Event Management at HSBC Securities (USA) Inc.;
- David Williams, CMP, President at Administrative Management Services, Inc.
Results of the first CAB meeting will be released at the August 26, MPR Annual Meeting to be held at the Puerto Rico Convention Center.
“It is a privilege to have access to the expertise and insights of these individuals, and we are thrilled with the insights brought up at our first CAB meeting. We look forward to sharing our findings with our partners,” commented Segarra. “Having a finger on the pulse of our clients’ needs and the global business environment can only make us better at our jobs and thus, better at bringing more business to Puerto Rico.”
Meet Puerto Rico recently announced that it reached its annual goal by ensuring 189,109 room nights during this fiscal year 2013-2014. This translates into 409 groups and over 100,000 delegates who, in the next few years, will visit the island either for a meeting, conference, convention or incentive travel producing approximately $110 million to the local economy, according to Milton Segarra, Meet Puerto Rico’s CEO.
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She holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication & Mass Media from Panteion University of Political & Social Studies of Athens and she has been editor and editor-in-chief in various economic magazines and newspapers.
