USAE
THE WEEKLY COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER OF ASSOCIATIONS, CVBs AND HOTELS VOLUME 43, ISSUE 11
April 21, 2025
Dan Williams Tapped to Lead Greater Birmingham CVB By Jonathan Trager
The Asian American Hotel and Lodging Association (AAHOA) hosted its annual conference, AAHOACON25, at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center from April 15–17. AAHOA representatives kicked off the event with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Left to right: Pinal S. Patel, Secretary, AAHOA; Rahul Patel, Treasurer, AAHOA; Miraj S. Patel, Chairman, AAHOA; Kamalesh (KP) Patel, Vice Chairman, AAHOA; and Laura Lee Blake, President & CEO, AAHOA.
Destinations International and Foundation Release 2024 Annual Reports By Jonathan Trager Destinations International (DI) and the DI Foundation have issued their 2024 Annual Reports, revealing significant growth in participation and productivity, the organization announced on April 17. “Our annual reports reflect more than organizational progress, they capture a growing international
movement of destination leaders who are helping their communities thrive through travel and tourism,” said Don Welsh, President & CEO of DI. DI 2024 Annual Report highlights include: • Membership grew to 755 member organizations across 32 countries and territories, including 91 new and reengaged members. This represents
IAEE’s Women’s Leadership Forum Coming Next Week By Todd McElwee Designed to “focus on topics that are unique to women in the exhibitions and events industry,” IAEE’s Women’s Leadership Forum (WLF) will take place at the MGM National Harbor in Prince George’s County, Maryland, from May 1–2. IAEE noted the event will provide knowledge and strategies for attendees to succeed in their current positions, as well as motivation and inspiration to take their careers to the next level. A trio of presentations have been highlighted on
the event’s website. The former include Fear[less]ly Forward, Future Forward: Work Culture and AI, and Bring Yourself & Negotiate Fearlessly—A Conversation with Mori Taheripour. Dr. Rebecca Heiss, a tenured speaker and stress physiologist, will dive into the transformative power of channeling fear and stress to propel one forward in Fear[less]ly Forward. “Using science-based insights and practical resources to unlock the potential of fear and anxiety, you’ll discover insights into Please turn to page 5
a total of more than 8,000 individual members and partners. This association had a 94.3% retention rate for members. • A new partnership model was launched at the end of 2024 to maximize alignment with the long-term strategic goals of DI, its members, and partners. Seven new partners joined during the year, bringing the
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Dan Williams, a 27-year veteran of the tourism and hospitality industry, has been appointed President & CEO of the Greater Birmingham CVB (GBCVB) in Alabama. Williams, who currently serves as Chief Sales Officer for Experience Columbus in Ohio, will offcially assume his new role on June 1. He succeeds retiring CVB leader John Oros. “I am extremely excited for this new endeavor and honored to lead the tourism efforts for Birmingham and Jefferson County,” said Williams. “The momentum here is tangible, and I look forward to building on the outstanding foundation and impact that John and the GBCVB team have established.” Williams, 52, told USAE he has family who lives in the Birmingham area and he loves the destination’s “resilience and innovation.” “It’s one of those cities where the heritage and civil rights legacy attracted me,” said Williams. “It’s a destination that’s up and coming with its arts and food scene. I see
TravelAbility and USAE Partner to Conduct Accessibility Study By Jordan Bradley
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Page 2 Union Workers on Strike at Caesars Southern Indiana Page 4 First Hyatt Studios Hotel Opens in Mobile Page 4 Mitch Pally Becomes Interim Head of Discover Long Island Page 5 HSMAI Opens Grant Applications for Student Success
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TravelAbility, a leading travel accessibility solutions association, and USAE are partnering to conduct a study focused on accessibility in the meetings, incentives, conventions and events (MICE) sectors. The study—dubbed the MICE Study—takes a comprehensive look at accessibility within the meetings and events industries today, positing 13 specific questions to meeting planners, hotels and destination marketing organizations (DMOs). Questions are focused
around how many requests for accessibility services and accommodations a meeting planner, venue or destination has received in the last year. “What we’re trying to determine is, really, what are the most important accommodations that people can provide, and how much will those accommodations cost—because that’s always a big factor,” said Jake Steinman, Founder and CEO of TravelAbility. The survey also takes a look at whether including a page of information on Please turn to page 2