USAE
THE WEEKLY COMMUNITY NEWS OF ASSOCIATIONS, CVBs AND HOTELS
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SEPTEMBER 14, 2026
Hotel and Casino Workers Strike in Boston Over Labor Day Weekend By Jordan Bradley
On September 9, Visit Flanders hosted an Evening Above New York at Sky Cellar, a private dining room on the 101st floor of New York City’s 30 Hudson Yards. Shown here at Edge NYC are (left to right): Jillian Sliwinski, Press and Community Manager (New York Office); Leen Gysen, CEO; Marco Frank, Trade Manager (New York Office); Brecht Putman, Sr. Association Manager (New York Office); and Tina Verstuyft, COO. Credit: Visit Flanders.
Annette Gregg Stepping Down as CEO of SITE and SITE Foundation
By Todd McElwee
Following four years of unprecedented achievement, Annette Gregg will step down as CEO of SITE and SITE Foundation on October 1. She will become CEO of the World Trade Centers Association (WCTA) on
October 5. “I was attracted to the mission of the World Trade Centers Association whose—fostering international trade and investment, helping local businesses thrive and expand into global markets,” Gregg told USAE. “Because many of the 500 world trade centers
Wyndham Announces First Dolce Hotel in Mississippi By Jordan Bradley Madison County, Mississippi, officials voted to bring a sweet stay to the area with the approval of 250-room Dolce by Wyndham hotel. The hotel was approved by the Madison County Board of Supervisors at a September 8 meeting as part of a development project that will include a new conference center. The Dolce by Wyndham hotel will be the first of the brand from Wyndham Hotels & Resorts in Mississippi, the company announced.
The hotel and conference center will join an existing development, Prado Vista, where a Topgolf has already been built. The Dolce by Wyndham brand is “upper-scale, design-forward,” and focused on business and group travelers. “Prado Vista at Ridgeland is an exciting setting for Dolce by Wyndham, a brand built around bringing people together through distinctive destinations, thoughtful design and exceptional meetings experiences,” said Geoff Ballotti, President and CEO Please turn to page 7
involve hotels, convention centers and other event venues, I hope to stay tangentially involved in our industry. The association’s HQ is in the World Trade Center building in NYC.” She added: “I am so proud of these last four years at CEO, three of which
Inside
More than 1,300 Encore Boston Harbor casino and hotel workers walked off the job early on September 4. The strike is ongoing and lasted through the holiday weekend, with workers holding a picket line outside the Encore hotel and resort, which is owned and operated by Wynn Resorts. Workers have been without a contract since August 31 and are seeking wage increases, to maintain the benefit packages they had been offered in previous contracts, and “a reasonable expectation of job security,” according to the area hotel worker union, Unite Here Local 26. The strike encompasses members of the Local 26 and Teamsters Local 25 unions, and total approximately 1,350 housekeepers, cooks, servers, bartenders, slot attendants, warehouse workers and drivers at the Everett, Massachusetts, resort. Union members approved a strike on August 20, with more than 1,000 voting in favor of the strike, Local
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Nashville Looks Toward Expansion of Music City Center By Jonathan Trager
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Page 2 Sean Dixon Tapped to Lead Visit Colorado Springs Page 4 Conversation with Leen Gysen, CEO, Visit Flanders Page 6 Pioneering Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center Celebrates 75 Years
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Nashville’s Music City Center (MCC) is currently in the midst of a major expansion project that harkens back to before the convention facility opened in May 2013. “When we were looking to build a new convention center in Nashville, what we said was we were going to engage the customer,” Charles Starks, CEO of MCC, told USAE. “It wasn’t Charles Starks or, back in those
days, [former Nashville CVC leader] Butch Spyridon saying we need this or that—it was our customers.” A great deal has changed since then, with the area around the convention center experiencing tremendous growth, said Starks. Back in 2013, there were 3,900 hotel rooms within walking distance of the convention center, while today that number is more than 14,000—not counting rooms currently under Please turn to page 5