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Santa
Barbara, CA, January 25, 2012
– Elite Meetings International, Inc. (EMI), announced
that it appointed John Washko to the new position of Vice President,
Sales
& Marketing. Washko, who has served
for four years as a
member of the Elite Meetings Advisory Board (EMAB), will drive revenue
generation by creating sales strategies and initiatives for Elite’s
three
products – SpeedRFP, EliteMeetings.com, and FaceTime Appointment
Scheduler ™.
He will also supervise the sales and planner communications
teams for Elite, which operate out of California, New York, Florida,
Mexico and
Spain.
Kelly Foy, Elite’s CEO, said, “We are thrilled to welcome John Washko, a recognized hospitality sales and marketing executive, to the Elite team.” Foy concluded, “We begin 2012 in the strongest place in the company’s history, with a proven business model; time-tested and widely used products that benefit planners as well as hotels; and with plans in place to introduce exciting new product offerings and upgrades in short order. With John at the helm of our sales and development efforts, we look forward to updating the industry on important milestones and announcements in the weeks ahead.” Among other initiatives, Elite plans to roll out an updated version of its SpeedRFP product, which include several new features -- including a product version tailored to the wedding and social event market which lets hotels and event planners exchange information and negotiate business much more efficiently. John Washko said, “I am delighted to join Elite’s management team at this dynamic and promising moment in the company’s growth.” He concluded, “Having worked closely with Kelly and his sales and communications teams for more than four years, I could not be more excited about the company’s vision, its direction, and its current and anticipated product offerings. I look forward to working aggressively to widen the sales pipelines for each of these offerings in my new role.” About John Washko John Washko is a dynamic executive, with a proven track record of helping hospitality enterprises streamline operations, improve productivity and enhance market share. He brings more than fifteen years as an experienced manager who has developed top-quality sales, marketing, and management teams. Prior to joining Elite, Washko was Vice President of Sales and Marketing at The Broadmoor, a 744-room, world-class resort and the longest holder of the Forbes five-star, and AAA five-diamond ratings in the Unites States. At The Broadmoor, he oversaw sales, marketing, catering, conference services, reservations, public relations, and communications, with a total of 58 employees. His previous experience included executive sales management positions at Atlantis, a 2.317-room world-class resort on Paradise Island, Bahamas; and at the PGA National Resort & Spa, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Washko is a graduate of James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Virginia, and has long been active in many hospitality industry and civic organizations. He recently completed a four-year term on the Board of Americas of the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI). He continues as an advisory board member on the HSMAI resort marketing council, in which he has been involved for seven years. Washko has also served as the former Board Chair at Colorado Springs Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB); was the recipient of the 2010 HSMAI Resort Marketer of the Year Award, and is active on the Board of Directors of the Colorado Springs El Pomar Youth Sports Park. Washko
can be reached at [email protected],
or (719) 660-4628. About Elite Meetings International  Based in Santa Barbara, Elite Meetings
International (EMI) provides integrated solutions to enhance the
performance of
meeting and hospitality professionals. EMI supports this community
through a
combination of innovative technology, direct sales support, customized
marketing programs and face-to-face business-building events.
Additionally, www.EliteMeetings.com
serves as a commission-free RFP-generating tool and a comprehensive
vehicle for
sourcing luxury, upper-upscale and upscale properties. EMI’s
innovations
include FaceTimeTM Appointment Scheduler (www.FaceTimeScheduler.com)
a sought after program for helping conference attendees identify
synergies,
manage appointments and make direct connections with one another; and
SpeedRFP™ (www.SpeedRFP.com), a
new time-saving product for creating,
submitting, and managing RFPs online. For additional information,
please visit www.EliteMeetings.com
or call
805-730-1000. |