(St. Louis, MO) – January 9, 2013 – TJ Fimmano, President of the International Association of Conference Centers-The Americas has announced the election of new directors for a two-year term from January 1, 2013 through December 31, 2014.  Those elected to the Board of Directors include:

Kevin Rupp, General Manager with Benchmark Hospitality International at SC Johnson’s Council House and The Johnson Foundation at Wingspread in Racine, WI.  Rupp has served as Chair of IACC’s Technology Committee (2008-2010); Quality Committee Member (2008-present), and the Thought Leaders Summit Committee Member (2008-present).  He co-authored IACC’s The Design for Great Technology and has directed the technical portion of the Annual Thought Leaders Summit (2009-2012).

Nancy Lindemer, Regional Director of Sales & Marketing at the Babson Executive Conference Center in Babson Park, MA.  With 22 years in the conference center industry, Lindemer has served on IACC’s Marketing Committee (2003-2012), Quality Committee (2012-present), and hosted and participated in the IACC Customer Roundtables and served on the Rebranding Committee.

Kevin Rupp	Nancy Lindemer	Warren Breaux	Greg Wier

Warren Breaux, Corporate Director of Global Sales for Benchmark Hospitality International .  Breaux has been active in the hospitality industry for over 35 years and in the conference center segment for five years.  He is a member of ASAE since 1981and a member of MPI since 1989.  ; as well as HSMAI and PCMA.  He has served on numerous committees with HSMAI and served on the Board of Directors of PCMA.

Greg Wier, AVP, Sales & Operations for ARAMARK Conference Centers .  A 25-year veteran of the conference center industry, Greg has been actively involved in management, development, sales and marketing positions.  Wier has served on the IACC Membership Committee for two years and has participated in the IACC annual conferences for more than 20 years.

The IACC-Americas Board of Directors is comprised of elected members who represent Active, Allied, Affinity Partner and Corporate Headquarters members in good standing.

Fimmano stated, “The election of these hospitality experts brings a wide range of skills and experience to the Board of Directors at a critical time when IACC is moving forward with dynamic initiatives that assist members in providing exceptional meeting experiences.

As the governing body of IACC-Americas, directors are actively involved in all its operating committees and task forces including Annual Conference, Quality, Marketing, Membership, Leadership Development, Sustainability, Emerging Trends, and the IACC Learning Network.

IACC was established to provide and promote market awareness of conference centers as offering separate, distinct and special places and services; to collect and distribute information on the industry and its trends; to provide an exchange of experiences among its members; to address common problems, needs and opportunities; to provide programs and services that assist members in operating more effectively; and to respond to the needs and interests of conference center users as determined by the Board of Directors.

The IACC Mission Statement: The International Association of Conference Centres is the thought leader on the meeting experience. IACC represents its members by defining and promoting the IACC Meeting Concept and providing learning opportunities.

The IACC Vision: “IACC is a community of passionate people and organizations delivering innovative and exceptional meeting experiences.”

Founded in 1981, the International Association of Conference Centres is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting understanding and awareness of the conference center industry and to giving member properties the tools necessary to provide an exceptional meeting experience. Active members meet a set of stringent Universal Criteria and agree to a Code of Ethics. Currently, the association includes approximately 400 members from the United States, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Sweden, Belgium, France, England, The Netherlands, Germany and Japan. For more information, visit the website at www.iacconline.org.  “There are meetings and then there are IACC meetings."