Speaking Of People

David Brian Catalon has been named director of Sales and Marketing at The Ritz-Carlton, Cleveland. With more than 15 years experience in the service industry, Catalon comes to Cleveland from the Ritz-Carlton, New Orleans, where he served as director of Quality. Prior to that Catalon was business development director for Sodexho Marriott Management Services Healthcare division and was previously employed by Interstate Hotels where he served as director of Marketing at the Providence, Rhode Island Marriott Hotel.

Catalon earned a degree in urban planning from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and attended LSU where he was certified in marketing management.

The Greater Phoenix Convention & Visitors Bureau (GPCVB) has announced that Marc Garcia, formerly the managing director of Multi-Cultural Affairs, has been promoted to V.P. of Community Affairs. Garcia's new responsibilities include coordinating community events, projects and forums in which the GPCVB holds an interest, among other assignments. Garcia will also serve as an in-house contact with government officials with regard to important issues that face the visitor industry.

Garcia will continue to direct the efforts of the Multi-Cultural Affairs Department for the GPCVB, as well as serve as executive director of the Greater Phoenix Multi-Cultural and Arts Foundation.

SMG Hawai‘i announces Derrick B. Franklin as the new regional sales manager based in Washington D.C. In this capacity, he will promote and sell the Hawai‘i Convention Center’s whole product line. Responsibilities include selling citywide conventions, reserving and booking function space, creating and evaluating sales programs, and responding to sales inquiries and leads.

Franklin, a veteran of over 20 years in the industry, was previously director of sales for Fort Worth Convention & Visitors Bureau. In this position he was responsible for directing the sales efforts for the bureau and representing the destination as a convention target for the Eastern Region of the U.S.

In a continued effort to boost meetings, conventions and tourism for the region, the Greater Cincinnati Convention and Visitors Bureau has added several new members, including Jason Dunn, to its expanding sales team. Dunn joins the CVB as sales and event manager responsible for sales, event management and logistics within the sports, religious, and multicultural meeting markets – some of Greater Cincinnati’s largest meeting markets. A University of Cincinnati graduate, Dunn has past event management experience with organizations including the Riverfront Classic & Jamboree, the City of Cincinnati and the West End Health Center in Cincinnati.

Veteran law enforcement officer Joseph Hebert, a former deputy chief investigator with the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office, has been named head of the Morial Convention Center’s Public Safety Department. Hebert oversees all departmental operations and manages a staff of 73 public safety officers and administrative personnel. Hebert also serves as the Convention Center’s liaison with the Federal Department of Homeland Security and the Anti-Terrorism Task Force, which are entrusted with keeping the city safe during major events. Hebert’s hiring was one of several recent new senior staff appointments at the Morial Convention Center.

The Austin Convention and Visitors Bureau has named Paula Bennett as Tourism Sales Manager. Bennett, a Certified Travel Counselor, brings more than 24 years of tourism experience to the Austin CVB. In her new role, Bennett develops programs that position Austin as a premiere travel destination. She also acts as a liaison with hotels, industry partners and suppliers.

Before joining the CVB, Bennett served as the International Marketing Coordinator for the Tourism Division of the Texas Economic Development Department.

“We are fortunate to have Paula Bennett join our tourism team,” says Adriana Jimenez-McWilliams, Austin CVB’s director of tourism.

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