PROVIDENCE – Local leaders who had a hand in bringing millions of dollars into the state through conventions, meetings and sports events were recognized Tuesday by the Providence Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Twenty-four people who helped draw large events to Rhode Island by recommending the state as a destination were honored at the annual Ambassador Awards Luncheon.
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The group’s efforts are expected to bring $8.6 million in direct spending to Rhode Island this year, Kristen Adamo of the Providence Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau said.
Attracting business from out of state groups is a valuable kickstart for the regional economy, Kimberly Greene, area general manager of TPG Hotels and Resorts, and PWCVB board chair, said.
“The meetings and convention industry acts as a catalyst for further economic growth and corporate investment,” she said. “Meetings booked in Providence and Warwick provide a platform for city and state economic development officials to position Rhode Island as a hub of education and innovation, ripe with opportunity.”
Tuesday’s lunch included mention of a new program designed to pair scholars and industry leaders with planners seeking speakers for events held in Rhode Island.
The benefits of Speaker Directory are meant to be two-fold, by introducing local experts to their peers from around the world, and adding value to Rhode Island events at the same time, said Thomas Riel, PWCVB vice president of sales and service.
“For the PWCVB and the destination to continue to thrive, we have to develop fresh sales and marketing strategies that cater to the planner and utilize our strengths. We have already begun identifying key sectors that are both target markets for our sales team and also areas of economic opportunity for Rhode Island,” Riel added.
Those honored for recommending Rhode Island as a destination for a large event include:
- R.I. House Majority Leader K. Joseph Shekarchi for the American Bar Association 2020 LPM Spring Conference
- Reverend W. Scott Axford for First Universalist – A Door Standing Open
- Betsy Cazden for the Conference of Quaker Historians and Archivists
- Walter Craddock for the 2020 Annual American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators Region 1 Conference
- The Venerable Janice Grinnell for the 2019 Association for Episcopal Deacons
- Ulrich Heintz for the CPAD Instrumentation Frontier Workshop
- Maurice Herlihy and Ruth Iris Bahar for International Conference on Architectural Support for Programming Languages and Operating Systems 2019
- Hayley Jamroz Baccaire for the 2019 Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf National Conference
- Laura Kiesler for the Rhode Island DCYF Foster Recruitment Meeting
- Chris Lane for the Phycological Society of America Annual Meeting
- Sharon Lux for the Women-to-Women New England Conference 2019
- Kathy Marceau for the Health Equity Summit
- Lauren Marchetti for the 2019 International Crisis Management Conference
- Jack McGinn for the 2020 U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships
- Michael McNulty for the Architectural Woodwork Institute 2019 Annual Conference
- Dave Peixoto for the 2019 Rhode Island Rumble Tournament
- Raul Suarez-Rodriguez for the Billion Dollar Roundtable
- Randall Rosenbaum for the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies 2019 Leadership Institute
- Christina Robbio for the Public Relations Society of America Northeast District Conference
- Dave Rosler and Jonathan Constantine for the 2019 GNCC Arena Curling Championship
- Christine Smith for the State Science and Technology Institute 2019 Annual Conference
- Ellen Weintraub for the New England Appliance Group Product Show
