Trade Show Moves: Our Monthly Roundup of New Hires & PromotionsTrade Show Moves: Our Monthly Roundup of New Hires & Promotions
Greater Birmingham CVB, Informa Festivals, Backtrack, and more tapped new leaders, announce new roles and promotions.
May 29, 2025
In recent weeks, the trade show/corporate event industry has announced a new roster of fresh additions to their teams as organizations across the country and the pond tap experienced leaders and staff, as well as promote seasoned industry professionals to elevated roles.
TSNN’s take on the biggest recent move: The Greater Birmingham Convention and Visitors Bureau (GBCVB) appointed 27-year tourism and hospitality industry veteran Dan Williams as its next president and CEO. He will officially assume the role in June.
The big picture: As president and CEO, Williams will oversee all strategic operations of the GBCVB, with a focus on positioning Birmingham as a premier destination for leisure travel, meetings, conventions, and sporting events. As the seventh leader of the organization since its founding in 1969, he succeeds John Oros, who is retiring after leading the GBCVB since 2015.
Need to know: Williams joins the GBCVB from Experience Columbus, where since 2015 he has served as chief sales officer, responsible for leading the organization’s convention sales and services teams, spearheading initiatives that produced record-setting growth in meetings and conventions. Prior to that, he served as vice president of sales at Destination Cleveland, where he helped drive significant gains in group business and citywide engagement.
What they’re saying: “We are thrilled to welcome Dan as the next President and CEO of the Greater Birmingham Convention & Visitors Bureau,” said GBCVB Board of Directors Chair Bill Murray. “After a comprehensive national search, it was clear that his energy, strategic vision, and deep understanding of destination marketing make him the right leader at the right time. We’re confident that, under his leadership, Birmingham will continue to grow as a premier destination for meetings, events and tourism.”
What he’s saying: “I am extremely excited for this new endeavor and honored to lead the tourism efforts for Birmingham and Jefferson County,” Williams said. “The momentum here is tangible, and I look forward to building on the outstanding foundation and impact that John and the GBCVB team have established.”
Informa Festivals
Informa Festivals has named Will Wise as senior sales director, gaming, responsible for leading the sales/sponsorships, customer success, and revenue operations teams, including for the flagship Game Developers Conference event brand. Bringing 25 years of experience in the events industry, Wise has previously worked in a range of leadership roles at Informa Tech, RX, Penton, and UBM Tech.
Backtrack
Backtrack, a retroactive audio recording app designed specifically for trade show exhibit booths, appointed industry veteran Ray Baum as vice president, business development. Boasting a proven track record in event strategy and client solutions, he will work to build meaningful partnerships and accelerate adoption across the exhibition industry. He most recently served in director of business development roles at The Expo Group and Custom Registration Inc.
National Coalition of Black Meeting Professionals
Hilina D. Ajakaiye, MBA, CDME, has been appointed as the chief strategy officer of the National Coalition of Black Meeting Professionals (NCBMP), effective June 2. In this newly created position, she will lead strategic transformation initiatives focusing on operational scalability, revenue growth, and enhanced member value. Previously, Ajakaiye served as executive vice president at Meet Boston for five years, where she collaborated with business, government, and community stakeholders to drive sustainable tourism growth, established the Partner Academy for workforce development, and implemented supplier diversity initiatives.
CrowdComms
Following the official launch of its operations in the Americas, virtual, hybrid, and in-person events technology provider CrowdComms welcomed Brad Langley as senior vice president, Americas. He will work alongside CrowdComms group CEO Matthew Allen to lead growth across the American region. Bringing more than 15 years of experience in event technology, he previously served in a variety of executive roles at Stova, formerly Aventri, for nine years, most recently as vice president, global strategic sales.
WTM London
Chris Carter-Chapman has been appointed as the new event director of World Travel Market (WTM) London, a travel and tourism event organized by RX. With 15 years of experience in the media and events industries, Carter-Chapman has held several senior positions, including head of content, commercial director, and event director, with expertise in launching and managing events across Europe, North America, and South America. He joins WTM London after nearly five years at event specialist Intelligence Squared and previously served as event director at Centaur Media, where he oversaw the marketing portfolio, including two large-scale events and several one-day events.
ASM Global
Development and full-service venue company ASM Global promoted Mike Campo to general manager of the Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland. He brings more than 20 years of service with ASM Global, including almost 10 years at the Atlantic City Convention Center and over a decade as assistant general manager at the Huntington Convention Center.
Nanook
Florencia Sadler has been appointed as U.S. country manager at Spain-headquartered global events agency Nanook. Based in New York, she will spearhead the company’s North American expansion efforts, building on the foundation established with its Dallas office opening last year. Sadler brings extensive experience in immersive storytelling and strategic leadership in the events sector, having conceptualized and executed high-profile activations at major events including Coachella, Super Bowls, US F1 Grand Prix, and CES.
Staging Solutions
Houston-based full-service event and experience company Staging Solutions has expanded its sales organization with three new hires. Roy Benear joins as director of sales and marketing, bringing more than 30 years of experience in strategic sales leadership, including previous roles as director of sales at SmartSource and vice president of exhibits and specialty events at Encore. Dana Williams has been appointed client solutions director, leveraging her extensive sales experience across major hotel brands, destination sales, and meetings management. Adam Guest also joins as client solutions director, with more than a decade of global sales and event production experience from previous leadership positions at Encore (formerly PSAV), Bright AV, and most recently CCR Solutions, where he specialized in creative services, content management, and high-end AV production.
Rogers Centre Ottawa
Seasoned convention and event industry professional Lesley Pincombe has been appointed as the new president and CEO of Rogers Centre Ottawa in Ottawa, Canada, focused on cultivating stakeholder relationships and leading the venue’s team to ensure service excellence and innovation. She previously served as vice president of sales, business, and major events at Ottawa Tourism, where she established Ottawa as a premier business events and sport hosting destination. A certified convention and event planner and award-winning industry professional, Pincombe was recently honored with the King Charles III’s Coronation Medal for her contributions to Canada.
Tradeshow Logic
Full-service show management and event solutions company Tradeshow Logic promoted seasoned marketing leader Michele Weston Rowe to executive vice president of marketing, responsible for leading the company’s integrated marketing strategies, focusing on driving exhibitor value, enhancing attendee engagement, and strengthening client partnerships. A former Tradeshow Logic client who has worked at the company for more than seven years, she previously served in several marketing leadership roles, including senior director, marketing and brand strategy at Path to Purchase Institute, and marketing director at BNP Media.
ATL Airport District Convention & Visitors Bureau
The ATL Airport District Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB), the destination marketing organization for the cities of College Park, Hapeville and Union City, Ga., appointed 20-year sales, meeting, and event management executive Helen Scroggs as sales manager, responsible for supporting meetings and group business. Prior to joining the District team, she was a member of the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau destination services team, and prior to that, served as convention registration manager for the International Woodworking Fair, LLC.
Visiting Media
Chad Kimner has been appointed as senior vice president of growth and operations at immersive hospitality sales and marketing technology provider Visiting Media. In this newly created position, Kimner will oversee product, marketing, and product studio teams while serving as a strategic partner to the CEO. Bringing extensive product management, marketing expertise, and operational leadership experience to his new position, Kimner previously served as director of product marketing at Meta’s Reality Labs, where he led go-to-market efforts for AI, mixed reality, and AR products.
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