Government And Citywide Convention Sales Resume Example Charleston Area Convention & Visitors Bureau

Professional Experience

Government and Citywide Convention Sales
April 2011 to CurrentCharleston Area Convention & Visitors Bureau － Charleston, SC

Generated potential government and convention business in FY 2013 with an estimated economic impact of $66M to the Charleston area while actualizing 30% that generated $20.5M in EEI, an increase of 14% from the previous year.
Launched group sales process improvement initiative resulting in expedited delivery of sales leads to CVB member stakeholders and more accurate reporting data for CVB leadership.
Strengthened relationships with municipal and CVB member stakeholders within the convention center market by organizing quarterly sales meetings and proactively engaging key individuals to help capture business opportunities.
Initiated strategic vertical market objectives to capture and grow the conference and group lodging segment of local emerging economic sectors such as aerospace, engineering and IT/Cybersecurity.

Public Affairs Specialist
January 2010 to CurrentU.S. Air Force Reserve － Joint Base Charleston, SC

Plan, organize, coordinate, and conduct internal, community relations, and media relations communications activities.
Engage in print and broadcast journalism, to include writing and editing periodicals, guides, pamphlets, and fact sheets.
Use audiovisual resources to support public affairs activities.
Prepare and release news for internal and civilian media, arrange, conduct tours and conduct community relations activities.
Research and write speeches.
Tasked December 2010 as lead photographer for two, three-star commanding generals and the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Manpower and Reserve Affairs.
Provided public affairs support for flight crew and servicemembers Jan.
2011 during humanitarian aid mission to Haiti and Grenada.

Owner/Partner
January 2006 to CurrentCakes by Kasarda, LLC － Charleston, SC

Conceptualized and opened a boutique cake shop with business partner.
Developed and executed marketing, web design, and e-Commerce strategies for the short and long-term goals of the business.
Reached financial break-even point within the first 18 months of operation.
Utilized entrepreneurial mindset to execute concept from business plan to reality within a 12-month time frame.
Merged business acumen with culinary expertise of business partner to create synergistic business model.

Account Executive
January 2009 to April 2011Marriott International － Bethesda, MD

Recommended Marriott's portfolio of hotels within the state of South Carolina and internationally to the government and social market segments.
Captured group demand and provided assigned accounts a primary point of contact for their lodging needs.
Captured $500K in government transient and group-related business for five assigned hotels within South Carolina.
Met and exceeded assigned account goals for FY 2009 and exceeded assigned account goals for 1Q 2011.
Captured a portion of a $4M multi-year government contract with the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center for assigned Charleston hotels.
This account generated approximately 50-60K room nights annually within the market.

Sales Manager
January 2007 to January 2009Courtyard by Marriott － Charleston, SC

Lead the hotel's sales initiative by developing long-term and short-term strategies to enhance revenue performance.
Launched sales efforts among various segments of the market to achieve monthly, quarterly, and annual sales goals.
Communicated sales efforts to all team members to stress the importance of a unified sales strategy.
Captured several key business accounts such as Verizon, CACI and Bearing Point in order to focus on long-term revenue streams and growth potential within the business transient segment.
Grew BT account production by 200% YoY 2006 to 2007 with an increase in BT's average daily rate by $17.
Additionally, increased corporate group volume by 9% YoY 2006 to 2007.
Improved Revenue per Available Room YoY 2006 to 2007 by 12.2%, which was attributable to both ADR and Occupancy increases.

Associate
January 2006 to October 2006HVS International － Atlanta, GA

Completed multiple market analysis while executing simultaneous appraisals of various branded lodging assets.
Analyzed numerous markets in multiple states on hotel portfolios with an aggressive turnaround time frame.
Reported directly to senior appraisers by assisting with marketing research and estimating final asset values.
Interviewed owners, developers and municipal officials pertaining to development concepts and acquisitions of lodging assets.
Contributed to the completion of multiple lodging portfolios in excess of $100M within a three to four week time frame.
Analyzed income, cost and sales data for determining a final asset value using all three approaches to value.
Completed multiple market analysis for preliminary appraisals by gathering financial and market data in addition to interviewing lodging and city officials.

Financial Adviser
January 2005 to January 2006Morgan Stanley － Charleston, SC

Provided clients with financial planning services for meeting long and short-term financial goals.
Partnered with a senior Wealth Adviser to form a wealth advising team managing over $90M in client assets.
Independently managed over $5M of client assets ranging from fixed income, individual stocks and managed-money portfolios.
Utilized various software applications to assess and analyze current portfolio holdings in order to make suitable recommendations for clients and prospects.
Administered several 401K, SEP IRA, and self-directed IRA plans for a range of clients, providing enrollment seminars and quarterly information to participants.

Resume Overview

Companies Worked For:

School Attended

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Degrees

Associate of Science : Public Affairs , 2014
Public Affairs , 2010
Bachelor of Science : Business Administration Hospitality and Tourism Management , 2000