Sales

Sales performance

The Sales team produced 189 definite bookings that generated 104,974 total room-nights for Wake County. The direct economic impact of this business totaled more than $59.6 million. These bookings surpassed the team’s goals for the year—being over goal by 101% for definite bookings, 78% for room-nights and 64% for economic impact.   

Notable bookings included: 

• The Modern Quilt Guild, Feb. 2024, 8,000 attendees, 2,393 total rooms; $2.2 million in economic impact  
• National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE), April 2023, 1,500 attendees, 2,058 total rooms; $3 million in economic impact 
• Facing Race, Nov. 2026, 2,500 attendees, 3,303 total rooms; $1.6 million economic impact
   

Business development and leveraging local connections

Successfully strategized for prospects that met the targeting guidelines of the Wake County Destination Strategic Plan (DSP). The team utilized a variety of tools to leverage the power and influence of association board and committee members who live in our community in an effort to advocate for state, regional, national and international association meetings to select Raleigh, N.C.
 

Tradeshows and events  

Promoted Wake County at 122+ industry tradeshows and events, with exposure to planners in the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, Northeast and Southeast regions.

Destination site visits  

Executed 26 personalized site visits with meeting professionals. The combined organizations’ potential return on investment represented an impact of 26,511 room-nights and $13 million in economic impact.
 

Partner engagement 

With a strategic focus on maintaining and developing relationships with partners, the team implemented targeted engagement for full-service meeting hotels, including: 

• Hotel visits in all meeting districts
• A refresh on PIXL (Partner Information eXchange Login), a Web-based service through which Greater Raleigh CVB partners can exchange information directly with CVB staff via a secure login
• Tradeshow partnerships 
• Participating in hosted events

With the Marketing & Communications Department, co-produced a “Meet the Team” article series on the meetings insider blog highlighting each member of the Sales team. The series helped foster more personable relationships with both partners and clients.
 

Signature client events 

Hosted virtual client events to showcase our destination to leaders and meeting professionals who have the potential to influence organizations to host their meetings in Raleigh, N.C., including:

• Six In the City: A Southern BBQ Experience
• “Baseball, Rooftops and Raleigh” at a Chicago Cubs game at Wrigley Rooftop
• Carolina Hurricanes hockey experiences in Washington, D.C., and Raleigh, N.C.

Industry leadership

Served on boards and committees in many key industry associations to position the Greater Raleigh CVB and the Sales team as leaders with influence. Organizations include:

• Eight Meeting Professionals International (MPI) chapters 
• Seven chapters of Professional Convention Management Association
• National Coalition of Black Meeting Professionals
• American Society of Association Executives
• Association Forum 
• Association Executives of N.C. 
• International Association of Exhibitions and Events 
• Society of Government Meeting Professionals  
• N.C. Society of Government Meeting Professionals 
• Meetings Professionals International Global
• Association of Meeting Professionals 
• Raleigh Chamber’s Young Professionals Network
• CVBReps
   

Intellectual capital  

Sales team members served as educators, panelists, speakers or moderators at the following industry events: 

• MPI's Future Forward: Event Design for Change  
• State of the Industry Panel at MPI New England Chapter Educational Institute
• Global Meetings Industry Day MPI Anti-Human Trafficking session
• Global Meetings Industry Day MPI Carolinas Chapter State of the Industry Panel 
• CMM (Certified Meeting Management) Special Topic: Anti-Human Trafficking  
• MPI Upstate New York Chapter's See it, Say it: Raising Awareness to End Human Trafficking
• MPI Global Chapter Business Summit's Anti-Human Trafficking Call to Action 
• National Association of Women Sales Professionals Carolinas’ Lessons From the Front Lines of Women in Sales Leadership
   

Industry recognition

Malinda Harrell, CMP, CASE
Named one of 50 Up-and-Comers to Watch for 2022 by MPI (global)
MPI members recognized among the top 50 up and comers are focused on inspiration and evolution. These community members are full of grit and determination who appear set to deliver the industry to its rightful and wonderful future. 

Stephen Jackson, CMP
MPI Potomac Star Award  
The Star Award is recognizes and rewards an outstanding MPI Potomac volunteer/member. This member is someone who is consistently relied on, energizes initiatives, is full of great ideas and deserves to be recognized.

Nicole Keshler
MPI Carolinas Chapter Hall of Fame Award
The Hall of Fame Award recognizes a long-standing MPI Carolinas Chapter member who has continually contributed to the chapter with their ongoing commitment and a strong sense of leadership and volunteerism. This person has exemplified professionalism, dedication and overall excellence in the chapter, the meetings industry and in the community in which they serve. 

Loretta Yingling, CMP
MPI Chicago Area Chapter Eleanor H. Woods Supplier of the Year Award
This award is presented to a supplier member who has made significant contributions to the meetings industry and is an exemplary representative of our profession.