It’s been a busy spring, with a lot of companies growing their ranks with several new hires, including InfoComm International, The Expo Group, UBM Americas, Urban Expositions and Connect Travel, to name a few.

InfoComm International has named Heidi A. Voorhees, MBA, CAE, as the organization's new COO. As COO, Voorhees will lead InfoComm's North American operations and global marketing and communication efforts.

"I am thrilled that Heidi has chosen InfoComm International for the next chapter in her exciting career," said David Labuskes, CTS®, CAE, RCDD, Executive Director and CEO of InfoComm. “Heidi brings the perfect mix of talent, experience and energy to our team at a time of unprecedented opportunity and growth. I look forward to the contributions she will make to our association and our industry."

With 20 years of trade association and private business experience, Voorhees brings to InfoComm significant expertise in operations management and strategic planning.

She spent nearly 10 years at SmithBucklin, as well as time as vice president of Strategic Initiatives at the Institute of Food Technologists and senior vice president at Experient.

In expanding its suite of services, The Expo Group has introduced a new team, called Level 5, with rich experiential event and global brand experience.

Joining The Expo Group are Mike McCauley, executive vice president, Creative, Level 5; Michael Preston, executive vice president, National Accounts, Level 5; and Gary Wokas, executive vice president, Operations, Level 5.

Based in Chicago, this team has experience with TBA Global and FreemanXP, producing events global companies, associations and higher education institutions.

“We are committed to helping events grow,” said Randy Pekoswki, The Expo Group president and COO. “We are launching a new pricing model for these additional services to show the nature of our commitment to solving real problems. We are investing resources and dollars into the success of our clientele.”

Connect has added Will Seccombe as president of the Connect Travel division. Seccombe joins the Connect team with more than 25 years of experience in the travel and tourism industry, most recently as president and CEO of VISIT FLORIDA from 2012 to 2017.

In his new role, Seccombe will guide Connect Travel's growth as it continues to expand to serve the marketing needs of leisure tourism destinations.

"We're excited to welcome Will to the Connect family," said Connect President Chris Collinson. "He is a thought leader in digital and travel marketing and has a track record of building teams that deliver exceptional outcomes. We look forward to seeing his leadership enhance Connect Travel's ability to deliver outstanding results for our clients." 

UBM Americas has brought on David Kaye as the company’s new Americas sales leader. 

In this newly created position, Kaye will lead the efforts towards further developing UBM Americas’ events sales strategy and culture while identifying new growth opportunities and maximizing revenues at UBM’s market-leading events: trade shows, exhibitions and conferences.  Kaye will report to Scott Schulman, CEO of UBM Americas.

Kaye’s career includes sales leadership roles at The Economist, where he was chief revenue officer for the Americas, in addition to a global P&L role creating and directing The Economist Career Network.

He started his career at Ziff-Davis Media, where he held the post of West Coast associate publisher at the company’s flagship publication, PC Magazine.

“David’s responsibilities will be to develop new revenue opportunities at and beyond events, build growth plans, and identify cross-business opportunities. David’s inspiring and collaborative style will serve as a vital asset for extending UBM Americas strong market orientation and developing new ways to serve customers who want to reach our high-quality attendees,” said Scott Schulman, CEO, UBM Americas. 

Urban Expositions, a division of Clarion Events, has announced the appointment of Keith Mackintosh as key buyer account manager for the company's three restaurant and foodservice events. 

Mackintosh will be the point of contact for Key Buyers in the restaurant industry - including owners and chefs of independent restaurants, emerging and large chain operations, plus commercial and industrial foodservice operations.

The three events Mackintosh will be responsible for are:

The Western Foodservice & Hospitality Expo taking place Aug. 27-29 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. 

The Florida Restaurant & Lodging Show taking place Sept. 10-12 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando.

The International Restaurant & Foodservice Show of New York taking place March 4-6, 2018, at the Javits Center in New York City.

IMN Solutions, a full-service association, meeting and event management industry, has announced that Melissa Tighe has joined the team as Vice President, Client Development.

In this role, Tighe’s primary responsibilities will include representing and managing an existing client base and proactively seeking new business opportunities.

Tighe is a hospitality veteran, joining IMN Solutions after spending the last six years with Starwood Hotels & Resorts in the Washington, D.C., market.

Prior to her time with Starwood, she worked with the Four Seasons Hotel New York, the Sheraton New York Times Square and Geoffrey Zakarian’s Restaurants in New York City. Tighe received her B.S. from Niagara University and her MBA from Walden University.

“We are so pleased to welcome Melissa aboard and know that her talents, experience and passion for both business development and client satisfaction will be valuable assets for our continued growth and development,” said Barbara Myers, CAE, CEO, IMN Solutions