The Meetings Mean Business Coalition's board of directors has selected Martha J. Sheridan, president and CEO of the Greater Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau, as its next co-chair. This month, she will join Michael Massari, chief sales officer of Caesars Entertainment, to lead the MMBC as the hard-hit meetings and travel sector continues to navigates the pandemic.
Martha J. Sheridan, president and CEO of the Greater Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau, is now co-chair of the Meetings Mean Business Coalition.Sheridan takes over the co-chair position held by Fred Dixon, president and CEO of NYC & Company.
The MMBC's mission continues to be promoting the enduring value that professional meetings, trade shows, incentive travel, exhibitions, conferences and conventions bring to people, businesses and the economy. Established by the U.S. Travel Association in 2009, MMBC is comprised of organizations across the meetings and travel community who came together after the 2008 economic crisis.
"The decade-long work of the coalition has established a strong foundation for industrywide coordination, effective advocacy and corporate engagement," said Sheridan. "There is a lot of work ahead of us, but the collective strength of this coalition and its members can drive recovery efforts and bring back safe professional meetings and events."
Sheridan, a 25-year veteran of the travel industry, has for the past three years held the top post at the GBCVB, where she recently formed the Tourism Destination Marketing District to promote travel to Greater Boston. Sheridan was a key partner in pushing out the city's All Inclusive Boston campaign, an effort to market the city to a more diverse demographic of prospective travelers. In addition to her valued role on MMBC's board, Sheridan currently serves on the boards of the U.S. Travel Association and Destinations International Foundation, and is past chair of Destinations International. In Massachusetts, she also chairs Gov. Baker's Advisory Commission on Travel & Tourism.
"Martha brings a wealth of industry knowledge that will strengthen MMBC and help accelerate the recovery of the meetings and events sector," said Roger Dow, president and CEO of U.S. Travel. "Working together with Michael, Martha’s leadership and strong relationships with the business community and policymakers will be critical as we continue to navigate the challenges of the pandemic."
Sheridan begins her co-chair term as MMBC integrates fully with U.S. Travel, a move that was announced in November. MMBC will now benefit more directly from the association's robust public affairs resources, and receive critical research, content and policy solutions as a core pillar of U.S. Travel’s advocacy work.