Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/799467
Expanding the geographic foot- print of its promotion of Kansas City, Visit KC, the region's leading hospitality and tourism organiza- tion, recently announced the recent addition of Francis Darko as sales manager. Darko's hire bolsters a proven sales team, adding another individual with a high level of pas- sion for the destination. As sales manager, Darko will work in the short term meetings market, consisting of 200 or less room nights on peak. He will handle the East Coast market and Southeast market of the United States, which will allow for Visit KC to maintain a broader national reach to one-hotel pieces of business, a crucial market for the occupancy of the city. Prior to joining Visit KC, Darko served in a variety of dif- ferent roles in both the hospitality and financial industries. As a personal financial representative with Northwestern Mutual in Lee's Summit, MO, he forged relationships with clients to create personalized financial plans. Prior to that, Darko worked as an intern at African Regent Hotel in Accra, Ghana, where he gained frontline experience in the hotel industry while adapting to the mores of a different cul- ture. Darko is a graduate of the University of Central Missouri with a degree in hotel and restaurant administra- tion and a minor in marketing. "Kansas City continues to receive national attention thanks to its unparalleled development and growth, and Francis' addition is a testament to that forward progress," said President & CEO Ronnie Burt. "His enthusiasm for KC is more than evident. We expect him to utilize this energy to help drive Visit KC's mission of positioning Kansas City as a premier conventions and meetings destination." 13 B M & T ••• November/December 2016 ••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com FRANCIS DARKO TO COVER SHORT TERM MEETINGS IN EAST COAST AND SOUTHEAST MARKETS Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau (ACVB). "Their efforts have made a significant impact on Atlanta's hospitality indus- try and we are extremely pleased to have them join our Hospitality Hall of Fame." p C h ti a m p in s Assembly, Miller Senate Building, Annapolis, MD. Contact Louis C. Fields at (443) 983-7974 or loucfields@gmail.com for more information. March 10-12 17th Annual State of Maryland Harriet Ross Tubman Day of Remembrance, Maryland Eastern Shore. Contact Louis C. Fields at (443) 983-7974 or loucfields@gmail.com for more information. March 16 Empowering Tomorrow's Leaders 2nd Annual Visionary Awards Luncheon, Wyndham San Diego Bayside, San Diego, CA. Contact Clara Carter at clara@mccsn.com for more information. March 21-23 Airline Distribution 2017, Kowloon Shangri-La, Kowloon, Hong Kong. For more information contact marketing@uatp.com or visit UATP.com March 29 17th Annual State of Maryland Harriet Ross Tubman Day of Remembrance, Reginald Lewis Museum, Baltimore, MD. Contact Louis C. Fields at (443) 983-7974 or loucfields@gmail.com for more information. April 20-23 Health Journalism 2017, Rosen Center Hotel, Orlando, FL. http://healthjournalism.org/calendar-details.php?id=1520 May 3-5 Belize Tourism Expo (BETEX 2017). Visit www.betex.bz or contact them at info@betex.bz for more information. May 6-13 These Women Mean Business Cruise presented by the Information Diva and Victoria Falk aboard MSC Divina, beginning and ending in Miami, with stops in ports at Ocho Rios, Jamaica, Gorge Town, Cayman Islands, Cozumel, Mexico, and Nassau, Bahamas. (310) 497- 1640 May 8-12 2017 Humane Society of the U.S. Animal Care Expo, Ocean Center and the Hilton Daytona Beach Resort, Daytona Beach, FL. www.DaytonaBeachMeetings.com June 7 Boutique Hotel Investment Conference, The Times Center, New York, NY. For more information visit http://www.blla.org/event/2017-boutique-hotel-investment-confer- ence/. July 11-18 NPN 20127 Southeast Asia Leadership Summit & Music Festival at Sea, Scenic Spirit" river cruise ship. http://www.npn- cruise.com/southeast-asia-2017/ August 2-4 Game Changer NSN Conference, Hyatt Regency Chicago, Chicago, IL. www.Salesnetwork.org November 10-13 American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), New Orleans, LA. For more information, visit www.neworleanscvb.com. November 15-19 National Alliance of Black School Educators, New Orleans, LA. http://www.nabse.org/conf_events.html Continued from page 5