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•	Amy Chan, CEO of World Project International in Hong Kong and the former Executive Director of the Hong Kong Tourist Association and Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Convention & Incentive Travel Bureau.
•	Mohamed Al Geziry, Chairman of Mohamed Al Geziry Consultancy in Dubai, a former founder member of The Dubai Commerce & Tourism Promotion Board, a former member of the International Marketing Committee of Leading Hotels of the World and a former General Manager of Dutco Hotels (now known as Jebel Ali International Hotels.)
•	Gary Grimmer, CEO of Gary Grimmer & Company, CEO of Data on Meetings and Events (DOME) and former CEO of the Melbourne (Australia), Portland (Oregon, USA) and Albuquerque (New Mexico, USA) convention and visitor bureaus.
•	David Hall, the CEO of David Hall and Associates in Australia, and the former CEO of the Adelaide and Gold Coast convention and visitor bureaus in Australia.
•	Tom Hulton, CEO of International Meeting Venues in the UK, the former CEO of the International Congress & Convention Association (ICCA) and the former Secretary General of the International Hotel Association.

ConventionWorks’ consulting services will focus primarily on destination marketing issues and convention and exhibition facility development. The group’s Chairman, Gary Grimmer, says that the concept is unique to the world’s meeting industry.

“We are the only group that can combine our global perspective with an in depth, practical, working knowledge of how the industry operates in the various regions of the world.”

The ConventionWorks theory is that the industry needs a “two way global interface” which they describe in terms of reach.

“We believe that there’s a big demand for ‘in reach,’ when a client in one part of the world needs local expertise and entrée to conduct business in another part of the world. At the same time, there is often a need for ‘out reach,’ when a client needs to bring in outside expertise for a local project.” Grimmer said. “The goal of ConventionWorks is to serve both those needs through our geographical coverage and our local, regional and global networks.”

ConventionWorks contends that it has not only achieved that geographical coverage, but done so with some of the strongest players in each part of the world.

“It all came together pretty logically when we went down the list of regions,” Grimmer said. “We feel that Asia is really important as there’s so much development activity there. Well, Amy has perhaps the highest profile and one of the most extensive networks, both in Asia and internationally. She’s currently consulting Shanghai, one of the most talked about cities in the world today.”

The ConventionWorks group believes the Middle East is another key region of focus, given its enormous potential in terms of future growth.

“Mohamed has one of the leading consultancies in the Middle East, and has led a range of projects throughout that region of the world,” Grimmer said. “He’s in Dubai, the most dynamic city in the Middle East and another of the most talked about cities in our industry. As an added benefit, he brings specific hotel expertise.”

The group feels that Eastern Europe will be another future growth center, and that Europe as a whole will continue as a key area for emerging destinations and the development of new facilities.

“When you consider Europe, how could you do better than Tom Hulton?” Grimmer said. “He used to run ICCA, the world’s leading meetings industry association, and before that he ran the International Hotel Association, so he’s well connected globally as well as in Europe.”

While both Grimmer and David Hall are based in Australia, they have both have records that extend to other parts of the world.

“David has consulted on the establishment of three bureaus, in Jakarta, Istanbul and Cape Town,” Grimmer said. “He has also provided market consultation to convention centres in Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Malaysis, Indonesia and South Africa. He is currently consulting Le Cordon Bleu and working closely with ICCA and other industry bodies in the development of the Masters of International Meeting Industry Management – the world’s first accredited Masters program specifically for the meetings industry.”

Tom Hulton, Vice Chairman of ConventionWorks, said that Grimmer added a North American dimension to the group, as well as his experience in other parts of the world.

“Gary’s international credentials are well established, being a former Chairman of the International Association of Convention and Visitor Bureaus (IACVB), currently running DOME, the meetings industry’s leading global research foundation and serving on the London International Convention Centre Commission,” Hulton said. “But, he also spent 14 years marketing cities in the US before he moved to Australia, so, until we decide to engage a partner there, he will be managing our North American connections as well.”

The group acknowledges that there are other consulting groups, but feels that none have the background in leadership and depth of experience on a global basis that ConventionWorks offers.

“When you look at each of our credentials, you will find references to our service on various industry boards, such as IACVB, ICCA, and the Joint Meetings Industry Council,” Grimmer said. “We feel that it is safe to say that ConventionWorks isn’t made up of people who have studied our industry. ConventionWorks is made up of people who have led our industry.”

For additional information on ConventionWorks, please visit www.ConventionWorks.net.