Doug Baarman Receives Award for top performance and leadership in 2012

LOS ANGELES, CA – March 25, 2013 – Doug Baarman, CDS, Senior Vice President & Team Director has been named ConferenceDirect’s Team Director of the Year. He was honored at the ConferenceDirect Awards Dinner during its Annual Partner Meeting in Las Vegas, Nevada on Sunday, March 17, 2013.

Doug joined ConferenceDirect in July of 2007 with over 25 years of sales, marketing and event management experience within the hospitality industry. Prior to joining ConferenceDirect, Doug gained an insider’s perspective from working on both sides of the industry with experience from some of the largest hotel companies – Marriott International and Gaylord Hotels and from the buyer’s side – Liberty Mutual and National Trade Productions. During his career with Marriott International, he broke new ground as the leader of a Field Sales team focused on new business development, with an independent structure and an alternative compensation model. This was an industry first within a chain’s national sales system. Doug was also Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Marriott ExecuStay which was an acquisition that needed to be integrated with their other brands. At Gaylord Hotels, he helped establish the pre-opening team for the largest hotel ever built in the Washington, DC area. At National Trade Productions, Doug was responsible for exhibit sales for shows targeting the government and government contractor markets. Since joining ConferenceDirect, Doug has been recognized as the Team Leader of the Year for two consecutive years in 2010 and 2011, with some of the best team accomplishments: In 2010, his team achieved over $53 million in booked revenue making it the top producing CD team. In 2010 a member of his team was awarded ‘Top Producer / Associate of the Year’. His team has received multiple ‘Rookie of the Year’ awards. In 2011, his team became the top producing CD team for the second consecutive year achieving over $56 million in booked revenue. Doug is an active member of MPI and on the Customer Advisory Board for the Austin Convention and Visitors Bureau. He is a graduate of Ferris State University where he received a Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management.

“This is not the first time Doug has been recognized for this award and it won’t be his last,” said Brian Stevens, President and Chief Executive Officer of ConferenceDirect.

Doug can be reached at (301) 605-7011 or via email at doug.baarman@conferencedirect.com.

About ConferenceDirect: Based in Los Angeles, California, ConferenceDirect is a full service meeting solutions company specializing in Site Selection/Contract Negotiation, Conference Management, Housing, Registration and Strategic Meetings Management. ConferenceDirect provides its expertise to more than 1750 corporations and associations worldwide. ConferenceDirect’s 325 Associates and worldwide regional offices comprise the fastest-growing meeting resources company in the hospitality industry today. For more information, visit ConferenceDirect at www.conferencedirect.com