Julie Pingston Named ESPA President

Paul Ruby of the Sheraton Dallas; ESPA 2014 Annual Conference keynote speaker Laura Schwartz; ESPA President Julie Pingston of the Greater Lansing CVB; Devon Sloan of the Sheraton Tucson El Conquistador; and Denise Suttle of the Albuquerque CVB.

The Event Service Professionals Association (ESPA) achieved the highest attendance for its Annual Conference in the last six years. Held in Boston in January, the conference also marked the start of the ESPA presidential term of Julie Pingston, CMP, CTA, senior vice president of the Greater Lansing CVB.

The conference covered topics such as safety, ethics, security management, servicing sporting events, F&B trends, best practices in event services, and event apps and solutions. New this year were expanded interactive session formats, giving members beneficial opportunities for dialogue and sharing ideas.

“Year after year ESPA strives to make the conference a place for event service professionals to learn, network and grow,” said Pingston. “It’s rewarding to see how much our members and their venues value the association and the conference, and its role in their professional development.”

ESPA also announced the following changes for its 2014 officers: Denise Suttle, CMP, Albuquerque CVB, will serve as president-elect, and former President Robert Desautels, CMP, Visit Indy, will serve as past president. Madonna Carr, CMP, Meet Minneapolis, will serve as first vice president and Paul Ruby, CMP, Sheraton Dallas, as second vice president. ESPA Director Kathy Denkenberger, CMP, Saratoga Convention and Tourism Bureau will serve as secretary/treasurer.

New members elected to serve on the board of directors are:

• Julie Brakenbury, Greater Raleigh CVB
• Zack Davis, CMP, Louisville CVB
• Rebecca Moore, The Westin Indianapolis

www.espaonline.org