VISIT Milwaukee has hired four new individuals and promoted four in a variety of roles.
Among the promoted are Christina Fox as senior convention sales coordinator, Megan Husband as national account and tourism sales executive, Claire Koenig as senior director of communications and public affairs and Katie Pfankuch as account executive.
Fox was hired in 2015 as a convention sales assistant, receiving a promotion five years later in 2020. In her promotion to senior convention sales coordinator Fox will provide administrative assistance and support the convention sales department as well as sports Milwaukee division. She will also train partners and new staff on the CRM/Partner Portal to ensure accurate and timely reports of all data relating to convention sales, production reports and on demand reports as needed for both internal and external parties.
Husband was hired as a convention sales manager in 2008. Her new role as national account and tourism sales executive will require her to lead the generation and room night goals for the national association, religious and corporate citywide conventions and work with partners to help promote Milwaukee as a group and FIT destination.
Koenig joined in 2017 in the position of communications manager. With her newest position as senior director of communications and public affairs she will oversee the team for communications and social media professionals that work to elevate Milwaukee’s reputation and draw in more visitors.
Pfankuch started in 2022 as sales support specialist. She helped three national account executives with their work as well as managing her segment of groups with 100 rooms or less. Her promotion to account executive will have her continuing to manage the small group segment and assist the sales team with group tours on occasion.
New Hires
The four new hires consist of Shannon Richmond in the position of senior event experience manager, Raymond Valles in the national account executive for Texas position and Maaike Rheinfrank and Shaylynn Libby both as convention sales coordinators.
“I’m thrilled to welcome Shannon, Raymond, Maaike and Shaylynn to the VISIT Milwaukee team, and proud to recognize Claire, Megan, Christina and Katie for their continued terrific contributions,” said the president and CEO of VISIT Milwaukee, Peggy Williams-Smith. “Milwaukee is generating significant momentum right now, and we only expect that to continue. To truly capitalize on our opportunities, we need to have the right people in the right roles. With that in mind, these additions and promotions are a significant step forward for our organization and Milwaukee.”
Richmond’s role will be to consult with convention and meeting clients starting from their initial booking until the completion of the event. Prior to her position with the VISIT Milwaukee, Richmond worked at F Street Hospitality as the senior event manager. She has experience at Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants and Dynamic Events by David Caruso.
Valles will be responsible for lead generation and selling Greater Milwaukee area for conventions, meetings, trade shows and other activities. Valles is based out of Austin, Texas, as Visit Milwaukee identified a large potential for growth in the Texas market. Prior to the new position, Valles served as senior convention sales manager for Destination El Paso and has experience with the Four Season Hotels and Resorts chain, Arbor Inn and Suites and the Walt Disney Company.
Rheinfrank and Libby will be support for the convention sales department and national account executives. Responsible for producing regular reports to leverage their skills with CRM technology, third-party data and research, financial and contract tracking and database management. Rheinfrank is a new graduate of Cardinal Stritch University and Libby was previously a wedding planner for Graceful Events.
This information is based on a press release from VISIT Milwaukee.
