New ESPA President Denise Reid on DEI, New Member Acquisition–and a Show-Stopping 'Ave Maria'

Tyler Davidson
Photo of Denise Reid, president of ESPA.
Denise Reid
 

Denise Reid, new president of Event Service Professionals Association (ESPA), shares how event service professionals are on the front line of ensuring destination DEI for meetings and events, as well as her plans for ramping up the association following the pandemic upheaval. She also favors listeners with an amazing rendition of Ave Maria!

Aside from delivering memorable event service at the Hyatt Centric French Quarter in New Orleans, Reid, you see, is a classically trained mezzo-soprano who has performed with the Gulf Coast Opera Theatre and the Keesler Air Force Base production of Handel's Messiah in Biloxi, Mississippi. She's also a member of Women@Hyatt, Hyatt B.L.A.C.K. Diversity Business and Resource Group and Loyola University New Orleans Alumni Association.

[Related Podcast: Destination DC's Elliott Ferguson II on the Role of DMOs on DEI]

Listen now:

 

Listen to more Meetings Today Podcasts

 

Profile picture for user Tyler Davidson
About the author
Tyler Davidson | Editor, Vice President & Chief Content Director

Tyler Davidson is the vice president and chief content director for Meetings Today, which publishes the meetings industry trade magazine Meetings Today as well as MeetingsToday.com, various newsletters, webinars, the in-person Meetings Today LIVE! Hosted-buyer events and other meetings and events industry B2B channels.

 

Tyler has covered the travel trade for nearly 35 years.  In his role with Meetings Today, which recently won the prestigious FOLIO: Eddies Award for best magazine issue, Tyler leads the editorial team on its mission to provide the most in-depth meetings content in the industry. Previously, he worked as the Asia, Canada, Pacific Northwest and Western U.S. editor at Travel Weekly magazine and TravelAge West. Before joining the dual editorial staff producing destination sections for Travel Weekly and TravelAge West, Tyler was the Africa, Israel, Middle East, Switzerland and Pacific Northwest editor at TravelAge West. He also undertook general news and feature assignments while working at the magazines. 

 

Besides reporting on the travel trade, Tyler has covered the real estate industry, held various editorial positions at the San Francisco-based national satire magazine The Nose, wrote freelance technology industry pieces and covered the San Francisco 49ers and Oakland Raiders for a bilingual newspaper in San Francisco. He has a B.A. in Journalism from San Francisco State University, where he worked in various editorial capacities on its award-winning student magazine, Prism. 

Contact: tyler.davidson@meetingstoday.com

Read more articles from this author

Related Podcasts