7.6.26

USAE

THE WEEKLY COMMUNITY NEWS OF ASSOCIATIONS, CVBs AND HOTELS

V O L U M E 4 4 , I S S U E 2 9

J U LY 6 , 2 0 2 6

Julie Coker Departing NYC Tourism to Lead Visit California

By Jonathan Trager

The FIFA Fan Festival is being held in Houston’s EaDo neighborhood. The free-to-enter event is running from June 11 to July 19. Credit: FIFA Houston Local Organizing Committee

By Jordan Bradley

Fire in Ohio Hotel Kills Three

Three people were killed when a fire erupted in a Wooster Township, Ohio, hotel overnight on July 1.

Shortly after 1:30 a.m., firefighters were called to an EconoLodge hotel, authorities said. While they were responding, dispatchers received multiple subsequent calls reporting people trapped inside the building.

Once on the scene, Wooster Township Firefighters designated the fire a three-alarm fire, but raised it to a fivealarm fire due to the scale. According to reports, flames were shooting through the motel’s roof.

Firefighters made several rescue attempts, but were ultimately unsuccessful, according to officials.

“En route we were told by dispatch that there is people on 911 saying

W South Beach to Lay Off Hundreds, Drop Marriott Affiliation

By Jordan Bradley

The W South Beach in late-June shared with Miami-Dade County officials that the property will lay off 337 employees effective August 19.

The hotel will be closing for renovations beginning August 20, and “as of that date, Marriott will no longer operate the hotel,” according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act

notice filed on June 18.

The WARN Act required companies with more than 100 employees to file a public notice in advance of mass layoffs or closures.

According to the W’s filing, employees are not represented by a union and are not guaranteed their former positions when renovations are complete.

“The hotel is unaware of when the hotel will reopen or who the new operator will Please turn to page 4

they’re trapped in the building,” said Wooster Township Fire Chief Dallas Terrell in an on-scene interview with local news outlet WKYC-TV 3News.

“Our first arriving engine arrived on scene with heavy flames through the roof and made several rescue attempts to try to reach the people in that room. Efforts were unsuccessful.”

The Wayne County Coroner’s Office

Inside Page 4 Watching the FIFA World Cup in Houston Page 5 Scott Hallgren Appointed GM of Grand River Center, Five Flags Center Page 6 Kansas City’s Kathy Nelson Knows When to Be a Band Director Page 8 Seeing Seattle Through a New Lens

Julie Coker, President & CEO of New York City Tourism + Conventions, will step down from her role to become the next President & CEO of Visit California, marking a significant leadership change at two of the United States’ most influential destination organizations.

New York City Tourism + Conventions announced on June 26 that Coker will remain in her current position through August 31 to support a smooth leadership transition. She’s expected to begin her new role in California on October 1.

Coker will succeed Caroline Beteta, who earlier this year announced her retirement after more than 30 years leading Visit California and helping shape the state’s global tourism brand.

Visit California said Coker was chosen after an extensive global executive search process. She will become only the second President & CEO in the organization’s history.

In addition to overseeing the nonprofit tourism marketing agency, Coker will also serve as a strategic adviser to the Governor’s Office of Business and

Please turn to page 3

Please turn to page 3

PCMA Supporting Venezuela Following Earthquakes

By Todd McElwee

PCMA is working with the UNICEF Emergency Response Fund to provide aide and resources to industry members and other in Venezuelan region devastated by earthquakes.

A message from Sherrif

Karamat, CAE, President & CEO, PCMA & CEMA, read: “Over the past several days, we have witnessed the devastating impact of earthquakes in the regions of Venezuela—specifically Caracas and La Guaira— events that have taken lives Please turn to page 5

1/3 Page Vertical ad

USAE

July 6, 2026

HOTS

HOTS Giraffe Lost, Giraffe Found…

Gracie the Giraffe of Texas Hill Country, Texas, went missing almost a month ago, earning national headlines, but was found on June 26, the Associated Press reports. According to Real County Sheriff Nathan Johnson, Gracie was spotted 4 miles south of her home, the Cedar Hollow Ranch, by an aerial search team. After she was spotted, Gracie’s owner, Vick Jones, put together a team—including a veterinarian—to collect her. “She’s in good shape,” Jones told AP. “She’s standing there, swishing her tail.”

Gracie had apparently been living the easy life for the two-plus weeks she

WEEKLY NEWS OF ASSOCIATIONS CVBs AND HOTELS

Page 3

USAE

Publisher & Executive Editor 1982 – 2021 Anne Daly Heller

Publisher-Emeritus Ross E. Heller ross@usaenews.com Publisher James Heller james@usaenews.com Associate Publisher Todd McElwee todd@usaenews.com Managing Editor Jonathan Trager jon@usaenews.com Hotel Editor Jordan Bradley jordan@usaenews.com Creative Director Diane Nichols dkn@usaenews.com Marketing & Circulation Director Christy Pumphrey christy@usaenews.com To ensure publication, all Letters to the Editor must include a telephone number and mailing address in order to verify authenticity.

Complete copies of USAE are available for all paid subscribers online. Log onto https://usaenews.com and locate the log-in and password boxes. Specific log-in and password information is provided to subscribers via e-mail.

USAE is published weekly except the week of Christmas Day by USAE, Inc. Subscription rate is $80/year; add $65 in Canada and Mexico.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to USAE, PO Box 15009, Chevy Chase, MD 20825.

usaenews.com USAE, Inc. PO Box 15009, Chevy Chase, MD 20825 703.898.3528 • ©2026 by USAE, Inc.

had been away from home—rescuers found her nearby a pond and creek, and they noted that she had plenty of vegetation to sustain herself. Jones said she had been in the area for around a week. The rescue team sedated Gracie, then transferred her to an open-pasture trailer before moving her to an enclosed trailer that would take her all the way back to the ranch.

Jones said he is in the process of building a fence to avoid a repeat adventure for Gracie, and HOTS wonders what

Julie Coker continued from page 1

Economic Development, reflecting the state’s emphasis on tourism as a key driver of economic growth.

“California is the world’s most iconic travel destination, and leading Visit California at this moment is an opportunity I approach with deep respect, genuine excitement and a clear sense of purpose,” Coker said. “The foundation Caroline Beteta and the California tourism industry have built over three decades is extraordinary, and the future is bright with so many global events shining the spotlight on the Golden State in the next three years.”

Charles Flateman, Chair of the New York City Tourism + Conventions board, praised Coker’s leadership during her tenure in New York, highlighting her role in strengthening the global visitation to the city.

“Julie Coker has been an exceptional leader for NYC Tourism + Conventions,” Flateman said. “She has strengthened New York City’s position as one of the world’s most iconic destinations, advanced a disciplined global sales strategy, and guided the organization through a period of strong recovery, growth, and operational transformation.”

Coker joined New York City Tourism + Conventions in late 2024 after serv-

Hotel Fire continued from page 1

released the identities of the three victims of the fire later in the day on July, according to WKYC-TV 3News: Hiteshkumar Suthar, Hinaben Suthar, and Isha Suthar.

Images provided by local news outlets showed heavy fire damage to a back, detached section of the Econo Lodge.

USAE was unable to reach hotel representatives. However, a motel employee told Cleveland-based WEWS-TV that two of the individuals who died at the hotel were employed at the property.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, with the Wooster Township Fire Department, the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office and the Ohio

HOTS Heat Can’t Stop the Beat…

Participants in an annual yodeling festival in Basel, Switzerland, weathered a late June heatwave by transforming city fountains into impromptu rehearsal spaces, the AP reports. About 12,000 performers donned traditional Alpine folk clothing and traveled to the city for Switzerland’s Eidgenössisches Jodlerfest, AP reports. Equally

staggering, the festival draws almost 200,000 visitors each year. Despite the oppressive heat, participants competed in three disciplines: yodeling, alphorn playing and flag-throwing.

When winners were announced on June 28, competitors “gathered outside the town hall” to check the results, and despite the heat they gave the closing celebration—a parade in full costume—their all. HOTS is curious as to yodeley-hee-who these dedicated performers are?

ing as head of the San Diego Tourism Authority. She previously led the Philadelphia CVB, bringing more than two decades of experience in destination marketing and hospitality leadership.

According to the organization, New York City welcomed approximately 65 million visitors in 2025. Those visitors generated an estimated $55.6 billion in direct spending, supported roughly 400,000 jobs, and contributed more than $7 billion in tax revenue to the city and state.

Visit California reported the state’s tourism economy surpassed $158 billion in visitor spending in 2025, underscoring its position as one of the largest travel markets in the world.

Beteta said Coker’s experience made her a strong fit to lead the organization into its next chapter.

“Julie Coker has built and led worldclass organizations, knows California’s tourism industry from the inside,

and brings the kind of experience, relationships and vision this moment demands,” Beteta said.

The New York City Tourism + Conventions board has begun the process of identifying Coker’s successor, with Flateman and other board officers leading the search.

State Fire Marshals Office looking into the matter, Terrell said.

Eye-witnesses told WKYC-TV 3 News that during the incident the evacuation was chaotic.

“Running, there was screaming, there was families devastated,” Keira Curry told the outlet. “I think the owner or the person that was running [the hotel] was on his knees crying.”

sort of tall tales she’ll have for the other giraffes at the ranch. g g g g g

USAE

Page 4

N E W S

July 6, 2026

Watching the FIFA World Cup in Houston

By Todd McElwee Houston’s slate of seven FIFA World Cup games concluded on July 4. The party rolls on with a variety of festive viewing options spread across the city. Here, Houston First Corporation tells us about a few of its favorite football spots.

Downtown Houston For 34 days, the FIFA Fan Festival provides the ultimate gathering space outside the stadiums for fans to watch matches live on massive screens. Located in the city’s eclectic EaDo neighborhood, this free-to-enter public watch party hub also offers a mixture of music, local food, and premium lounge spaces to elevate the overall fan experience. Spread out on a soccer pitch or gaze upon just one of

the massive 45-foot screens to watch your favorite teams battle it out.

Find more information here.

Just steps from the FIFA World Cup Fan Festival, Pitch 25 gives fans the ultimate soccer experience along with an indoor soccer pitch and dozens of screens so there’s never a bad view.

The venue was co-founded in 2018 by Houston Sports Hall of Famer Brian Ching, who is best known as the alltime leading scorer for the Houston Dynamo. Pitch 25 is located at 2120 Walker Street in Houston.

Find more information here.

Sugar Land For those staying on the southwest side of Houston, Sugar Land Town Square comes alive on match days with the region’s most exciting World Cup watch party experience. Fans

Sugar Land Town Square FIFA World Cup Viewing Party Credit: City of Sugar Land

can enjoy a massive outdoor viewing screen, pre- and post-match entertainment, international food vendors, cultural performances, and family-friendly activities that celebrate the global spirit of the tournament.

Find more information here.

The Woodlands Visitors and local soccer fans residing on the north side of town can head to The Woodlands Resort to

catch all the game-day action. Watch parties for day matches will held at the property’s famed Forest Oak Pavilion complete with access to a recreation pool, slides, and waterfalls, its outdoor lagoon-style pool, a lazy river and splash park. For evening matches, the fun will be held at the hotel’s Back Table Kitchen & Bar concept, which overlooks the nearby 18th hole of the north golf course.

Find more information here.

Black Association Executives Earns Recognition as 501(c)(6) Trade Association

By Todd McElwee

Popular soccer-focused sports bar Pitch 25

W South Beach continued from page 1

be at the time,” W South Beach officials said in the WARN filing. “Accordingly, the hotel has no information about any continuing or future employment possibilities at the hotel.”

Representatives from the W South Beach did not return USAE request for comment by press deadline.

The W South Beach in Miami opened in 2009 in Miami’s Collins Waterfront Historic District. In late 2024, British investment firm Reuben Brothers acquired the property for $425 million, according to the Miami Herald.

Earlier this year, representatives of the W requested approval of its renovation plans from the City of Miami Beach Historic Preservation Board.

The plans included renovations of the lobby and guest rooms, upgrades to the pool deck and pool bar, increases in seating capacity at the hotel’s restaurants and bars by more than

700, the addition of a French bakery with an outdoor courtyard, a new members only club complete with a designated drop-off.

In an April 14 meeting, the board voted to approve a certificate of appropriateness—a designation granted by an historic preservation board allowing alterations—with some conditions and exceptions to the W’s plans. Officials did not approve the members-only club, which would have been newly built under the renovation plans, but agreed to revisit down the line.

During the meeting, board members discussed community opposition to the proposed changes at the W South Beach, and a nearby resident cited concerns about the impact a live music venue would have on the neighborhood’s traffic and noise levels brought to the board at the meeting.

Owners of the W hotel still need final approval on renovation plans from the historic preservation board as well as the Miami Beach Planning Board.

Receiving federal 501(c)(6) trade association status checks many more boxes for Black Association Executives (BAE) than just the one on the IRS’ Form 990.

“Recognition as a 501(c)(6) trade association gives BAE the formal foundation to match the strength of our community,” Rick Burt, CAE, President, BAE, told USAE. “Practically, it allows us to build real organizational infrastructure, establishing banking and financial systems, formalizing partnerships and sponsorships, and creating the kind of stable operations that let us serve members at scale.

Just as importantly, it affirms our identity and purpose, as we now stand as a recognized professional home dedicated to advancing the common business interests of Black association professionals. This status positions us to expand member benefits, grow our regional delegations, deepen our professional-development programming, and be a stronger voice and partner within the broader association com-

Rick Burt, CAE

munity. It truly turns the momentum our members built into a durable platform for lasting impact.”

Burt shared BAE was founded in August 2022—born out of a Community Resource Group pop-up gathering at the ASAE Annual Meeting in Nashville. He added that what began as an informal meeting of Black association professionals has grown into the orPlease turn to page 5

July 6, 2026

USAE

Page 5

Industry Movers

Matt Herod is now the General Manager of Grand Bohemian Lodge Asheville. Kessler Hospitality, Highgate’s dedicated division managing a collection of Kessler Collection properties, made the announcement.

He joins Grand Bohemian Lodge Asheville from his recent role as area managing director of Highgate-managed adventure resorts Salmon Falls Resort and The Ketch Inn in Ketchikan, Alaska. There, he oversaw multi-site hotel, marina, food and beverage, and excursion operations.

Abbey Hunton is now the Philadelphia CVB’s (PHLCVB) Vice President of Communications. She has more than 15 years of communications, media relations, and executive and crisis communications experience and will serve as strategist, spokesperson, and media liaison. Prior to the PHLCVB, Hunton was vice president of marketing & communications for the Alzheimer’s Association (DE, NJ, PA) and the news director at the University of Pennsylvania Health System.

Tiffany Richards has joined Delta Hotels by Marriott Calgary Downtown as General Manager. She brings more than 15 years of experience with Marriott International, with a career spanning sales, marketing, and operations. Recently, she served as general manager of Fairfield by Marriott Calgary Downtown. This appointment marks a return for her to Delta Hotels by Marriott Calgary Downtown, where she served as director of sales & marketing.

Chef Brandon Veitch has joined the Eagle Ridge Resort & Spa in Galena, Illinois, as the Executive Chef. Most recently, he served as executive chef of Edge by Goldmoor Inn in Galena. Prior to that role, Veitch spent more than five years at The Peninsula Chicago, where he worked his way from lead cook to chef de cuisine. His experience also includes private chef positions in California.

See More Industry Movers

Scott Hallgren Appointed GM of Grand River Center, Five Flags Center

By Jonathan Trager Oak View Group (OVG), operators of the Grand River Center and Five Flags Center in Iowa, announced on June 29 that industry veteran Scott Hallgren, CVE, has become the new General Manager of the facility.

Hallgren relocated to Dubuque, Iowa, from Ottumwa, Iowa, where he most recently served as executive director of the Bridge View Center.

“I’m proud to have the opportunity to join and lead our OVG Dubuque team as we work together with our

BAE

continued from page 4

ganization it is today. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., BAE was formally incorporated in March.

BAE has grown to approximately 500 members, with regional delegations in Texas, Georgia, Illinois, New York, Florida, and Richmond. Burt said the group intentionally calls them “regional delegations” rather than “chapters.”

“It’s a deliberate governance choice that keeps our regional groups closely connected to the national organization as one unified BAE, rather than separate entities, which protects the brand and lets us grow in a coordinated, sustainable way,” he said.

Asked what the industry can expect from BAE in the next year, Burt said: “The year ahead is about turning our

community partners to build on what has already been accomplished and to serve our community and region,” said Hallgren. “There are so many exciting projects and opportunities going on at all the venues that will allow us to better position ourselves for growth and to best serve all our guests, and I’m grateful to be able to be a part of this as we reimagine and recreate our future.”

As General Manager, Hallgren will lead the Oak View Group team in continuing to grow the convention, entertainment, and event business throughout Dubuque and the region. foundation into growth. Members can expect an expanded slate of professional development, including our CAE study groups, financial education, and career-development programming, along with a formal membership structure as we welcome our founding members. We’ll be strengthening our regional delegations so that BAE has a vibrant local presence in every market we serve, and deepening our collaborations across the association community, including our partnerships with fellow ASAE Community Resource Groups. The industry can also expect BAE to show up as a connector and a convener, creating spaces where Black association professionals build skills, credentials, and relationships, and where the broader profession benefits from a more inclusive, representative leadership pipeline.”

Find more information here.

“Scott is an exceptional leader with a strategic vision and commitment to excellence,” said Greg O’Dell, President, Venue Management, Oak View Group. “His ability to create successful revenue-generating initiatives while building strong, collaborative teams has consistently delivered lasting impact and long-term success.”

The Grand River Center is an 86,000-square-foot convention and event venue featuring an exhibit hall, a large ballroom, and the all-glass “River Room,” which offers sweeping views of the Grand River and surrounding area. The Five Flags Center is a multi-purpose entertainment complex featuring a historic, Renaissance Revival-style theater and a larger arena.

PCMA Venezuela continued from page 1

much too soon, displaced families, and challenged the resilience of communities and human beings.

Our colleagues, partners, and members throughout the LATAM region are not just part of PCMA’s global community, they are integral to its strength, diversity, and spirit. Moments like this remind us that our shared humanity transcends borders.

“For those who are able and looking for ways to help, we encourage you to join us with contributions to the following trusted organization

Scott Hallgren, CVE

actively providing aid on the ground: UNICEF Emergency Response Fund “The organization is mobilizing critical resources, delivering medical care, shelter, clean water, and support to those navigating unimaginable loss.

“In times of crisis, our global community has consistently shown what it means to lead with empathy and purpose. I am confident that spirit will once again rise to meet this moment.

Please keep our Venezuelan colleagues and their communities in your thoughts and join us in supporting their path to recovery.”

Find more information here.

USAE

Page 6

July 6, 2026

Women Leading the Way

Kansas City’s Kathy Nelson Knows When to Be a Band Director

By Jordan Bradley

town TV station, WDAF TV in Kansas City. She spent 12 years working in As the head of both Kansas City’s broadcast news and she “loved every destination management organiza- minute of it, loved the challenges.”

Sports have always been an integral tion, Visit Kansas City, and its sports tourism bureau, the Greater Kansas part of life and career for Nelson.

After her first gig in local news, City Sports Commission, Kathy Nelson, a native Kansas Citian, is feeling Nelson and a couple of colleagues all the feelings as the Missouri city in the late 90s/early aughts formed hosts 2026 FIFA World Cup teams their own small cable sports television station—“the first of its kind in the and matches.

“It’s exhilarating, it’s exhausting, it’s country”—called Metro Sports, which exciting,” Nelson told USAE. “All the focused on high school sports, she told words you can think of when you’ve USAE. The station was operated and ever worked on something larger than owned by Time Warner Cable, and over life. I feel pressure, I feel joy, I feel ner- time, Nelson began to travel to other cities to launch Metro Sports affiliates. vous—but I can’t stop smiling.”

Meanwhile, in her personal life, The city and its stakeholders have been preparing to showcase KC on a Nelson was a dedicated volunteer for world stage for more than a decade, events at the Kansas City Marathon, which the sports commission owned Nelson said.

“Now that it’s here, everyone else is and operated. Over time, she “started experiencing what we’ve known and to know people there,” she said, and what we’ve been working on, and the was asked to serve on a board to help excitement of welcoming the world to launch a women’s sports program our city,” she said, adding that “every known as the Women’s Intersport Netday, I wake up thinking that the im- work (WIN) for KC, established in 1994.

In 2010, the then-CEO Kevin Gray pact that we are having for the next decade—for the next fifty years—is of the Kansas City Sports Commission reached out to Nelson and asked something that I played a role in.” her to run the WIN Sitting at the helm for KC program. The of both organizations, Sitting at the helm year, just six Nelson said, is a bit of both organizations, following months after Nelson like being a band diNelson said, is a bit joined the org, Gray rector at times: “I need unexpectedly passed the flute section to be like being a band away, and the comready for this, I need director at times: mission’s board asked the drum section to Nelson to step into the be prepared, and right “I need the flute now, we’re all playing section to be ready for role of president and CEO for the Sports together in a symthis, I need the drum Commission. phony.”

Ten years later, the That coordination section to be prepared, board of directors for and synchronization and right now, we’re Visit KC approached is a requirement of all playing together her with the same ofpulling off the role of fer, but Nelson wasn’t host city for the World in a symphony.” ready to let go of the Cup, Nelson said.

Sports Commission, “It has to work well to welcome the world’s largest sport- as her heart is “in all things sports.”

In order to test the idea of a duing event, so running both organizations—and I say this often—they don’t al-CEO, Nelson said she and a group really need me,” Nelson explained. of board members and staff from the “You hire great people around you Kansas City organizations went to and they’re doing incredible things. I’m Cleveland to interview Dave Gilbert, here to firefight for them. I’m here to President and CEO of both Destination be the band director at times. I’m here Cleveland and the Greater Cleveland to make connections and figure out Sports Commission, and his staff to how we can lift everyone – not just the discern whether it was feasible for work that we’re doing, but lift our city, Nelson and Kansas City to follow such lift our region to have this expansion of an unconventional leadership model.

“And then we practiced [the idea at] what people think about Kansas City.”

The work of hosting such large, the end of 2021,” Nelson said. “I wantcity-wide events requires a leader to ed to make sure my sports commission be able to pivot, something Nelson staff was okay with the concept of me learned earlier in her illustrious career. sharing my attention.”

It went well enough that on January Nelson pursued a degree in television and radio, and went to work 2, 2022, Nelson began leading both straight out of college at her home- organizations. Functionally, she has

an employment contract with the KC Sports Commission, she told USAE, and then the pair of orgs have a contract “between themselves, where Visit KC shares resources, attention and time of the CEO.” And how has it been going?

“So it actually is working, and it’s only working because I have the most unbelievable staff on both sides,” Nelson said. “If I ever left—which I don’t see myself leaving anytime soon—I would take all these people with me because I cherish every one of them.”

For Nelson to be leading two entities feels appropriate, given that she grew up with two parents who were “servant leaders” throughout her formative years: her father was president of the Trans World Airlines (now American Airlines) Employees Club and her mother worked in human resources for larger companies.

Watching her parents navigate leadership impressed upon Nelson the importance of leaders and showed her that “one leader can make a difference—and that difference can be so small that no one knows about it—for me, it’s when I see someone on my staff, making sure I know their name and I recognize them, and talk about what they did the day before. I call people out in staff meetings and just make sure people feel my heart more than anything and how much I care.

I care about our city, but I really care about the people.”

Nelson is also a “big believer in culture,” she said.

“Tourism drives the culture of a city, and as a leader, I take that very serious,” Nelson said. “I think that from external relationship, internal relationships, making connections—tourism is such a powerful engine for a market and a city that it is so critical that the leader of a tourism organization and a sports tourism organization is not only passionate about the city, but shows up and helps drive culture, supports the mayor, supports the city council, supports the governors on driving the culture of a community.”

Over the last 15 years, Kansas City has become “so dramatically different,” Nelson said.

“Eleven years ago, we made this dramatic decision that we are going to bid on and get serious about the FIFA World Cup,” she said. “That dramatic decision has made this dramatic result, and we’re hosting the world.”

As Nelson prepared to host the FIFA World Cup, she attended the annual Big Slick Celebrity Weekend on May 31.

Kansas City native and Modern Family actor Eric Stonestreet said something that resonated with Nelson: “People ask, “Is Kansas City ready?’” Nelson recalled. “‘The question should be, ‘Is the world ready for Kansas City?’”

The Palm Beaches COLLECTION Picture-Perfect Between-The-Sessions Experiences

Find innovation that inspires in The Palm Beaches with between-the-sessions experiences for mind, body, and soul. Curate your most successful meetings at ThePalmBeaches.com/meetings.

USAE

Page 8

N E W S

July 6, 2026

Seeing Seattle Through a New Lens

By Chuck Fazio Visit Seattle recently asked if I wanted to capture a different visual “take” on the excitement FIFA was bringing to their town.

There is nothing I love more than capturing the visual essence of a destination in the pictures the DMO will use to show the world who they are, so off I went to Seattle!

But with that fabulous opportunity

By Jordan Bradley A new two-year budget approved

by Virginia state legislatures on June 29 allocates $15 million for the demolition of a defunct entertainment site in Richmond to make way for a new city center hotel.

Once the home of major sporting and entertainment events, the Richmond Coliseum in the city’s downtown city center has been closed since 2019. But as lawmakers are looking to revitalize the area to bring more convention business to the region, they see potential in the

came equal apprehension: Will my work answer the question, “Why did we bring this guy in?”

Talk about a “driving motivator!”

Visit Seattle offered my skills free to their stakeholders, especially to those who might not be able to afford a photographer on their own. I photographed food, interiors, and lifestyle using regular cameras, iPhones, and drones.

The challenge: I generally had less

than 45 minutes on location to assess the visual, find the light, convince customers to be in the picture, and then make it all look magazine worthy.

As a result of this, I became a goodwill ambassador for Visit Seattle. Folks were thrilled to get what I do—for free.

And then came the unexpected shock: My images went viral! I started getting messages from total strangers thanking me. They were so appreciative of how I truly, in their eyes, cap-

tured the essence of their hometown.

I was invited into waterfront homes and onto luxury yachts.

Seattle’s KIRO Radio got wind of what was happening and brought me in for an extended interview. As a result, my website had more than 125k hits in one day!

So, did I capture the essence of Seattle? You be the judge and check out the pictures and interview at www. chuckfazio.com.

Virginia Budget Makes Way for New Hotel in Downtown Richmond

site for an anchor hotel.

Though the demolition has not yet been scheduled, officials say with these newly allocated funds, they expect to take down the building by year’s end.

“These funds pretty much ensure that it’ll come down at the end of the year, very close to it,” Odie Donald, Richmond’s Chief Administrative Officer, told local news outlet WWBT. The process to repurpose the Coliseum’s 7-acre site has been in the works for years.

More recently, the board of the Greater Richmond Convention Center

Authority (GRCCA) last October began soliciting estimates for the demolition of the Coliseum in the hopes of moving the process along “in preparation of a potential real estate transaction for the Coliseum property” to make way for a long sought after convention center hotel, according to the Richmond Biz Sense.

“Our interest, for GRCCA, is the hotel for the convention center. We see it as our future,” GRCCA Chair Nancy Thomas told the outlet last year. She added: “We definitely agree with the city that the location where the Coliseum is makes a lot of sense,

so we are trying to get some estimates (to get) a better understanding on the cost of moving forward as to the demolition, but also we want to explore whether or not we could have underground parking there as well.”

The $15 million allocated in the Virginia state budget will cover the cost of demolishing the Coliseum structure, remediating the parcel of land, and preparing it for a new era.

Donald told WWBT the hope for the site is that it will eventually host a 350-room hotel with top branding to act as an anchor hotel.

In San Antonio, history sets the stage, innovation moves it forward, and culture gives it life resulting in a city defined by authenticity. Diverse hotel packages, unique venues, and one-of-a-kind experiences make it a premier meeting destination.

Visit Meetings.VisitSanAntonio.com to learn more.

USAE

Page 1 0

N E W S

July 6, 2026

Chicago, Family, and Ferris Bueller

By Todd McElwee “What’s wrong with you, Todd?”

“Beat City” by the Flowerpot Men— the song playing during Ferris Bueller’s Day Off as the titular character, Cameron and Sloane speed into Chicago in a red 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder—was on the radio as my wife, Angela, and two of our kids, Evie (12) and Declan (10), cruised into town in our green 2020 Rock Creek edition Nissan Pathfinder. (Our son, Rory, stayed home in Maryland with the grandparents, as we deemed the five-day, four-hotel, road trip to be a bit much for a four-year-old.)

That’s when it hit me—my kids had never seen my favorite movie.

Why Ferris Bueller’s Day Off has been my favorite movie for decades, and why I feel such a connection to Chicago—a place I’ve never spent more than three consecutive days— was unclear until last month’s visit for Association Forum’s Honors Gala at The Old Post Office, which was, of course a smash.

Turns out my love for both boils down to one thing: family.

Chicago connections are old and new; many were made hundreds of miles from the city and some are not my own. My great-grandmother lived there. We visited in the 1980s and went up in the Sears Tower. (It’s still the Sears Tower, and no matter what the official name is, it will always be the Sears Tower.) Years later, while in her nineties, she made the roughly 635-mile drive from Chicago to Hagerstown, Maryland, on my great uncle’s Harley Davidson—a front page story in our local newspaper.

Angela’s sister lived in Chicago for years, as did my wife for a summer.

Wildberry Café

Angela estimates she’s been there with her mom 20 times, or maybe more.

My number of visits is somewhere in the teens.

My beloved wife and I have been together since June 2011. Our familiarity and experiences, shared and unique alike, lead us to discuss Chicago like it’s our hometown, or the place we met. Before last month, we’d never been together.

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off first appeared on my radar, via a VHS recoding off HBO, in either 1987 or 1988. I watched with my cousin, Brian. Two years younger, seven inches taller, arguably smarter but certainly less handsome, he’s my best friend; my brother in everything but definition.

Who knows how many times we watched, but it was enough for us to be able to faithfully recreate scenes— our favorite stems from the Bueller residence when Jeanie and Principal Ed Rooney spring from behind corners, believing they’ve caught Ferris skipping school. It ends with a series of blackbelt level kicks that bloody the latter’s nose.

By the way, if you haven’t watched Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, please stop reading this self-indulgent schlock and turn it on. Extra credit for VHS viewing.

Brian is an attorney in Tampa. We don’t see each other a lot, which sucks. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and Chicago—which we’ve never been to together—continue to connect us.

We’ve FaceTimed from Windy City bars. Last winter at the Art Institute, I texted him a photo of me with A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte by Georges Seurat from the exact spot where Cameron from the movie gazed at the painting while

American Writers Museum

the freshness of the ingredients, the Dream Academy’s instrumental cover amount of walking we did and probaof the Smith’s “Please, Please, Please bly a healthy dose of self-denial.

Let Me Get What I Want” plays. I may Embarrassingly, the teacher in have cried in the moments before the family, and not the professional the photo. journalist, discovered the American Playing the tourism hits, Angela Writers Museum (AWM). and I took the kids to the Bean, Navy Occupying a single floor in a MichPier, and a Wendella architecture river igan Avenue office building, it is a cruise—all three of which Angela and I jewel of a facility. It’s multimedia, had done separately—and the Musehands on and completely engaging. um of Science and Industry, which I’d One machine prints out short stories, visited during last year’s Association poems and other notable examples Forum’s Honors Gala. of American writing on CVS receipt We saw Ferris’ dad’s office building length pieces of paper. There are 21 at on the boat tour. my house, each rolled as if they were a She took the kids to a free concert scroll from the Library of Alexandria. in Millennium Park when I was at this Evie and Angela wrote letters to their year’s celebration. future self and the family, respectively, “Holy cow!” I said as Declan’s “Little on typewriters. I gave up after one Berries” menu order of Oreo s’mores pancakes was delivered at Chicago’s Please turn to page 11 bustling breakfast spot Wildberry Café. I’m foggy on the number of flapjacks spread artfully across the plate, but I vividly recall our server laughing at my, and Angela’s reaction to the dish, with a simple, “Welcome to the Midwest.”

Delightful and indulgent are the best ways to describe Wildberry (notice I did not say gluttonous).

We ate it up.

Over the course of two meals— the kids championed a return just before we left the city—our dishes (pancakes, waffles, hash and omelets) included figs, mushrooms, fresh berries, chocolate syrup, cantaloupe, sliced bananas, pineapple, potatoes, whipped cream, marshmallows, cheese, cookie dough, brisket and morsels of the white and milk chocolate varieties.

The portions are staggering—each of us ate leftovers on multiple occasions—but again, we did not feel gluttonous or lethargic due to Palmer House

July 6, 2026

USAE

N E W S

Page 1 1

Around Associations IGLTA Foundation Launches Second Cohort for TUI Futureshapers Program… The IGLTA Foundation and the TUI Care Foundation have announced the second cohort of the TUI Futureshapers Global: LGBTQIA+ Travel Innovators program.

The program combines business training, one-to-one mentoring and access to global tourism networks to help LGBTQ+ tourism businesses strengthen their operations, expand their visibility and create more inclusive travel experiences.

The second cohort will once again bring together more than 20 tourism entrepreneurs from across emerging destinations worldwide. It will culminate at the 2026 IGLTA Global

Chicago

continued from page 10

sentence and multiple typos.

We stayed at the Palmer House, my first time doing so. Arriving an hour before check-in and a day before the American Library Association’s massive Annual Conference, we were politely told by the desk attendant that the room was not ready, but it was worth waiting for.

The kids were immediately fascinated with lobby’s grandeur and spent considerable time exploring every part of it. The parents were content having a drink on a couch— a blueberry martini for Angela, a local IPA for me. Evie and Declan quickly discovered the brownie was invented at the property and an order was placed with hast. (Despite the evidence, please note sugary foods do not constitute the majority of our kids’ diets.)

The time in the lobby breezed by.

Getting off at the 22 floor, we walked in our room. The desk attendant was right: worth the wait. Classically elegant and comfortable, it was spacious and, best of all, had two full bathrooms. At times it was hard to

Convention in Seville, Spain, this November, where selected participants from both cohorts will present their businesses during a live pitching competition attended by tourism leaders and investors.

“Working with the TUI Care Foundation shows exactly what happens when we collaborate to bridge gaps in the industry. By sharing our global networks and pairing these entrepreneurs with dedicated mentors, we are expanding access to the visibility and resources they have been excluded from for too long,” said TJ Chernick, Partnership Engagement Director of the IGLTA Foundation. “It’s really been inspiring to see participants from the first cohort step into their full leave. We opted to watch the second half of U.S. vs. Türkiye FIFA World Cup match there in instead of heading to a watch party. The first half was spent on the balcony above the lobby, with a solo guitarist playing as the contest started.

The Palmer House’s pièce de résistance has to be its $2.2 million heated, indoor pool, complete with whirlpool jets. Flanked by handsomely inviting lounge areas and underneath an expansive glass roof, the facility, like Declan’s pancakes, spurred a “holy…!” (this time I went full bore) from me when entering. It’s a one of one.

No matter where we were at the Palmer House, the service was tremendous. Driving home, Declan said it was his favorite hotel.

USAE has an advertising arrangement with Hiltons of Chicago.

Angela and I will be in Chicago next week for Meet Minneapolis’s An Evening at The Obama Presidential Center. We’re thrilled. Perhaps I’ll drop by the AWM and type a message to Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and Chicago…

“Thank You.” My kids can watch the movie while we’re gone.

potential and start building the future they envision for their communities.

Knowing this is just the beginning gives me a sense of hope for a better industry for us all.”

Find more information here.

Restaurant Academy Launched by American Express Resy and National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation… American Express and Resy, in partnership with the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, announced Restaurant Academy on July 1.

The new national leadership development program is designed specifically for restaurant leaders and will equip owners and managers with practical tools to build stronger teams, enhance the guest experience, strengthen business resilience and connect with peers to help support long-term business success.

Participants will engage directly with industry leaders including James Beard Award Winners Mashama Bailey, Gregory Gourdet, and Nok Suntaranon, as well as sommelier and restaurateur Victoria James.

“Restaurants are one of the most powerful leadership incubators in America,” said Michelle Korsmo, CEO of the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation. “At the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, we are

committed to expanding access to the training and education that unlocks leadership potential and grows it into lasting careers and a better future. This program creates new opportunities to strengthen leadership at every level, equipping today’s managers and owners and powering the next generation of restaurant leaders.”

Restaurant Academy will bring together 30 restaurant leaders. They’ll participate in facilitated learning and peer engagement sessions from September 2026 through March 2027.

The program will include an in-person gathering this fall with leaders from the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, American Express, Resy and the broader industry.

Find more information here.

PCMA Capital Chapter Hosting Post Graduation Webinar… On July 15, the Next Gen Subcommittee of the PCMA Capital Chapter is will hold the free virtual session, Beyond Graduation: Building Your Events Career with PCMA. “Are you a recent graduate or current student eager to launch a dynamic and rewarding career?” the chapter said.

“Join us for an exclusive webinar designed to equip you with the essential knowledge and connections to thrive in the exciting world of event management! In this comprehensive.”

Find more information here.

In New Orleans, we connect around the meeting table and the dining table. We share more than appetizers – we share ideas.

Plan your meetings with New Orleans & Company and let us do the heavy lifting. We’ll connect you with hotels, venues, entertainment, business services and much more at no cost to you. As the official marketing and sales organization for the New Orleans Tourism Industry, we deliver full-service support to make your planning process seamless.

P L A N YOU R MEETI NG I N N EW O R LEA NS neworleans.com/meetings | 877.393.5836