McLean, VA – Following 30 years of govt management for the Hospitality Gross sales and Advertising Affiliation Worldwide (HSMAI) Americas, HSMAI Basis and HSMAI International, the group is asserting the retirement of President and CEO, Bob Gilbert. A cherished and admired chief within the international hospitality {industry}, Gilbert has accelerated his retirement plan on account of a critical well being situation.
It’s with the utmost respect that we announce right now the retirement of Bob Gilbert from his function of President and CEO of HSMAI,
stated Andrew Rubinacci, CHSP, HSMAI Americas chair and chief advisory officer at FLYR Hospitality. Bob has been a mentor and good friend to so many people within the {industry} and has taken the affiliation to new heights over the course of his unimaginable 30-year tenure, increasing HSMAI throughout the globe. The affiliation will profit from his management for a few years to return.
Gilbert mirrored, I need to specific my appreciation for my years on the affiliation, the deep partnerships constructed with so lots of you, and the belief you positioned in me to assist information the group to actually affect gross sales, advertising, and income optimization within the hospitality {industry}. The hospitality discipline has at all times confirmed its vitality and resilience, evolving with the world’s adjustments irrespective of how rapidly these adjustments have occurred. We’ve tailored by occasions like 9/11 and the pandemic and emerged stronger than ever earlier than. He added, Within the final yr alone, we unveiled HSMAI’s first ever Business Technique Convention, continued the coalition constructing with different {industry} organizations like AHLA, HFTP, HEDNA, and extra, and launched HSMAI’s Century Marketing campaign to have fun HSMAI’s 100-year anniversary in 2027 and guarantee it’s right here for members and the {industry} for 100 extra. I owe a debt of gratitude to all the {industry} leaders who’ve served as volunteer leaders for the group, and a workers of devoted professionals who’ve carried out their imaginative and prescient.
A trailblazer within the hospitality {industry} for his development of the affiliation, Gilbert introduced HSMAI’s areas throughout the globe underneath the umbrella of HSMAI International in 2002 and launched organizational membership in 2018. Throughout his time as president and CEO, HSMAI launched many new chapters within the Americas, together with Brazil and Puerto Rico, and formalized Europe as an HSMAI Area, along with the formation of world areas, together with Asia Pacific (2003), the Center East (2008), and improvement of Latin America (2023).
Gilbert spearheaded the creation and exponential development of HSMAI’s Technique Conferences, implementing particular curiosity teams that developed areas for these in gross sales, advertising, and income administration to be taught, community, and advance of their careers. Following the success of the digital advertising and resort advertising technique conferences Gilbert led the introduction of income administration as a self-discipline in 2003 with the launch of the HSMAI Income Administration Technique Convention, which in the end developed into uniting the gross sales, advertising, and income disciplines into what’s now referred to as “business” in 2024. Throughout Gilbert’s tenure, HSMAI additionally launched the Licensed Income Administration Govt (CRME) certification, the Licensed Hospitality Digital Marketer (CHDM) certification, the Licensed Lodge Enterprise Acumen (CHBA) certification, and the newly launched Licensed Lodge Gross sales Chief (CHSL) certification. Many business strategists who started their careers studying from HSMAI’s conferences and academic sources now function mentors for the brand new era of hospitality professionals.
Throughout his management, Gilbert carried HSMAI by historic occasions that considerably impacted the hospitality {industry}, together with the terrorist assaults on 9/11, the 2008 recession, and the Covid-19 pandemic. HSMAI served as a unifier instantly following 9/11 with the primary {industry} convention held in New York to convey leaders collectively to start charting a course ahead. He ensured that the affiliation answered the {industry}’s want for steerage by groundbreaking analysis research, expert-led conferences, industry-leading certifications, and strategic academic sources. In every occasion, he streamlined the affiliation in order that HSMAI emerged stronger than earlier than.
Gilbert centered the HSMAI Basis’s mission on expertise attraction, development, and retention. Final yr, Gilbert proudly launched the HSMAI Basis’s Century Marketing campaign to generate consciousness across the group’s origins, spotlight its optimistic affect on the hospitality {industry}, and showcase HSMAI’s plans for the long run. Donations to the Century Marketing campaign can be used to develop and assist the {industry}’s subsequent era, proceed to reinforce membership advantages, and create extra alternative for tomorrow’s innovators.
HSMAI’s Management Transition
Whereas Gilbert is on medical go away, HSMAI Senior Vice President, Juli Jones, CAE, will function interim managing director for HSMAI because the affiliation commences the search course of, led by SearchWide International and supported by HSMAI’s affiliation administration firm MCI, to nominate the subsequent president and CEO. MCI Affiliate Vice President and HSMAI Content material Director, Kristin Miodonski, will function interim managing director for the HSMAI Basis.
About HSMAI
HSMAI is a world group of gross sales, advertising, and income optimization professionals representing all segments of the hospitality {industry}. With a powerful concentrate on training, HSMAI leads the way in which in figuring out and speaking developments within the hospitality {industry}. Working as a number one voice for each hospitality and for the gross sales, advertising, and income optimization disciplines, HSMAI connects its members with clients. Based in the USA in 1927, HSMAI is a membership group comprising 5,000 members from 35 nations and chapters worldwide. HSMAI operates across the globe by way of regional boards of administrators and workers. There are 4 areas: the Americas, Asia Pacific, Europe, and the Center East, with a Latin America area underneath improvement. Every area has geographic chapters and signature applications and providers for affiliation members. HSMAI has a International board which is made up of delegates from every area.