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Michael Massari
Vice President of Meeting Sales &
Operations-Las Vegas
I have been in events my entire life, starting with a private catering
facility in suburban Philadelphia. From there, I began working with
meeting planners for Wyndham Hotels.
When Las Vegas
called in 1998, I made the move to work as a National Sales Manager for
the Venetian. At the end of 2000, opportunity knocked at the Rio and I joined the team as the Executive
Director of Sales & Operations. Together with my team, we created
great results by having all departments that directly affect meetings
report to one person. Keeping with the tradition of having a
streamlined reporting structure, I accepted the position of Vice
President of Hotel Operations.
The merger of Harrah’s Entertainment and Caesars Entertainment
presented me with an even greater opportunity. As Vice President of
Meeting Sales & Operations-Las Vegas,
I have been able to expand my vision across six properties in the
growing Las Vegas
region. The meetings and conventions market is very valuable to the
company, so our goal is to ensure that everyone has a successful event
and a memorable experience. We want you to return, year after year, and
enjoy the relationship that you have built with a team that knows you
well.
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Jordan Clark
Vice President of Sales-Las Vegas
It all started in my youth, having witnessed my parents’ passion for
entertaining. My first professional experience was with a European
hotelier whose philosophy on service was to “Treat every guest as if
they were a guest in your own home.” This adage impacts my decisions on
a daily basis, and fuels my desire to provide outstanding service to
every customer I come into contact with. Since 1988, I have continued
to strive towards this goal.
In 2000, I brought my goals with me to the best meeting destination in
the world: Las Vegas.
Having worked as the Director of Sales East Coast for the Venetian, and
then as Director of Sales for the Four Seasons Hotel, I joined the Rio and the Harrah’s Entertainment family in
March of 2004. The shared vision of having all the departments that
contribute to the success of a meeting under one umbrella is the
perfect fit for me. I chose the number-one city in the world for
meetings, so it only seemed natural to choose the number-one meeting hotel
within that city!
At the end of each day, our success is not measured by how many new
customers we attract, but by the number of customers we have return.
That is my passion, and I look forward to having you return!
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Don Ross
Vice President of Catering, Conventions
& Events - Las Vegas
I am responsible for overseeing the Catering, Conference Services,
Banquets and Meeting Services departments for all six Las Vegas
Meetings by Harrah’s Entertainment properties.
In addition to the day-to-day responsibilities of those areas, I serve
as the primary agent of our six stop strategy, helping to guide our
meeting planners and make it simple for them to utilize multiple
properties and venues within our Las
Vegas family.
I have over 26 years of experience in management positions with various
hotels, resorts and casinos. I worked at Bally’s Las
Vegas for 16 years and was part of the Paris opening team. Prior to that, I
was the Director of Convention Services at Caesars
Palace, and held various
positions in food and beverage with the Boca Raton Hotel & Club;
Amfac in Oahu, Maui and Dallas; Hilton
Hotels in Dallas and Miami;
and the Hyatt Regency Atlanta. I hold a Bachelor of Science Degree in
Hospitality Management from Florida
International University.
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Todd Gagnon
Director of Sales-Eastern Region
I am responsible for the group sales effort for Harrah’s Entertainment’s
six Las Vegas
properties in the eastern portion of the country, plus all insurance
and financial groups. I report to Jordan
Clark.
I started with Caesars Palace in February of 1997 and, prior to the
marriage of the two companies, served as Director of Group Sales for Caesars Palace. Prior to that, I worked
for Marriott Corporation for seven years in Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert
and San Antonio.
I hold a Bachelor of Science Degree in Hotel/Restaurant Travel
Administration from the University
of Massachusetts.
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Wendy Bennecke
Director of Sales-Midwest Region
I am responsible for the group sales effort for our six Las Vegas properties in the mid-west section of
the United States,
plus all incentive groups. I report to Jordan
Clark.
I grew up in Rock Falls,
Illinois, graduating from
the University of Wisconsin-Stout with a Bachelor’s Degree in
Hospitality and Tourism. I started my career with Wyndham Hotels
in Philadelphia & Dallas
and came to Las Vegas
in 1999. I have been with Harrah’s Entertainment since 2002, starting
out as a National Sales Manager and promoted to Director of Sales in
July, 2005.
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Drew Varga
Vice President of Sales-Western Region
I am responsible for the group sales effort for the six Las Vegas
properties in the western portion of the country, plus all union and
diversity groups. I report to Jordan Clark.
Prior to the merger of Harrah’s and Caesars, I was responsible for the
convention sales and marketing efforts for Bally’s, Paris and Flamingo Las Vegas as the
Vice President of Convention Sales. I joined Bally’s in October
of 1990, and before that held various sales positions with the Sands
Hotel and Casino and the Las Vegas Hilton.
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Jennifer Abdinoor
Director of Sales-Citywide
I oversee the sales efforts to all citywide groups for our six Las Vegas
properties. I report to Jordan Clark.
I started with Caesars Entertainment in 2000, most recently serving as
the Director of Sales for Bally's, Paris and Flamingo Las Vegas, where
I played a vital role in synergizing the sales efforts between the
three facilities.
My previous experience includes various leadership positions throughout
the Washington D.C.
metropolitan area, Virginia and Boston with Hilton Hotels, Sheraton, Crown Plaza and Radisson.
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Reina Herschdorfer
Executive Director Catering, Convention
Services & Events
Caesars Palace
Prior to joining the Rio team, I was the Director of Sales &
Marketing for the convention market for the United Kingdom at the 5,200
room Disneyland Paris Resort, where I started as a member of the
opening team as Director of Catering & Convention Services. My
career began with Intercontinental Hotels, where I was the youngest
sales manager in the company. Now at Caesars, I love the pace, the
customers, the multi-tasking and the creativity.
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Michael Hartman
Executive Director Catering, Convention
Services & Events
Rio ALl-Suite Hotel & Casino
Before joining the Rio team in December of 2006, I served for seven
years as Director of Catering/Convention Services at Bally’s and Paris, where I managed all aspects of convention
operations and was part of the Paris
opening team.
I have 18 years of experience in meetings and convention management
both on the hotel side and on the association side, giving me the
unique perspective of having been on both sides of the fence. Prior to
joining the Harrah’s Entertainment family, I was the Director of Conventions
& Meetings for the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America.
I also worked for Hilton Washington,
D.C. & Towers as
Assistant Director of Convention Services, and held various positions
with the Hilton Atlanta Airport & Towers and the Hilton Atlanta
& Towers.
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Bill Dosch
Director of Catering, Convention
Services & Events
Harrah’s Las Vegas and Flamingo Las Vegas
I am originally from Long
Island, NY
which is where I began my career cooking in various local restaurants.
I moved to Las Vegas
to obtain my Bachelor’s Degree in Hotel Administration and decided this
was the town for me.
For the last 10 years, I have been working at the Flamingo Las Vegas
within the catering and conference services department. I truly enjoy
working in this exciting and rewarding field.
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