Explore Seattle Southside (Seattle Southside Regional Tourism Authority) announced this week that their own Meagan McGuire, CDME, Vice President of Business Development, was honored as a winner in the prestigious 2023 Smart Women in Meetings Awards.
In its 8th year running, the award, presented by Smart Meetings (the leading meetings industry publisher and essential resource for event professionals) has become an important industry landmark and a cherished achievement for women who are making a significant impact and elevating the meetings industry. These accomplished meetings muses were distinguished by nominations from their industry peers and colleagues and evaluated against hundreds of remarkable, qualified meeting candidates. They earned top honors for their commitment and significant contributions to the meetings industry.
“I’ve been with Explore Seattle Southside for nearly a decade. In the beginning, I tried to mold the meetings sales and services role into a position that simulates what larger Destination Marketing Organizations do—like fitting a square peg into a round hole,” McGuire said. “I was listening too much to the ‘supposed to be’ voices. Refocusing our goal to think more about how we can support the people we have the power to support (such as our hotel partners and meeting planners) has reframed our approach, changed our messaging and mission, and has proved more beneficial to our partners and the planners we assist.”
This past year, the women honored helped the global meetings industry regain its health and vitality after a long recovery post-Covid. Through this awards program, Smart Meetings recognizes these women at all levels of their careers who inspire us with their aptitude, leadership skills, and dedication to their work in the meetings industry.
“This business has evolved rapidly over the last decade, and we are in the midst of a hospitality revolution. My hope is that the next generation of professionals will approach their careers with a desire to understand others’ worldviews and then use that knowledge to sculpt an environment that builds meaningful connections”, says McGuire.
Smart Women in Meetings Award winners will be featured in the magazine and online and will receive on-stage honors at the Smart Women in Meetings Awards gala during the Smart Woman Summit at the New York Marriott Marquis, in Times Square, NYC on Thursday, Aug. 3, 2023.
About Smart Meetings
Smart Meetings is the leading meetings industry publisher and voice of inspiration for meeting professionals. We inspire our audience of meeting and event professionals to dream big—and create brilliant experiences that delight attendees, achieve desired results and elevate the impact of the meetings industry. We are essential reading for the evolution currently happening all over the globe. Smart Meetings publishes cutting-edge meetings content in print and digital magazines 12 times per year, hosts world-class networking events, produces CEU-accredited Smart Chat Live! webinars and offers a myriad of digital resources.
About Explore Seattle Southside
Explore Seattle Southside (The Seattle Southside Regional Tourism Authority) is the official destination marketing organization for Seattle Southside, including the cities of SeaTac, Tukwila and Des Moines. The organization is responsible for competitively marketing the area as an ideal travel destination for leisure and business travelers who wish to explore Western Washington and an idyllic place for meeting and event planners to hold their events. The Seattle Southside RTA is funded by a self-assessed hotel fund. More info at https://www.seattlesouthside.com.
