Friday Jun 06, 2008
The UK and Ireland Chapter of the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) has announced a change to the position of Chair and the election of two new members to join its proactive Chapter Committee, Kerrin Macphie of the BT Convention Centre and Sue Etherington of the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre.
Currently the UK & Ireland Chapter is headed by Brian Horsburgh, Acting Managing Director of the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre, however, at the recent Chapter meeting at IMEX Brian announced he will be stepping down as Chair in Summer 2008. Brian will be replaced by James Rees, Head of Sales, Associations & Public Sector at ExCeL London.
Brian Horsburgh said: "After an exciting 3 years in the Chair of the ICCA UK & I Chapter, I feel it is time to step down and am delighted James is taking over. I have had a great group of colleagues supporting me on the committee during my years in office. I think the Chapter is in great shape and will go from strength to strength with James at the helm. I also pay tribute to the tremendous support of our business partner Leith's and of ICCA Head Office. I will remain on the committee for the foreseeable future and offer James my full support. I also look forward to working with Kerrin and Sue who will bring new ideas and fresh perspectives to the Committee."
James Rees commented: "I am very much looking forward to taking over the role of Chairman for the UK & Ireland Chapter and feel that Brian has set up a solid foundation of Chapter events and relationships and I fully intend to build upon these. Importantly, ExCeL London recognises the benefits of being involved with ICCA and I have the full support of the company to dedicate the time required to Chapter activities. The addition of Kerrin and Sue brings the Committee up to full strength and with both the new and existing expertise I feel we can continue to deliver the high standard of events our members are used to experiencing."
Head of Sales at Liverpool's newly launched BT Convention Centre, Kerrin has worked tirelessly to place Europe's newest, eco-friendly venue at the top of the 'must-have' locations for buyers both at home and abroad. A driving force behind the MIA's H-AM, the first ever accreditation standard for the meetings industry, Kerrin joined the BT Convention Centre in January 2006 from the Mersey Partnership, where she held the position of Commercial Tourism Manager. "I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work within ICCA to raise awareness of UK and Ireland issues at an international level. The meetings industry is played on a global stage; it is essential that we work in an international context to improve standards and really understand what drives the international buyers' market," she commented.
Sue has been at the Queen Elizabeth II Centre in Westminster, London, for the past 5 years and is responsible for generating new clients from UK and International Markets. With a background in the hotel and conference centre sector, most recently as National Sales Director at Red Carnation Hotels, a luxury boutique chain, Sue has extensive knowledge of the corporate and MICE markets.
Since joining the QEIICC Sue has become extensively involved with the International Association Market and has interacted with ICCA at various events. During these 5 years Sue has contributed to winning a number of International Association congresses for London and QEIICC. Sue added: "The UK and Ireland are strong markets on the international scene. I am pleased to have the opportunity to work with the UK and Ireland Chapter of ICCA to ensure that we maximise potential and raise the profile of our markets on a global level."
Along with Brian, James, Kerrin and Sue the following make up the UK & Ireland Committee:
- Jane Cunningham - Concorde Services
- Jean Evans - Dublin Convention Bureau
- Ciarén Hynes - Bravo! Group
- Natalie Bell - Riverbank Park Plaza