Sunshine Matters

I am so excited to introduce our new Meetings and Travel Trade team.  This group connects with key travel professionals domestically and is tasked with developing key business relationships with meeting planners, travel trade and tour operators.  They represent VISIT FLORIDA at industry conferences, coordinate VIP events and promote travel to Florida in these markets.

The new manager of Meetings and Travel Trade is Lily E. Etemadi. She is now overseeing VISIT FLORIDA’s meetings outreach and domestic travel trade programs.  A Tallahassee native, Lily has been with VISIT FLORIDA for over 10 years.  She has served as the corporate meeting planner, handled the Canadian market and was our Northeast representative based in New York for four years.

After working with VISIT FLORIDA for five years, Gray Tyndall is now the Meetings and Travel Trade Representative.  She is originally from North Carolina, grew up in Jacksonville and moved to Tallahassee for school.  Gray’s favorite Florida destination is St. George Island, her happy place.

Celebrating her 25th anniversary with VISIT FLORIDA on April 1, 2016, Brenda Bryant is our Sales and Marketing Development Representative.  Brenda is from Bayonne, NJ and enjoys riding motorcycles.  Her “no one is a stranger” attitude allows her to connect well with many people.

I am also delighted to share details on our Corporate Meetings & Events team, led by Steven Bonda.  These professionals coordinate, source, design and execute all of VISIT FLORIDA’s corporate meetings and events, such as the Florida Governor’s Conference on Tourism, Florida Encounter, Florida Tourism Leadership Summit and Florida Huddle.

Steven, our Senior Manager of Corporate Meetings and Events, has been with VISIT FLORIDA for 11 years in a variety of roles.  Prior to VISIT FLORIDA, Steven worked at the Jupiter Resort and Spa.  He is originally from the Netherlands, but has called Florida home for almost 20 years.

New to VISIT FLORIDA and working directly with Steven is Rachel Bruce, our Corporate Meetings and Events Planner.  Rachel joins VISIT FLORIDA after working as the Marketing Events Manager at Enterprise Florida.  She is from Tallahassee and is a tenth generation Floridian.

Also new to VISIT FLORIDA and providing support to both Lily and Steven, Elizabeth Albrizio is our Meetings, Events and Travel Trade Coordinator.  Elizabeth, who is from Tallahassee, joins the VISIT FLORIDA family after working for the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association for two years.  She interned at the Ritz Carlton Central Park in New York and lived in Manhattan for a summer.

I am extremely proud of the entire Meetings team we have put together, and look forward to our industry Partners and collaborators throughout the country getting to know our newest teammates first hand.  For more information on our Meetings initiatives, feel free to contact me at sbailey@VISITFLORIDA.org.