The Choose Chicago Meeting and Convention Sales team is the official sales arm of the city of Chicago and McCormick Place. Our team — which brings together accomplished professionals with backgrounds in hotel sales, general service contracting, convention and visitors bureaus, and more — is responsible for booking over 2.65M room nights annually into Chicagoland hotels, and 55 new group bookings into McCormick Place throughout 2019.
Meeting and Convention Sales
Darrell Baker
CASE, Vice President, Trade Shows Sales
Phone: (312) 567-8573
Email: dbaker@choosechicago.com
Market: Trade show companies, all states (for McCormick Place)
Association: DC, MD, and VA (for McCormick Place)
Julie Mullins
Vice President, Convention Sales
Phone: (312) 567-8598
Email: jmullins@choosechicago.com
Market: Manages the convention team and handles select accounts.
Dawn Young
Vice President, Hotel Sales
Phone: (312) 567-8459
Email: dyoung@choosechicago.com
Market: Leads the sales team tasked with selling hotel opportunities.
Key contact for Maritz, Prestige, and HPN Network.
Frank Alba
National Sales Manager, West Coast
Phone: (312) 567-8503
Email: falba@choosechicago.com
Market: Corporate and Association – West, Southwest and International
(in-house programs, peak rooms >250)
Segment: All vertical markets except SMERF.
Market: Association – All states (excluding East Coast), Weddings, Sports
(in-house programs, peak rooms 10-250).
Segment: All vertical markets except SMERF.
Monika Babik, CMP
Director, Association Sales
Phone: (312) 567-8469
Email: mbabik@choosechicago.com
Market: Association – Illinois
(in-house programs, peak rooms >250)
Segment: All vertical markets except SMERF
Caroline Gardner
Director, Convention Sales, Mid-Atlantic
Phone: (312) 567-8506
Email: cgardner@choosechicago.com
Market: Association – Mid-Atlantic Association (DC, VA, and MD) for McCormick Place
Segment: All vertical segments
Tamara Jones
Director, Association Sales
Phone: (312) 567-8591
Email: tjones@choosechicago.com
Market: Association, all regions excluding Mid-Atlantic (for McCormick Place)
Segment: Medical, business, hobbies, hospitality, insurance, telecommunications, SMERF, sports, building, construction, public administration, safety, retail, and utilities.
Samantha Mataragas
Sales Account Executive
Phone: (312) 567-8484
Email: smataragas@choosechicago.com
Market: Corporate – Midwest, West and International
(in-house programs, peak rooms 10-250).
Segment: All vertical markets except SMERF.
Maggie Menozzi
Director, Association Sales
Phone: (312) 567-8564
Email: mmenozzi@choosechicago.com
Market: Association, all regions excluding Mid-Atlantic (for McCormick Place).
Segment: Agriculture/food/commodities, automotive/transportation, culture/fine arts/libraries, educational, manufacturing/distribution, professional trade, scientific/engineering.
Key contact for Experient (not Experient Sales Network) and SmithBucklin.
Anthony Molino
Director of Hotel Sales
Phone: (312) 567-8502
Email: amolino@choosechicago.com
Market: Corporate and association – Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia
(in-house programs, peak rooms >251)
Segment: All vertical segments
Kenyetta Peterson
National Sales Manager
Phone: (312) 567-8562
Email: kpeterson@choosechicago.com
Market: Corporate – Midwest
(in-house programs, peak rooms >250)
Segment: All vertical markets, except SMERF.
Michele Pondexter
Director, Diversity Sales
Phone: (312) 567-8497
Email: mpondexter@choosechicago.com
Market: All states, excluding DC, MD, VA – SMURF, minority, LGBTQ and government
(in-house programs, peak rooms >10).
Segment: SMERF vertical includes social/personal, military/veterans, labor union (and select universities), religious and fraternal organizations.
Lauren Riordan
New Business Development Associate
Phone: (312) 567-8544
Email: lriordan@choosechicago.com
John Sklencar
National Sales Manager, Northeast
Phone: (312) 567-8494
Email: jsklencar@choosechicago.com
Market: Corporate and Association – Northeast and Eastern Canada; Southeast (Corporate only)
(in-house programs, peak rooms >250)
Segment: All vertical markets except SMERF.
Candace Tran
Sales Account Executive
Phone: (312) 567-8534
Email: ctran@choosechicago.com
Market: Corporate and Association – Northeast, Southeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Eastern Canada
(in-house programs, peak rooms 10-250)
Segment: All vertical segments
Cody Wancha
National Sales Manager - Business Development
Phone: 312-567-8450
Email: cwancha@choosechicago.com
Market: Association – Midwest (excluding Illinois) and Southeast
(in-house programs, peak rooms >250)
Segment: All vertical markets except SMERF
Lance Wheeler
Director, Business Development & Corporate Lead
Phone: (312) 567-8466
Email: lwheeler@choosechicago.com
