People on the Move
Today CMT Agency, the premier, world-class staffing company that provides talent to businesses and brands at conferences, brand activations, adult beverage tastings and promotional events, has a new president and CEO. Kelley Strong will lead the 21-year-old company as the world begins to re-open post COVID-19 and hold in-person events and large-scale tradeshows. Strong plans to grow CMT Agency’s cloud-based database of more than 25,000 professionals to more than 35,000 this year and provide high quality talent for events and retail demonstrations around the world.
The American Rental Association (ARA) is excited to announce the addition Mary Larick as a Senior Account Specialist on the Member Services team. In her new role Mary will work closely with current and future ARA members offering her expertise, complemented by ARA’s products and programs, to help event rental companies grow their business. Mary has over 10 years of event rental industry experience, including serving as Director of Sales for CE Rental in Raleigh, NC, one of the Southeast’s premier tabletop and tent providers. Mary will focus her efforts on growing, retaining, and supporting the event rental segment members in the association.
360 Destination Group, a leading full-service destination and event management company, has wecomed Craig Bullock as their newest Regional General Manager. Craig brings over 35 years of hospitality and destination management experience to the team and is excited for the future of meetings and events in Las Vegas as well as the other destinations 360DG has taken over throughout the country (including California, Arizona, Texas, Chicago, New York, and Florida).
Hot Off the Press
Hestia Harlow, the hyper-curated online tablescape and event hosting platform, is offering a seamless and effortless way to create an unforgettable celebration for every mother! Handling the table setting, menu creation, and (most importantly!) dish washing is another way to show love and care. Hestia Harlow is there to help at all stages of the event planning process.
For Mother’s Day, Hestia Harlow offers four custom tablescape collections: vibrant and Meditteranean-inspired Adoro Amalfi; fresh and bright Provence Passport in a French countryside style; a flourishing Commit to Print with floral motifs; and artistic Blush Brunch in rose shades. The sets also include a customized menu for those who don’t have time to cook and would rather spend quality time with their loved ones sharing precious moments of joy!
Wildly Different, an award-winning custom event and team building company in Orlando, has started delivering virtual events for corporate team building, intern recruitment events, custom games that integrate company training, and for client entertainment. As a way to meet the growing demand, the company tweaked its marketing to focus on virtual and updated and expanded its virtual team building catalog from three events to a current offering of 19 different virtual games.
Association Updates
The American Rental Association (ARA) has debuted the new ARA Job Board — aimed at both increasing awareness of the equipment and event rental industry careers and providing a way for employers and qualified candidates to connect. ARA rental store members and employers can access the new ARA Job Board through their existing account on ARArental.org. Job seekers can find a link on ARArentalworks.com, a microsite designed for those looking to learn more about rental industry careers.
To celebrate the launch, ARA is offering five free 90-day postings to all ARA rental store members (using promo code ARA-5Free). The offer allows members to test the multi-faceted job board without any type of commitment. The ARA Job Board is free to any job applicant.
The Wedding International Professionals Association (WIPA) and Equally Wed Pro are pleased to announce a partnership to advance inclusivity initiatives in the events industry.
Equally Wed Pro has generously donated a number of their certification courses to the organization, giving D+I committee members access to timely, inclusive curriculum in a combination of educational articles and videos. In addition, WIPA members will receive a member-only discount to Equally Wed Pro’s certification course, and Palladino will also be working closely with WIPA Education on a joint virtual webinar for its members.
