Michele Nichols, Founder & CEO of Unique Venues, honored with HSMAI Award

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HSMAI RECOGNIZES MICHELE NICHOLS AMONG MOST EXTRAORDINARY MINDS IN SALES & MARKETING
"Top 25" Honor Presented at HSMAI Adrian Awards Reception & Gala 

Edwards, CO – January 2011 -- The Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) has selected Michele Nichols as one of the "Top 25 Most Extraordinary Minds in Sales and Marketing" for 2010.  The eighth annual list recognizes the "best of the best" in the hospitality, travel and tourism industries, and the recipients will be honored during a private ceremony preceding the Adrian Awards Gala on January 31, 2011, at the New York Marriott Marquis, and will be recognized at the Adrian Reception and Gala.

The 2010 "Top 25" recipients were judged by a panel of senior industry executives for their recent work based on the following criteria: creativity and innovation; cutting edge sales or marketing campaigns; triumph in challenging situations; and sales efforts that resulted in dramatic gains.

Above all, Michele Nichols is an innovator. As the Founder & CEO of Unique Venues, a marketing membership organization that connects meeting planners with unique meeting and event space, she identified an underserved niche of campus venues and promoted them to planners by publishing the first Guide to Convening on Campus featuring 140 colleges and universities. That was 1986. Today, that niche has broadened to more than 750 venues in the US, Canada and UK including museums, mansions, stadiums, theaters, cruise ships and more...all part of Unique Venues.

Having started her career with Westin Hotels & Resorts in Colorado, after graduating from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration, Michele believes that her idea was simple: to provide exposure to an underserved, overlooked market.

Today, Michele and her team still produce the ground-breaking annual planner’s guide and continue to expand their outreach for their members to include a widely-popular interactive website, social media, and planner tradeshows.

"The Top 25 is a 'hot list' that celebrates the sales and marketing leaders and innovators of our industry," said Robert A. Gilbert, CHME, CHA, president and CEO of HSMAI. "The creative strategies, passionate dedication and sharp intelligence of these professionals have not only made a difference within their organizations but have also truly raised the bar for the hospitality industry as a whole."  Michele will also be featured in an HSMAI publication and receive a personalized plaque.
 
Michele commented, "On behalf of my colleagues at Unique Venues, I am thrilled to be among this impressive list of hospitality professionals and delighted to see Unique Venues receive such recognition."
 
In addition to celebrating Michele’s achievements, the Gala will recognize the top achievements in advertising, digital marketing and public relations in the hospitality, travel and tourism industries with the Adrian Award. In addition, lifetime achievement honors will be given to J.W. Marriott, Jr., chairman and CEO of Marriott International, Inc., and Nancy Friedman, president of Nancy J. Friedman Public Relations.
 

HSMAI
HSMAI is an organization of sales and marketing professionals representing all segments of the hospitality industry. With a strong focus on education, HSMAI has become the industry champion in identifying and communicating trends in the hospitality industry, and bringing together customers and members at annual events, including HSMAI's Affordable Meetings(r). Founded in 1927, HSMAI is an individual membership organization comprising more than 7,000 members worldwide, with 40 chapters in the Americas Region. For more information on HSMAI, contact the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International, 1760 Old Meadow Road, Suite 500, McLean, Va. 22102; (703) 506-3280; fax (703) 506-3266, or visit the website at www.hsmai.org. 
 
Unique Venues is a marketing and membership organization committed to bringing together one-of-a-kind venues with meeting planners who are ready for something new.  Founded in 1986, Unique Venues continues to provide meeting planners with an eclectic collection of arenas and stadiums, camps and retreat centers, colleges and universities, conference and business centers, and cultural and historical venues.  For additional information, visit the website at:  http://www.uniquevenues.com/ or call 866 266.6857.