SPOKANE, WA — 2021 F&D Top Destination Award winner Visit Spokane has appointed two new senior directors of sales to its team.
Denise Bosmans will work in the Visit Spokane Washington, DC satellite office. Bosmans brings over 25 years of experience in the hospitality industry. She has worked as an association meeting planner, a media rep for a tourism destination marketing company representing the mid-Atlantic region, hotel sales, destination convention sales, and most recently worked as the Northeast Regional Director of Convention Sales for the Reno-Sparks CVA.
Athena Qualls is based in the Chicago suburbs and will be supporting the Midwest market for Visit Spokane. Her background includes 15 years of experience with Hilton Worldwide sales, where she covered all group segments, specializing in the pharmaceutical and technology vertical markets.
“We are thrilled to be adding new staff to the Visit Spokane team,” said Vice President of Sales Ruth Fitzgerald. “2020 was a rough year for the meetings and hospitality industry, so to be able to bring staff back on board is a sign of recovery.”
In March of 2020, the pandemic forced Visit Spokane to lay off 60 percent of its staff to cut costs and stay afloat. The organization went from 25 full-time employees to 10.
“With COVID restrictions lifting across the country, meetings and events planners are booking conferences. We want them to book here. We are confident Denise and Athena will represent greater Spokane well and help bring much-needed business into the community,” said Fitzgerald.
Visit Spokane reports that 2022 convention bookings are on pace to surpass the number of 2019 bookings.
Corporate Association Meeting
