The Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE) welcomes four new directors and three new trustees to its 2021 leadership roster. In addition, Rebecca Wright, CIS, CITP, the association’s head of Chapter Engagement, has been appointed interim executive director following the resignation of Didier Scaillet in September 2020.

“2020 has been a tumultuous year for all business events professionals but despite the difficulties and the challenges, SITE remained united and strong,” says Wright. ” We now face 2021 with a renewed sense of community and an even stronger belief that incentive travel is transformational for qualifiers, businesses and society at large. I’m delighted to serve as interim executive director and look forward to leading our wonderful executive leadership team as we continue to deliver value to our members, to be the voice for the ‘I’ in MICE and to highlight the business case for incentive travel.”

SITE Executive and International Board of Directors

The DMC Network’s Aoife Delaney, CIS, CITP, is the new president of the association. Her father, Patrick Delaney, CIS, CITP, CITE, CMM, CMP, was the first non-US resident to serve as SITE president when he took on the role in 1992.

“SITE has always been an integral part of my personal and professional life and becoming SITE president is a source of immense pride to me,” says Aiofe Delaney. “I’m deeply grateful to all those who have helped me along the way, especially my great friend and mentor, Jenn Glynn, whose legacy I hope to emulate. I’d also like to single out the ownership and leadership at The DMC Network who have generously and extensively invested in my SITE participation because they believe passionately in the power of incentive travel.”

The four new members of the SITE International Board of Directors are Colleen Brzozowski, CIS, CITP, Independent, USA; Karim El Minabawy, president, Emeco Travel – EUROMIC Egypt; and Lisa Xu, CMP, PMP, founder and managing director, East Star, China; and Heidi Dillon, CITP, manager, Event Operations, One10, USA. Brzozowski, El Minabawy and Xu will serve three-year terms. Dillon fills the Board’s newly created Young Leader seat, which has a two-year term.

SITE Foundation Executive and Trustees

Terry Manion, CIS, CITP, senior vice-president, Business Development, Creative Group Canada, is the new president of SITE Foundation. “Following many years immersed in the world of incentive travel, I’m deeply honoured to serve as president of SITE Foundation for 2021,” he said. “In recent years SITE Foundation has invested over $1.25 million (USD) into the industry through our research, education and advocacy projects. The Incentive Travel Industry Index (ITII), our joint research initiative with FICP and IRF, has become the single biggest and most anticipated annual report on the state of the incentive travel nation while Motivate, our content repository for all things incentive travel, has tripled its readership in the past 12 months.”

The three trustees joining the SITE Foundation Board are Vito Curalli, CHA, executive director, International & Industry Relations, Hilton Worldwide Sales; Meenaz Diamond, senior vice-president, Global Sales, North America, Accor Hotels; and Jonathan E. Richards, CIS, CITP, manager, Corporate Gifts, NW, Mexico, Europe, Maui Jim Sunglasses and Zeal Optics.

Founded in 1973, the Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE) has 2,500 members located in 90 countries, working in corporations, agencies, airlines, cruise companies and across the entire destination supply chain.