September 5, 2010


 OUR TEAM


A. Brian Parker, CMP - President
Michele Sharrieff, CMP - Director of Trade Show Logistics
Sharmagne Taylor, CMP - Director of Registration Services
Rodney Rackley, Senior Meeting Manager
Kelly Meahl, Senior Marketing Manager



A. BRIAN PARKER, CMP 
President, Parker Conference Management, Inc.

Brian Parker, a New Jersey native is a graduate of Seton Hall University, South Orange, N.J., with a B. A. degree in Broadcast Communications. Following college he pursued his dream of radio broadcasting by moving to Los Angeles, CA. There he spent 5 years as a news and traffic reporter for several Southern California radio stations. 

Upon moving to Orlando, Florida to be closer to family that had relocated there from the Northeast, Parker was introduced to the rapidly growing tourism industry in Central Florida.  He secured a sales position with a local hotel and subsequently gained 15 years of experience in the hospitality and event management industry. 

Parker parlayed his industry experience into an entrepreneurial venture, A. B. Parker & Associates, now Parker Conference Management, Inc. and became President in 2001. His skills in negotiating, planning and executing events for numerous organizations, has consistently exceeded their expectations. 

Brian's hospitality industry experience includes:  
  • 4 years of Convention Sales and Service experience with major convention and resort hotels in Orlando, FL, including the former Sheraton Twin Towers Hotel & Convention Center and Walt Disney World Resorts. 
  • 11 Years of Sales and Sales Management positions with the Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau, Inc. During his tenure at the Orlando CVB, Parker served in the following roles: 
    • 4 years as Sales Manager
    • 2 years as Manager of Sales Development 
    • 5 years as Director of Convention Sales, where he managed a Sales and support staff of 45 people, while overseeing a $3.5 million budget 

Prior to establishing his own firm, Parker's experience includes participating in the planning and execution of Special Events for the following organizations:

      • American Society of Association Executives 
      • National Business Travel Association 
      • Meeting Professionals International 
      • National Coalition of Black Meeting Planners
    Parker has formerly served as the National Treasurer on the Board of Directors of the National Coalition of Black Meeting Planners, Inc. He is a member of Professional Convention Management Association, Meeting Professionals International and his company is a certified Minority Business Enterprise through the Florida Minority Supplier Development Council, a part of the NMSDC Network.
     
     


    MICHELE SHARRIEFF, CMP 
    Director of Trade Show Logistics

    Michele is a graduate of Saint Leo University in Saint Leo, FL, with a B. A. degree in Business Administration.

    Michele's Meeting Management experience includes:

    • 5 years as Director of Trade Show Logistics with Parker Conference Management, Inc.

    Michele provides a strong knowledge and solid experience of Trade Show Management to our team and has assisted greatly in raising the profile and the professional look of our clientele's Trade Shows and Exhibitions.

    Michele has also provided our client's exhibitors with an enormous comfort level in managing their exhibit preparation and on-site experience.

    • 2 years as Senior Account Manager with GES Exposition Services, Orlando, FL 
    • 3 years as Senior Event Manager with the Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, FL. Managed events such as:
      • PGA Merchandise Show - 62,000 attendees
      • American Heart Association - 56,000 attendees
      • SAP's SAPPHIRE User Group - 10,000 attendees
    • 3 years as Fairy Tale Weddings Coordinator with Walt Disney World Resorts, Lake Buena Vista, FL


    SHARMAGNE TAYLOR, CMP  
    Director of Registration Services

    Sharmagne Taylor is a graduate of the Conrad N. Hilton College at the University of Houston in Houston, TX, with a B. S. degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management and has also completed the University of Texas, McCoombs School of Business' Minority Business Advancement certificate program with a focus on business finance and marketing for small and medium sized firms.

    She is a 20 year veteran meeting management professional specializing in Housing and Registration Services.

    Sharmagne's experience includes:
    • 3 years as Director of Registration Services for Parker Conference Management, Inc.
      • Since joining our team, Sharmagne has worked diligently to improve our client's Convention Registration processes by better organizing the pre-registration preparation, significantly enhancing the attendees' on-site registration experience, and providing comprehensive post-convention evaluation and suggestions for continually improving the systems being utilized.
    • 8 years as Reservations Manager and Sales Manager for the Hyatt Regency Houston, TX
      • Sharmagne's tenure at this 1000 room Convention Hotel provided her with the experience to manage group and VIP reservations for such prestigious organizations as the National Football League, NAACP, National Council of La Raza, ExxonMobil, Chevron, Texaco, Shell, HP and Wal-Mart and to manage accounts on a national basis in the medical and pharmaceutical markets.
    • 2 years as Convention Services and Sales Manager for the Doubletree Post Oak
      • Managed on-site details for key accounts such as General Electric, Shell Oil and American General
    • 10 years as Owner and Operator of On-Site Partners, a full service housing, registration and on-site management company, providing support to conferences and events in the corporate and association sectors with 500 to 5,000+ attendees.


     

    RODNEY RACKLEY
    Senior Meeting Manager 

    Rodney earned a B.S.B.A. in Marketing/Management from the University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL. Rodney brings several years of industry experience to the team including:
    • 3 years as Senior Meeting Manager with Parker Conference Management, Inc. Rodney primarily assists our team with all required on site details such as logistics, transportation and volunteer  management
    • 12 years President/Owner of TRG Orlando, LLC
    • Meeting Planner for:
      • Florida Federation of Alpha Chapters
      • Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Naturalization
      • U.S. Naturalization Ceremonies
      • Corporation for National and Community Services, AmeriCorps
      • VISTA Continued Development Training
      • Department of the Treasury, Bureau of Public Debt
    • Business Continuity Planning Review Training
    • Business Continuity Exercise Planning and Plan Testing
    • 8 years as Sales and Senior Sales Manager with the Orange County Convention Center
    • Additional 10 years of hospitality and sales experience with Marriott Orlando World Center, Radisson Resort Parkway, Sprint National Sales Center and Walt Disney World


    KELLY MEAHL
    Senior Marketing Manager

    Kelly is a graduate of the University of Florida's Journalism College in Gainesville, FL, with a BS in Advertising.

    Kelly aides the PCM team with special emphasis in conference pre-planning, food & beverage logistical details, as well as managing on-site details, including items such as meeting room sets and signage.  
     
    Following her early years in advertising sales at the Florida Times Union, Kelly found her niche in the hospitality industry. Her industry experience includes:

    • 7 years in the sales department at The Peabody Orlando, starting with the hotel's pre-opening. She successfully created the hotel's Executive Priority Reservations Service, served as a founding member on the Service Excellence Committee, and spent most of her years a National Sales Manager on the Washington, DC territory.
    • 4 years at Walt Disney World Resorts as a National Sales Manager for the association market in the Washington, DC territory.
    • 4 years contributing to the Sales team for the Mission Inn Golf and Tennis Resort in Howey in the Hills, FL, in addition to working with the Destination Services department for the Orlando Convention and Visitor's Bureau.
    • Kelly has been the recipient of top sales awards at The Florida Times Union; Peabody and Orlando and Walt Disney World Resorts.


    ©2010 Parker Conference Management, Inc.