gary leopold

gary leopold - ism

Gary is responsible for establishing the company's vision and is involved in the strategic planning for all accounts. Over the years, he has served as an advisor to many leading travel, hospitality and leisure organizations including Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, Sheraton Hotels, Hong Kong Tourism Authority, The Islands Of The Bahamas, Historic Hotels of America, Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) and Harley-Davidson. Prior to joining ISM, Gary was the Corporate Director of Public Relations for Sonesta International Hotels Corporation, overseeing the marketing activities of 13 hotels worldwide. Gary is a past President of the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) and currently serves on the Board of the HSMAI Foundation. He is the founder of the HSMAI Golden Bell Public Relations Awards and Golden Click Web Awards, and a co-founder of the Annual Travel Awards Night dinner. A noted expert in travel marketing, he has taught and lectured on the subject at Cornell, Boston University, University of New Hampshire and many other colleges and organizations. He's also written articles for Business Travel News, HSMAI Marketing Review, Successful Meetings, HotelExecutive.com and other industry publications. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from Curry College with his B.A. in Communications/English. In 2005, Gary was honored with the Albert E. Koehl Award by the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) for lifetime achievement in travel marketing and advertising, an award he shares with previous recipients Michael Eisner and Sir Richard Branson.