A former hotel desk clerk has been appointed senior vice president of sales and services by Choose Chicago.
D. Bradley “Brad” Kent, 52, joins Choose Chicago as its senior vice president of sales and services after spending the past six years as vice president of industry relations for Freeman in its Dallas office. Kent begins working for Choose Chicago on Dec. 3.
“Brad is an influential leader with tremendous respect throughout the industry,” said Don Welsh, president and CEO, Choose Chicago. “Choose Chicago has an aggressive annual goal of securing 2.3 million hotel room nights and 50 new pieces of meetings and convention business. His ability to drive business growth through sales initiatives that deliver revenue, market share and market penetration is exactly what our organization needs to achieve these goals.”
Kent returns to Chicago after working the last six years in senior business development and sales positions in both audio-visual and exposition divisions with Freeman. Before Freeman, he spent 26 years in the hotel industry in senior leadership roles with Wyndham Hotels & Resorts and Hilton Hotels, including the Chicago-based national sales office and Hilton Chicago. He started his hospitality career as a desk clerk at the Hilton O’Hare.
Kent will lead Choose Chicago’s 32-person sales and services team to ensure the hotel room-night and convention business goals are met. Key initiatives include the development and implementation of comprehensive sales strategies to impact new business to McCormick Place, hotels and all Choose Chicago members and to help develop an effective plan for seamless delivery of attendee and exhibitor services.
“I am excited to join what I truly believe is the country’s most dynamic destination-marketing organization and to sell the most customer-friendly business destination,” said Kent. “Our customers are challenged to create engaging experiences for their attendees, and to connect the education and market opportunities between those attendees and exhibitors. Chicago is unmatched as a backdrop for association, trade, and corporate events and we will work together as a community to deliver what the customer expects.”
Kent currently serves as a member of the Meetings & Events Section Council for ASAE and is chairman of the Exhibition and Trade Show Task Force for PCMA. Kent was recognized with the Distinguished Member of the Year award by PCMA in January. He is a past board director and foundation board trustee for PCMA and the PCMA Education Foundation.
