Rebranded event management firm hires new executive VP

John Mullen, chairman and CEO of Apple Vacations and Paolo Rosso, CEO of Paolo Rosso Incentives announced they will rebrand Atkinson, Mullen & Rosso, their joint global incentive travel and meetings management venture, effective immediately. The new firm will now operate as AMR Meetings & Incentives. Michael J. Lyons, a 37-year travel industry veteran and former president and CEO of destination management company Global Events Partners, Philadelphia (GEP Philly) will lead AMR Meetings & Incentives.

“With decades of experience in the incentive travel and meetings management discipline, we wanted to more concisely and more effectively communicate our expertise through this new name,” said Rosso. “We believe that strong leadership will grow AMR Meetings & Incentives, and we welcome a well-respected executive in Mike Lyons to our family.”

In his new role as executive vice president, Lyons will be responsible for the day-to-day operations and all sales efforts for the company.

“We’ve hired the best leader in the business to make AMR Meetings & Incentives a premier meeting and incentive planning company,” said Mullen. “Mike has the vision to leverage our unparalleled expertise, Apple Vacations is the industry leader of tour operators; AMResorts offer uncompromised hotels and resort destinations in Mexico and the Caribbean; Amstar DMC delivers over and above in destination management services. Mike will intertwine these for the ultimate benefit of AMR Meetings & Incentives clients.”

As president and CEO of GEP Philly, Lyons oversaw the growth of the company from a start-up operation in 2002 to its naming as one of the 100 fastest-growing companies in the region.

Prior to his tenure at GEP, Lyons held several senior level positions with some of the industry’s best-known organizations including McGettigan Partners, Carlson Wagonlit Travel, EGR International and Rosenbluth Travel.

Lyons serves on the board of the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau and recently completed his second term as VP of finance for the Philadelphia chapter of Meeting Professionals International, which named him Supplier of the Year in 2006. Lyons has also served on the advisory board of the Greater Philadelphia Tourism and Marketing Corporation.

In his spare time, Lyons is also a professional actor who has appeared in “The Sixth Sense,” “Annapolis” and the upcoming “The Dark Fields,” among other television shows, commercials and more than 350 live appearances as a product spokesperson on QVC.