Steven Okuley is now the senior vice president for conferences and events at the American Hotel & Lodging Association. He will lead a team focused on creating and executing events for the association and the AHLA Foundation, AHLA said in a statement.
“As the leading organization representing every segment of the hotel industry, AHLA plays an important role in bringing together hoteliers, vendors, and other stakeholders to network, learn, and make deals that create jobs and prosperity,” said Kevin Carey, AHLA’s interim president and CEO. “Steven’s experience in planning and executing industry events will help us grow our lineup of conferences, which are key to our membership value proposition and support our advocacy and charitable work.”
Before joining AHLA, Okuley was director of B2B customer engagement and communication at American Airlines, overseeing global sales and distribution tradeshows, internal meetings, customer events, sales incentives and advisory boards. He also served as director of global meetings and events for Starwood Hotels & Resorts.
AHLA expanded its portfolio of events, either AHLA-owned or produced with partners, establishing itself as a leader in industry events, including:
- The Hospitality Show, a technology and operations event attracting thousands of attendees, along with its regional series.
- The AHLA Foundation's annual Night of a Thousand Stars gala, which has recognized frontline employees in America’s hotels since 2019.
- The AHLA Foundation's ForWard conference and regional event series focused on women in the hospitality industry.
- AHLA’s global events series featuring key hospitality professionals, including HTNG Connect: Europe and HTNG Connect: Asia-Pacific.
The Hospitality Show 2024, produced by Questex and AHLA, will feature keynote sessions by chef José Andrés and franchise expert Scott Greenberg on Oct. 28. The show takes place from Oct. 28 to 30 at the Henry B. González Convention Center in San Antonio, Texas.
