Convene Appoints Mark DePiero as Vice President of Operations

NEW YORK, March 11, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Convene (www.convene.com), the nation's fastest growing conference center network, has appointed Mark DePiero, a veteran hospitality industry executive, to the new post of vice president of operations.

With more than 25 years of diverse industry experience, Mr. DePiero has achieved success in all aspects of conference center and hotel operations, revenue generation, real estate development and acquisitions.  Mr. DePiero will oversee Convene's national expansion which began in 2013 with the announcement of its first conference center outside New York City in Tysons Corner, Virginia. Convene plans to open six new locations in the 2014-2015 timeframe.

Most recently, Mr. DePiero served as regional director for The Compass Group, a global leader in food service management and hospitality. He had the operational responsibility for Flik Hotels and Conference Centers in the Northeast and in the Midwest and was also responsible for the start-up and roll out of a corporate multi-property day conference center initiative which included the opening of centers in seven states.

Previously, he had been with Dolce Hotels & Resorts for 15 years as senior vice president (SVP) for acquisitions and development, in addition to serving as SVP of operations for North America and Europe.

"Mark DePiero has built a very successful career in helping major hospitality companies rapidly expand their national and international footprints.  His experience and leadership will be invaluable to Convene as we embark on our own ambitious national expansion program that is expected to double our conference center locations within the next 18 months," said Ryan Simonetti, CEO and co-founder of Convene.

Christopher Kelly, Convene president and co-founder, added, "Mark's tremendous experience in conference centers and hotels adds additional capabilities to our industry-leading team.  We all share a common appreciation for the value of collaboration and a clear vision for how space and service can be designed to support better meetings.  We are looking forward to putting his national and international experience to work with our immediate expansion plans."

"The overwhelming, market response to Convene's business concept for corporate off-site meetings is a real testament to the foresight and diligence that Ryan and Chris have shown in reinventing the conference center industry.  I am quite fortunate to join them at a point where we can roll out the Convene paradigm to new cities and regions with the confidence of having that invaluable 'first mover' advantage," said Mr. DePiero.

Mr. DePiero has an associate degree in Occupational Studies in Culinary Arts from the Culinary Institute of America and a Real Estate Certificate from the Professional Development Program at Cornell University. He has been a member of the North America Board of Directors of International Association of Conference Centers (IACC) since 2006 and served on the Global Board of Directors of IACC for four years. He lives in Ramsey, N.J. with his wife; they have three daughters.

About Convene
Convene (www.convene.com) is the leading provider of end-to-end conference and collaboration services, including meeting space from leased commercial facilities, catering, IT, audiovisual and organizational support.   Offered through various lease, joint venture and management arrangements, the company partners with landlords and tenants to enhance the quality of commercial office buildings and improve the workplace experience through better service and space design.

Contacts:
Rick Anderson / Emily Simmons
Feintuch Communications
718-986-1596 / 212-808-4904
[email protected]

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SOURCE Convene