November 18, 2022 | By Bronwen Largier
Destination NSW has found its new chair, appointing another female leader, while venue management organisation ASM Global, operator of several convention centres across Australia and New Zealand, has promoted a fast-rising star in their organisation to chief marketing officer.
Destination NSW’s new chair
Destination NSW has replaced outgoing chair Christine McLoughlin with Sally Loan, former CEO of the Financial Services Council.
Loane, whose first career was as a journalist across Australia’s media landscape, is currently on the board of Venues NSW and is a global ambassador for BESydney.
Loane grew up on a 6,000-acre sheep property in Tenterfield, a regional NSW town near the Queensland border.
“As a frequent visitor to rural NSW, I am passionate about regional tourism, and as incoming chair I look forward to helping grow the visitor economy, not only in our global city of Sydney, but right throughout our great state,” said Loane.
“My hometown of Tenterfield is just one example of a regional centre in NSW that’s undergoing significant change and attracting more and more visitors, whether with innovative cafes, farmers’ markets and original pubs and even old council chambers lovingly restored as boutique accommodation.”
ASM Global’s new chief marketing officer
ASM Global, which has ICC Sydney, Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre and Te Pae Christchurch under management, has promoted Alex Merchán to the top marketing role in the global business, just over a year after he joined the company.
“In less than one year with our company, Alex has been responsible for reimagining our marketing support infrastructure while simultaneously dramatically enhancing our network’s external initiatives for our clients and partners,” said ASM president and CEO Ron Bension.
As chief marketing officer, Merchán will drive the ASM Global’s branding and positioning in global partnerships, digital and CRM strategy and business development as well as in advisory and investing efforts around the world.
Merchán has already instigated several game-changing initiatives for the global business, including leveraging customer experience data to improve the guest experience, which ASM Global believes has had a profound impact on the visitor experience across all of its venue types, from stadiums and theatres to convention centres.
“This is the thrill of a lifetime,” said Merchán of his new role.
“The biggest sandbox in the world and the opportunity to engage with fans across entertainment, sports and business … that’s what our marketing team gets to work in — with the most prestigious collection of venues on Earth. That means we know the rules of the game better than anyone else, and we play it better than anyone else.”
