John WashkoElite Meetings International, Inc. (EMI), announced that it appointed John Washko to the new position of Vice President, Sales & Marketing. Washko (pictured), who has served for four years as a member of the Elite Meetings Advisory Board (EMAB), will drive revenue generation by creating sales strategies and initiatives for Elite’s three products – SpeedRFP, EliteMeetings.com, and FaceTime Appointment Scheduler™. He will also supervise the sales and planner communications teams for Elite, which operate out of California, New York, Florida, Mexico and Spain. John Washko is a dynamic executive, with a proven track record of helping hospitality enterprises streamline operations, improve productivity and enhance market share. He brings more than fifteen years as an experienced manager who has developed top-quality sales, marketing, and management teams. Prior to joining Elite, Washko was Vice President of Sales and Marketing at The Broadmoor, a 744-room, world-class resort and the longest holder of the Forbes five-star, and AAA five-diamond ratings in the Unites States. At The Broadmoor, he oversaw sales, marketing, catering, conference services, reservations, public relations, and communications, with a total of 58 employees. His previous experience included executive sales management positions at Atlantis, a 2.317-room world-class resort on Paradise Island, Bahamas; and at the PGA National Resort & Spa, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Washko is a graduate of James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Virginia, and has long been active in many hospitality industry and civic organizations. He recently completed a four-year term on the Board of Americas of the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI). He continues as an advisory board member on the HSMAI resort marketing council, in which he has been involved for seven years. Washko has also served as the former Board Chair at Colorado Springs Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB); was the recipient of the 2010 HSMAI Resort Marketer of the Year Award, and is active on the Board of Directors of the Colorado Springs El Pomar Youth Sports Park.