Audio Interview with Robert A. Gilbert, President & CEO, HSMAI

As President and Chief Executive Officer of the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International, Robert A. Gilbert, CHME, CHA has been guiding HSMAI through an exciting period of change in order to re-establish the 5,000-plus member organization as the definitive hospitality and travel marketing association in the world.

During Mr. Gilbert's tenure, HSMAI has created a greater awareness for itself overall, more specifically, the Association is revitalizing European membership and establishing new chapters worldwide; it continually seeks out beneficial affinity programs for members, it has re-affirmed its commitment to industry-specific education through the creation of HSMAI University; and it has negotiated a number of alliances which build member benefit value. Notable achievements have been the expansion of marketplace events through the establishment of Affordable Meetings West and partnering with the Meetings Quest trade shows; and the commission of a number of new industry research studies.

Prior to joining HSMAI in 1995, Mr. Gilbert was the Vice President of Marketing for Richfield Hospitality Services, Inc., the largest hotel management company in the world, where he oversaw the corporate marketing support for all Richfield hotels—which included product from every price tier in the industry. Mr. Gilbert holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY, and has been a member of HSMAI since joining the student chapter at Cornell. He is a frequent guest lecturer at the School and is on the adjunct faculty of the summer executive education program. Bob has also recently been appointed to the Board of Trustees for the World Tourism Foundation and to the Travel and Tourism Coalition of the Travel Industry Association of America.