About Us

Destination Colorado is the indispensable resource for meeting and event planners. Among our more than 100 members, you’ll discover the solutions to every requirement and planning challenge.

Our members represent the very best in amenities, activities and service that Colorado has to offer. Our mission -- since Destination Colorado's creation in 1993 -- is to make the site selection and planning experience convenient and straightforward.

By combining our member resources through Destination Colorado, we can efficiently inform and update meeting planners and incentive buyers about one of America’s most beloved and desirable destinations. We accomplish this through our web site, major trade shows, a meeting planners guide, cooperative advertising programs, lead referrals, and strategic partnerships.

You’re invited to capture the “Spirit of Colorado” and visit our beautiful Rocky Mountain state. The fantastic variety and choices offered by Destination Colorado guarantees a fresh experience every time!

Become a Member

Learn more about the benefits of a Destination Colorado membership.

Our Partners

Destination Colorado has established strategic relationships with leading meeting publications, and professional organizations, and sponsors to help us advance our mission to make your planning experience easier. Please visit their web sites for more information.

	Colorado Meetings & Events magazine is a quarterly publication reaching meeting planners as well as all levels of professionals who plan meetings and events, from an administrative executive planning a board retreat to the vice president of marketing organizing a client golf outing. The magazine is specifically written and circulated within the state and throughout the surrounding region to expose readers to cultural events, service providers, venues and industry resources available in each market to assist in planning a meeting or creating the next extraordinary event. The magazine is available in print and digital and online at Visit www.meetingmags.com
	The Colorado Tourism Office (CTO) was created by the Colorado legislature to promote Colorado as a tourism and travel destination. The CTO oversees the Colorado Welcome Centers, advertising and public relations, promotional materials and customer response services including 1-800-COLORADO and Visit www.Colorado.com
	RightNow, Inc has been providing search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM) services to the Destination Colorado website since 2004. Our specialty is creating a presence on the search engines so that people who are looking for what you offer can find you easily and readily when they search. Over 60% of our clients are part of the hospitality industry and many are located in Colorado specifically. As a member of Destination Colorado, you are invited to request a proposal from us to provide these same types of services for your organization. Visit www.netrafic.com
	Successful Meetings - with a monthly circulation over 70,000, Successful Meetings is written for meeting planners across all industries. Successful Meetings educates and provides resources for all levels of corporate, association and independent meeting managers and buyers about how to create and execute all types of meetings. Visit www.successfulmeetings.com
	Meeting Professionals International (MPI), the meeting and event industry's largest and most vibrant global community, helps members thrive by providing human connections to knowledge and ideas, relationships and marketplaces. MPI membership is comprised of more than 24,000 members belonging to 71 chapters and clubs worldwide. For additional information Visit www.mpiweb.org

Board of Directors

Cindy Harder
Winter Park Resort
2012 Board President

Cindy has been in the lodging and hospitality industry for over 18 years and is currently the Director of Sales at Winter Park Resort in Winter Park. Cindy manages a team of eight at the Resort with primary focus on the leisure group and event market. From 1993-2005, Cindy was employed at Iron Horse Resort in Winter Park, serving as Group Coordinator, Group Sales Manager and Director of Sales and Marketing. While at Iron Horse Resort, Cindy focused on meetings and banquet services for all segments including government, association, corporate and SMERF. Cindy has been actively involved in Destination Colorado for a number of years and continues to be a valuable representative for smaller lodging properties across the state. She has been very active in membership recruitment and our membership meetings and currently serves as the President. Cindy has been on the Board of Directors for the past five years and appreciates the value of bringing group business to the state of Colorado through Destination Colorado. Cindy can be reached at charder@winterparkresort.com or at 970-726-1566.

Mike Wolf
Strategic Business Development Advisor
2012 Board Past President

A Colorado native, Mike works with companies in strategic growth with an emphasis on sales and marketing, referral relationships and strategic partnerships with hotels and clients. Mike brings over 35 years of experience to his current role. As Denver has shaped itself into a premier tier-one convention city, Mike has been involved every step of the way. He has played a key role in many of the successes in Denver including citywide conferences for tens of thousands of guests to high-end corporate board of director’s events. Mike was the founder of Colorado’s largest catering company, Epicurean Catering, where he was responsible for planning renowned events including the Summit 8 conference, the World Alpine Ski Championships and the International Golf Tournament. Mike has been very active in Destination Colorado and has just recently completed his two-year term as President. Mike can be reached at mwolf@presidentiallimo.com or at 720-407-2528.

Tim Litherland
Visit Denver
2012 Board Vice President

Tim, CMP, serves as the Director of Sports and Specialty Markets for VISIT DENVER, The Convention & Visitors Bureau. Tim has been a member of the VISIT DENVER sales department since March 1995. He was previously employed at the Warwick Hotel Denver, where he spent eight years in their sales and marketing department. Tim has been active in many organizations, including board and committee positions at the Metro Denver Sports Commission, Meeting Professionals International Rocky Mountain Chapter, Society of Government Meeting Professionals Rocky Mountain Chapter, Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International Mile High Chapter (and International Board of Directors for HSMAI), Colorado Society of Association Executives, Meetings Industry Council of Colorado, Colorado State Travel Council and the Kiwanis Club of Denver. Tim is a native of Colorado and lives in Lakewood with his wife and three children. Tim can be reached at tlitherland@visitdenver.com or at 303-571-9429.

David Sudduth
Breckenridge Hospitality
2012 Board Treasurer

As Director of Sales and Marketing for Breckenridge Hospitality, David is responsible for all sales and marketing efforts for six properties totaling over 600 rooms and supervising a team of nine. David has a 20+ year career in the hospitality industry including eight years as National Sales Manager and Associate Director of Sales for Keystone Resort. As ADOS, David was responsible for all of Keystone's group sales efforts, working with a team of eleven sales managers. Prior to that position, David was Conference Services Manager at both Keystone Resort and The Westin La Paloma Resort in Tucson, Arizona.  David has been involved with Destination Colorado for a number of years and serves as the organization's Treasurer.

Karen Schneider
The Steamboat Grand
2012 Board Secretary

As Director of Sales and Marketing for The Steamboat Grand, Karen’s responsibilities include overseeing the group and conference sales team, and the marketing of FIT, group and in-house revenue centers of the spa and food and beverage. In addition, Karen is a founding member of the Intrawest Meeting Network, a group of meeting/conference hotels in the Intrawest Enterprise that work together to cross-sell each other’s properties. Karen has been a co-owner of a large travel agency in California and a meeting planner for a large investment bank in New York City. In 2000, Karen relocated to Steamboat as National Sales Manager of the brand new Steamboat Grand. She soon moved to the position of Sales Manager for Steamboat Ski and Resort Corporation. After taking a few years off to be with her young daughter, Karen came back to The Steamboat Grand as Director of Sales and Marketing. Karen looks forward to working together to bring the awareness of Colorado to the forefront of all travel agents, meeting planners, corporations and third party planners. Karen can be reached at kschneider@steamboat.com or at 970-871-5544.

Bruce Horii
Beaver Run Resort
2012 Board Member

Bruce is the Director of Sales and Marketing at Beaver Run Resort and has a very long history in the tourism industry in Colorado.  Prior to Beaver Run, Bruce worked with the Sheraton at Steamboat.  He has served on Destination Colorado's Board of Directors for ten years and has played a large role in the development and promotion of the web site and our Destination Colorado Road Shows.  He also serves as our liaison with the Colorado Tourism Office's Promotions Committee and serves as an advocate for the promotion of meetings through the CTO.  Bruce has served on the Board of Directors of the Colorado Society of Association Executives.  He is also very active in the Breckenridge community, serving on the Board of Directors for the Breckenridge Resort Chamber’s Central Reservations.  Bruce has previously served as President of Destination Colorado and will remain an active board member.

Joanne Devine
The Inverness Hotel & Conference Center
2012 Board Member

Joanne, CMP, CASE, has been in the hospitality business for over 25 years. She is currently National Sales Manager at The Inverness Hotel & Conference Center and is responsible for business originating from the east coast and southeast. The Inverness Hotel & Conference Center is an IACC-approved hotel offering complete meeting packages (CMP). Joanne has been involved in a number of regional and national trade shows including MPI, PCMA, SGMP, ASAE and Springtime in the Park. Joanne is completely committed to selling both the property and the destination, Colorado! Joanne can be reached at jdevine@destinationhotels.com or at 303-397-7132.

Andrew Heidt
Boulder Convention & Visitors Bureau
2012 Board Member

As the Senior Group Sales Manager for the Boulder Convention and Visitors Bureau, Andrew is responsible for all group sales and marketing activities. Prior to joining the Boulder CVB, Andrew was with the Annapolis, Maryland destination marketing organization for six years promoting the city as a premier conference and sports destination. Andrew is active with several organizations including Meeting Professionals International and Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International; he received the CMP designation in 2007. Since moving to Colorado in 2008, Andrew has gained an appreciation for all that Colorado has to offer and is eager to promote the state, actively working with Destination Colorado. Andrew can be reached at andrew.heidt@bouldercvb.com or at 303-938-2071.

Ellen Collins
Vail Resorts Hospitality/RockResorts
2012 Board Member

Ellen, CMP, is Director of National Accounts for Vail Resorts Hospitality and ReckResorts. Ellen has been in hotel sales for twenty years. Her career started at Swissotel Boston, following by sales at The Loews Anatole in Dallas, now a Hilton Hotel. In 1995, she moved to Denver with Loews Hotels to be Director of Sales and Marketing for the Loews Denver Hotel. In 2005, Ellen joined Vail Resorts and RockResorts in their Colorado national sales office. Ellen is an active member of MPI, CSAE, PCMA and SGMP. Ellen can be reached at ecollins@vailresorts.com or at 303-881-7167.

Kathy Reak
Colorado Springs Convention & Visitors Bureau
2012 Board Member

Kathy has over 28 years experience in the hospitality industry. Her background includes a wide range of duties in the industry, including Director of Catering and Sales Manager at the hotel level and most recently, Director of Convention Sales at the Colorado Springs Convention and Visitors Bureau where she has been for over 14 years. She has been a member of MPI for over 14 years and served as the VP of Finance for two years on the Rocky Mountain Chapter board and currently holds a position on the Leadership Council. She also currently serves on the Christian Meetings & Conventions Associations' (CMCA) leadership team. She was named into Colorado Meetings + Events' Hall of Fame in 2009 as Supplier of the Year. Kathy can be reached at kathy@visitcos.com or at 719-685-7632.

Kristin Kenny
The St. Regis Aspen Resort
2012 Board Member

Kristin is the Director of Catering & Conference Services at The St. Regis Resort Aspen. Positions she has held at The St. Regis Aspen include National Sales Manager and Executive Meetings Manager. Prior to returning to The St. Regis, Kristin was a member of the opening sales team at the Viceroy Snowmass. Other notable positions she has held include Global Account Director – Luxury Sales at Starwood Hotels and Resorts, National Sales Manager at Keystone Resort & Conference Center, Sales/Conference Services Manager at Hotel Teatro, Event Planner at Transamerica Capital and Travel Industry Sales Manager at Ritz-Carlton Aspen. Kristin is excited to serve on the Board of Destination Colorado and contribute to the group success of our amazing state. Kristin can be reached at kristin.kenny@stregis.com or at 970-544-2583.

Vince Rosa
Sheraton Steamboat Resort
2012 Board Member

Vince has been with the Sheraton Steamboat Resort through two $20 million transformations and several inventory changes, which is why 14 years at the property doesn't seem like a long time. As Director of Group Sales, Vince is responsible for group revenue and assists with all marketing efforts for the hotel and golf course. Vince started in the industry during college by cleaning dorm rooms for free rent at Mesa State College, then he progressed to the front desk, checking in summer conferences as CSU. Vince has worked in Colorado Springs, Denver, Fort Collins, Keystone and Steamboat at branded and independent hotels in most markets such as downtown, suburban, airport and resort hotels. Vince has a passion for the hospitality industry and looks forward to continuing to share that energy and learning from other industry professionals to make Destination Colorado a continued success. Vince's personal interests include skiing, mountain biking, his family and traveling. Vince can be reached at vince.rosa@sheraton.com or at 970-871-6529.

Lisa Lindgren
Table Mountain Inn/Concept Restaurants
2012 Board Member

Lisa has been in the hospitality industry for over 20 years. A Colorado native, Lisa began her hotel career in the Phoenix/Scottsdale market. After five years in the heat and desert, she relocated to northern California. Then back to Denver, then to Minneapolis and then back to Denver again where she plans stay, at least for a while. Lisa has worked at the property level and in regional capacities for hotel management companies with portfolios including various brands offering full-service, select service and extended stay hotels while overseeing top line revenues for up to 45 hotels at one time. At this time, she is pursuing a new passion and hotel career goal as a General Manager. Keeping her hands full, Lisa is the Director of Hotel Operations and Sales at The Table Mountain Inn in Golden, a 74-room southwestern full-service boutique hotel. Prior to Table Mountain Inn, Lisa was the Advertising Director for Colorado Meetings & Events and Northern California Meetings & Events magazines. An adventurer, animal lover and partnered with a supportive significant other, outside of work Lisa remains active and is always planning the next exotic trip. On the horizon, a wedding is planned in November 2012 to take place in Monjo, Nepal. Lisa can be reached at lisa.lindgren@tablemountainn.com or at 303-277-9898.

Danielle McNair
Vail Valley Partnership, the Chamber and Tourism Bureau
2012 Board Member

Danielle is Sales Manager at Vail Valley Partnership, the Chamber and Tourism Bureau. She is responsible for destination sales and marketing for the Vail Valley including the resorts of Vail and Beaver Creek. Danielle markets and coordinates groups and conferences for lodging properties in Vail Valley for corporate and association accounts in the Colorado and international markets. Responsibilities include generation and maintenance of group accounts through prospecting, industry networking, client events and trade shows. In addition, Danielle is responsible for lodging, national partner and account management, planning and executing client events and social media. Additional responsibilities include planning and execution of Vail and Beaver Creek Resort familiarization tours biannually and conducting multi-city site inspections. Additional interests include spending time with family and friends, swimming, biking, running, snowboarding, snowshoeing, golf, fly fishing.. anything outdoors. Danielle can be reached at dmcnair@visitvailvalley.com or at 970-477-4007.

Shannon Dempsey
Destination Resorts Snowmass
2012 Board Member

Shannon is part of Rocky Mountain regional sales representing properties in the Snowmass area employed by Destination Hotels & Resorts. Destination Hotels & Resorts currently has 40 properties across the United States and the corporate headquarters office is in Englewood, Colo., where Shannon is located. Shannon’s goal is to identify new group business for Destination Resorts Snowmass within this region. Shannon has been employed in the hospitality industry for 13 years, eleven of which have been in sales at the Brown Palace Hotel, the Loews Hotel and currently Destination Hotels & Resorts. She has been involved with several boards and committees for organizations such as Tour Colorado, where she served as President for two years, Rocky Mountain Business Travelers Association, Society of Government Meeting Professionals, Professional Convention & Meetings Association, and most recently, the Society of Association Executives and Meeting Professionals Industry. Destination Colorado has been a large staple of her sales background providing her with great opportunities to meet qualified meeting planners at the Front Range Tradeshow and providing quality leads from the tradeshows attended on our behalf. Shannon can be reached at sdempsey@destinationhotels.comor at 303-268-6839.