Next Generation Leadership: Venue Sector

In this ICCA North America International Market Brief monthly webinar, host Shawn Cheng speaks with three North American convention center sales leaders - Jennifer Dickens (Calgary TELUS Convention Centre), Paola Blancas (Cancun Center), and Brian Oliver (Vancouver Convention Center), about career paths into the meetings industry, evolving leadership, and the realities of selling international association meetings. They discuss key challenges including time and money, destination perception, cost-to-acquire and long sales pipelines, and the importance of local champions and coordination with CVBs and partners. Trends include clients seeking trusted destination partnerships beyond space, shortening booking windows and increased market overlap, and heightened focus on alignment, stability, and geopolitical considerations. They also cover World Cup impacts on dates and hotel rates, the joy of economic impact and team wins, leadership qualities (care, integrity, curiosity, operations knowledge), and advice such as “never let a good crisis go to waste,” “people are messy,” “validate and verify,” and “information is power.” ---- International Market Briefs is your monthly bite of international meetings success, hosted by ICCA North America. Curated for destinations, CVBs, venues, and agencies looking to better understand and access global markets — practical insights, market overviews, and real conversations. ICCA members and non-members are welcome. 🌐 Learn more about ICCA North America: https://www.iccaworld.org/about-icca/... 📩 Interested in joining the next conversation? https://www.iccaworld.org/events/ Chapters 00:00 Welcome and Topic Setup 00:58 Meet the Venue Leaders 03:02 Brian Career Journey 06:09 Jen Career Journey 09:00 Paola Career Journey 11:19 Biggest Challenges and Skills 15:25 CVB vs Venue Roles 19:20 Cruise Ships and Room Blocks 21:04 Future Market Shifts 25:42 World Cup Ripple Effects 30:14 Greatest Joy in the Work 33:33 Leadership Styles and Ops Experience 37:55 Mentor Advice and Quotes 43:37 Final Wrap and Thanks