NEW YORK CITY — NYC & Company has announced new appointments to its Convention Development team.

The appointments come during a time of recovery for New York City, says Jerry Cito, NYC & Company’s Executive Vice President, Convention Development, who officially welcomed the new team members to the organization.

“As New York City continues in its tourism recovery, we are better positioned than ever to host live and in-person meetings, conventions and events in the five boroughs. Our team stands ready to assist meeting professionals from around the globe and we look forward to showing planners and all their clients that ‘It’s Time to Make it NYC’,” said Cito.

The new appointments include the following:

• Martha Palacios, Senior Director, International MICE, Canada, LATAM & Europe: Palacios joined NYC & Company in November 2021 as Senior Director, International MICE, overseeing the Canadian, Latin American and European markets. She has been a hospitality industry sales leader in the New York City area for over 20 years.
• Renee Wilson, Director, Tourism Market Development – Canada, Europe & U.S.: In her new role, Wilson manages day-to-day travel trade activities in Canada, leads the development of the U.S. market and identifies new market segments, and supports the European markets alongside Reginald Charlot, Managing Director, Tourism Market Development. She most recently served as Director of Sales for Running Subway, the producers of Times Square’s new attraction, RiseNY.
• Rostana Wardak, Regional Director, West: Joining the team in January, Wardak, a first-generation Afghan-American from San Diego, is now responsible for driving business meetings and events to New York City from the U.S. West Coast market. Prior to her new role, she worked in the hotel industry for more than 10 years, most recently at the Sheraton New York Times Square.
• Watson Li, Regional Director, International MICE, APAC, Africa & Middle East: Li took over the role this month as a hospitality and tourism industry leader with more than 15 years of experience. He previously held sales roles with Starwood Hotels & resorts in both the New York Metro area and Guangzhou, China. He also previously worked for NYC & Company from 2017-2020.
• Elizabeth Boylan, Sales Manager: Boylan recently rejoined NYC & Company as Sales Manager, handling small meetings in the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic and New York markets. She began her career with the organization in 2013, and previously worked on its Membership and Convention Development teams. She returned in February after two and a half years at the Long Island CVB.

The new appointments follow NYC & Company’s September 2021 launch of ‘It’s Time to Make It NYC,’ its largest marketing and sales effort for the meetings and conventions industry. Earlier this month, the organization also embarked on a Canadian Sales Mission with stops in Toronto and Montreal.