FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media contacts:
Michelle Gonzalez, mgonzalez@choosechicago.com
Richard Ray, richard@hawthornestrategy.com
Arnheim will serve as a key executive member of the senior leadership team, promoting Chicago to global business travelers
Chicago, IL – July 7, 2022 –Choose Chicago, today announced that, effective July 18th Dustin Arnheim will join the Choose Chicago team as the new Senior Vice President of Sales and Services.
In this role, Arnheim will serve as a key executive member of the senior leadership team, reporting directly to President & CEO Lynn Osmond and leading a team of 20 accomplished sales and services professionals. He will provide overall leadership of these departments along with securing new conventions and meetings at venues throughout the city, most notably Chicago’s McCormick Place, the largest convention center in North America. Arnheim will be charged with driving visitation and promoting Chicago to global business travelers while partnering with over 150 hotel partners to generate hotel tax revenue for the city.
”We are thrilled to welcome Dustin to Chicago,” said Lynn Osmond, President and CEO, Choose Chicago. “Dustin’s proven track record of driving growth in major urban markets coupled with his international industry leadership experience make him a great fit for Choose Chicago.”
Arnheim brings two decades of successful convention experience having most recently served as Visit Baltimore’s Senior Vice President of Sales & Customer Experience. During his first year there, he and his team achieved a 37% year-over-year growth in production. Under Arnheim’s leadership, the team rallied together to navigate the pandemic, while still maintaining momentum and achieving goals. Arnheim was instrumental in the vision of Baltimore’s new meetings and events collateral, sales tools, tradeshow booth, and redesign of the customer experience team. A proven sales leader, Arnheim can design and execute a winning sales strategy, while building consensus and trust with key stakeholders. He embraces a team-centric leadership approach, with a commitment to individual development, empowerment, and accountability.
He was recognized in the Baltimore Business Journal’s “Faces to Watch” in 2020 and Collinson Media’s “40 Under 40” in 2016.
Prior to his time at Visit Baltimore, Arnheim was with Visit Indy and most recently served in the capacity of Senior Director of Sales. He also spent time with Hyatt Hotels Corporation and started his career in Chicago as a Meeting Connections Sales Manager & Association Sales Manager at the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place.
Dustin serves as co-chair for Destinations International Convention Sales & Services Committee and participates on ASAE’s Industry Partners Alliance Committee. Previously, he has served on the boards of Beyond Monumental and Parkinson’s Awareness Association of Central Indiana (PAACI).
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About Choose Chicago
Choose Chicago is the official sales and marketing organization responsible for promoting Chicago as a global visitor and meetings destination, leveraging the city’s unmatched assets to ensure the economic vitality of the city and its member business community. Follow @chicagogreeter and @choosechicago on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and tag #ChicaGOandKNOW. For more information, visitwww.choosechicago.com.
