Travel Portland Hires Dione Williams as Director of Convention Sales
The Portland White Stag sign is right over Burnside Bridge. The sign can be spotted on top of Old Town's White Stag Building.
Portland, Ore., February 3, 2022 – Travel Portland welcomes seasoned industry professional, Dione Williams, to the destination tourism organization as Director of Convention Sales. With more than 20 years of experience leading large-scale convention sales and services programs, Williams joins senior leadership to grow and guide the next era of meetings and convention business for the City of Roses.
“We are thrilled to welcome Dione to our team, whose expertise, reputation and strategic vision will be an asset in repositioning Portland as a leading meetings and conventions destination,” said James Jessie, Chief Sales Officer for Travel Portland. “This is a pivotal time not only for our city, but the industry as a whole, and Dione will be a driving force as we move towards recovery.”
Williams comes to Portland from Las Vegas, where he was the Executive Director of Sales at Las Vegas Expo, a national exposition contracting firm and full-service production partner, specializing in trade shows, corporate meetings and special events. There, he expertly led a sales team charged with executing high impact projects contributing to significant growth of client portfolios that encompassed everything from top associations to Fortune 500 companies.
“I’m incredibly excited to be joining the team at Travel Portland, working alongside our resilient partners to bring more meetings and convention opportunities that ignite positive economic impact for the city,” said Williams. “Portland is such a dynamic city, it’s diverse offerings alongside its state-of-the-art facilities are a welcome reminder of why it is – and should be – a go-to destination as the world begins to convene again.”
Williams’ deep understanding and appreciation for the hospitality, sales and services industry spans more than two decades, starting as a bellman for the historic Mission Inn Hotel in Riverside, California; sales and operations roles at Hilton San Francisco and Anaheim to National Sales Manager at Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel. From there, he pursued high-level management and leadership roles overseeing sales operations, consulting on development of client Diversity Advisory Committees to managing incentive accounts at several Las Vegas resorts including Venetian Resort Hotel & Casino, Wynn Las Vegas, MGM Resorts International and Mandalay Bay and JW Marriott Las Vegas Resort & Spa. Throughout his career, he has also served as a dedicated committee member of several industry organizations including as a PCMA Southwest Chapter Board Member (2013-2015), Coalition of Black Meeting Professionals Supplier Advisory Board (2011 Annual Conference), and MPI Annual Conference Host Committee (2012).
Williams is a graduate of Riverside College with a degree in Business Law.
About Travel Portland
Travel Portland is the official destination marketing and management organization for the city of Portland, Oregon. Its mission is to generate travel demand that drives economic impact for Portland. For more information on Travel Portland, visit TravelPortland.com.
