Minneapolis, MN – Prestige | Global Meeting Source is pleased to announce the addition of six new sales partners in 2018, representing an almost 20% growth in the sales department.
The growth of the Prestige sales team is essential to support increased sales initiatives and continued expansion into new markets throughout 2018. “Adding to the Prestige sales force is always exciting. In 2018 we are focused on adding sales presence in new markets, which expands the company’s footprint even further across the US,” commented Chad Houwman, Partner at Prestige.
New markets being covered include: Orange County, Utah, Colorado, Florida, Latin America, Washington D.C., Maryland and Virginia. In addition, the Prestige has strengthened the sales force in Chicago and St. Louis.
Abha Abbas | Regional Director of Sales, Orange County
Abha brings extensive knowledge, including over 16 years of experience, having worked with renowned international hotels and portfolios.
Prior to joining Prestige Resorts & Destinations, Abha was with Maybourne Hotel Group, the ultra-luxury hotel group which manages Claridge’s, the Connaught and The Berkeley Hotel where Abha served as the Director of West Coast Sales. Previously, Abha worked as the Director of Western Region & Entertainment sales at Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces, where she was responsible for the group, corporate, entertainment and leisure segments of the market. Additionally, Abha has extensive Luxury Hospitality experience with properties such as Pelican Hill, Shutters on the Beach, Casa Del Mar, Fairmont & The Beverly Hills Hotel.
Inga Richter | Regional Director of Sales, Chicago
Prior to joining Prestige as Regional Director of Sales, Inga has enjoyed working in the hospitality industry for most of her life. Inga has been fortunate to work for various major chain brands and independent hotels, successfully negotiating both large and small-scale group experiences.
Inga’s enthusiasm, creativity and hard work have earned her several promotions over the years and now she is excited for the new challenge of providing her clients with the best possible service and solutions as their group meetings advocate.
For fun, Inga most enjoys cooking, decorating and hiking with her 3 dogs (Beanz, Louie and Lukas).
Kimberly Newman | Regional Director of Sales, Mid-Atlantic (Washington D.C., Virginia & Maryland)
A full-rounded love of everything events, Kimberly has worked in the Marketing Events and Tourism Sales industry for over 20 years, a majority of that spent focused on the acquisition and coordination of large events and retaining and cultivating new client relationships. Most recently, Kimberly served as a global account manager for a major transportation company, overseeing all meeting and event services for some of their Fortune 50 companies and the nation’s top DMOs.   Highlights of Kimberly’s career include work on three Presidential Inaugurations, the White House Correspondence dinner, and the 2015 Super Bowl.
Outside of completing her master’s degree in international nonprofit association management, Kimberly’s spare time is spent introducing her 8-year old son to the world of volunteerism and traveling.
Maety Albaladejo | Regional Director of Sales, Florida & Latin America
With more than 18 years’ experience in the hospitality industry Mayte has a demonstrated history of working extensively with associations, corporations and non-profit organizations. She understands the importance of finding the right venue in the right destination to ensure a successful event. Mayte uses her knowledge of hotel operations, sales and her global network to assist clients with all aspects of their meetings when considering locations and venues. Prior to joining Prestige Mayte worked at Visit Orlando in various capacities and while there earned the distinguished Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) designation.
Mayte resides in Orlando, Florida and spends her spare time traveling, reading and training her ferocious Miniature Schnauzer – Lord Vader.
Robert Brice | Regional Director of Sales, St. Louis

Robert Brice joins Prestige with more than 25 years of experience in the trade show and events industry. He got his start with The Expo Group in Dallas, TX as customer service rep.
He eventually made the move over to show management, taking sales positions with the Dallas Market Center, and later, the Atlanta Market Center. Rob then spent 10 years with Cygnus Business Media where he launched several profitable events and grew his event portfolio to $13 million.
Rob is a 5-time winner of the Tradeshow Week “Fastest 50 growing tradeshows in the U.S.”  He is also a graduate of the International Association of Exhibition and Events’ (IAEE) Krakoff Leadership Institute and has also earned IAEE’s Certified in Exhibition Management (CEM) designation.
Sheila Tuitele | Regional Director of Sales, Colorado and Utah
Sheila Tuitele is a seasoned meetings / events manager, and hospitality professional, with a background also in sales and marketing. She received her Bachelors in Communications from the University of Utah and 25 years later, went back to school to get her Masters in Hospitality Administration from UNLV. Sheila leverages her extensive background in event management to help customers better identify the best venues in the best cities. She loves to travel and see new places. This allows her to bring a personal touch to the experience her clients will enjoy. Her passion paired with her great attention to detail allows all her client’s plans to be flawless.
Sheila is a Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) and has the Healthcare Meeting Compliance Certificate (HMCC).
About Prestige Global Meeting Source
Founded in 1986, Prestige is a single-source connection for meeting planners, helping to consolidate purchasing through one experienced and qualified source. The company’s core service is site selection, providing clients with a network of experienced sales
partners who work to find and contract the best possible hotels, resorts, DMCs or cruises for groups. In addition to site selection, the company provides full service event development and management.
Prestige is committed to providing best-in-class service and value to its clients. For more information, visit www.meetprestige.com.