David Almond is Regional Vice President – Midwest and Canada for Associated Luxury Hotels International (ALHI). In this role, Almond is responsible for leading a team of 14 hospitality professionals who manage relationships throughout Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Canada. His sales executives proactively market their member hotels to clients having a need for incentives, meetings, conventions, cruises, and DMCs. He does this most effectively using his 24 years of hotel industry experience. This experience has offered both his sales team and external stakeholders the benefit of someone who understands strategic planning, talent development, cultivating a strong team culture, achieving standards, mentorship, market analysis, and contract negotiations. His team has shared that his talents have created a culture where all can excel at what they do best – representing our clients and members.Almond built his exceptional reputation with the major hotel brands including: Hilton, Starwood (now Marriott), and InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG). Spending a bulk of his experience with Hiltons of Chicago, he was exposed to a variety of property styles affording him opportunities to intimately understand the various needs of clients and hotels. Throughout his career he was exposed to multi-property sales which very much prepared him for an organization like ALHI.He is a graduate of The Pennsylvania State University and earned a degree in Marketing. Almond resides in Western Springs, IL with his wife, two children, and boxer Izzy.Other key skills:• Communicating expectations• Project management• Sales• Solicitation• Relationship building• Mentoring• Market analysis• Forecasting• Budgeting