Cincinnati USA CVB Annual Meeting

Cammie Dierking, Anchor of Local 12 News



Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory





Hamilton County Commissioner David Pepper



Nick Vehr, CVB Chairman of the Board and President of Vehr Communications



Dan Lincoln, President and CEO of Cincinnati USA CVB



Queen City Advocate Award, Iris Simpson-Bush, Flying Pig Marathon



Queen City Advocate Award, "Team Cincinnati USA Rocks VH-1", left to right, Dan Lincoln, Pam McDonald of TWC, Kristen Erwin of Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Film Commission, Buz Buse of Metaphor Studios, and Nick Vehr.



Champion Award, Anne Sisson Runyan, professor and department head of Women's Studies at University of Cincinnati



Champion Award, Jason Riveiro and Michael Beck of Cincinnati Chapter of LULAC for their success in securing Cincinnati a meeting destination for the largest Hispanic organization in the United States



Champion Award, Steven Reece, Sidney Broadnax, and Dr. Chester Pryor, flanked by Dan Lincoln and Jason Dunn on the left, and Nick Vehr on the right. The Honorable William McClain is not pictured. They are honored for their efforts to bring the 2008 and 2014 Annual Meetings of the United Supreme Council.



Partnership Award, Downtown Residents Council, represented by Conrad Theide



Partnership Award, representatives for Fifth Third Bank, Macy's, P & G, Toyota, Western & Southern Financial Group, Great American Financial Group, Duke Energy, The Greater Cincinnati Foundation, Kroger, National City, PNC Bank, Union Central Life Insurance Co., U.S. Bank, The E.W. Scripps Company, Frisch's, General Electric, and the State of Ohio.



Wendell P. Dabney Award for Diversity, Phil Castellini, COO for the Cincinnati Reds.



Pinnacle Award for Outstanding Service, Harold Willingham, Millenium Hotel Concierge; Amber Rice, Set Up Team Leader for Global Spectrum at Duke Energy Convention Center; Bobbi Hayes, PBX Operator at Hyatt Regency Cincinnati.



The Cincinnati USA CVB team

Cincinnati USA's October Familiarization Tour

The October Fam Tour is, by far, my favorite. Those who love sports would beg to differ, as they would prefer the Spring Fam Tours when the guests of the CVB dine on the Bengals 50 yard line in Paul Brown Stadium, which has a charm of its own. But, the Fine Arts Fam Tour strikes a wonderous chord in its sheer beauty. Let's begin our journey through the day's events.

It always begins at Jean Robert's retaurant, Pigalls, where the guests dine in unpretentious elegance on sumptuous courses, the names of which I cannot begin to pronounce.





After dinner, the group boarded a touring bus and took a ride around downtown. There was a brief stop at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.



This following photo is the eternal flame, seen across the Ohio River from Kentucky, from which slaves were secreted to Ohio to gain their freedom.





After a brief rest from a filling dinner at Pigalls followed by the city tour, the guests gathered at the Duke Energy Center, Cincinnati's primiere convention center, and visited with representatives from local government and the hospitality industry. Of course, the main attraction was the food.







While the guests were being entertained at DEC, I made my way over to Music Hall to get some photos before the guests arrived. When they entered the beautiful Hall, they were amazed at what they saw.









And, behind the curtain an elegant and intimate setting for dining.









Their evening at the Music Hall afforded them an opportunity to feast on a sampling of the arts. The first sample was the ballet. Val Liberatore, Dean of the Otto M. Budig Academy of the Cincinnati Ballet, introduced three wonderful students of the Academy who gave the guests a marvelous and impressive performance (pieces from the Nutcrack,er, if I recall correctly).













(If you want to see some of the other dance photos, just click on one of the photos above to be taken to Flickr.)

Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra assistant conductor Vince Lee introduced the musicians, both of whom performed with french horns.





The opera was likewise represented. The young man's voice filled the Hall.





This will be an evening these folks will long remember.

Women's Health Conference

This past Saturday, women from the greater Cincinnati area came to the 5th Annual Women's Health Experience, where they heard from local medical experts talk about feeling great and staying healthy.


Founders, Mona and Dr. Karram


Dr. Karram, Mona, and Carol Williams (of WCPO, Channel 9)


Cincinnati Sports Club offered free sessions.




Winning Guidance, Healing Touch


Complimentary make-overs by Christian Dior

Mona addresses the luncheon crowd and introduces Carol Williams of WCPO.


Carol Williams


The luncheon was very well attended.


One of the main attractions of the luncheon was a fashion show.








Keynote speaker, Dr. Barbara Levy


Carol Williams moderates a panel discussion.