Frank Magee began his career with hotel management positions in Europe and Ireland. Then, he joined the Irish Tourist Board as an Investment and Hotel Adviser, before going on to direct projects such as the St Patrick’s Festival and Malahide Marina, as well as serving on many Irish organisations and professional bodies. However, he is best known for his 21 years at the helm of the Dublin Regional Tourism Authority – better known as Dublin Tourism. He announced his retirement as CEO on 31st December 2010.

Eddie Friel is a native of Londonderry, Northern Ireland. After nearly forty year experience as a city marketer, he has become a renowned presenter, writer, broadcaster and consultant. He is now an “expert in residence” at Niagara University and is really looking forward to seeing former friends and colleagues at the ECM Spring Meeting in Sofia. He will be “crossing the pond” next month to headline the ECM seminar whose theme is “Financing Europe’s City Tourist Offices and Convention Bureaux – Threats, Opportunities and Solutions”.

An ECM member in 2009, Pier Paolo Mariotti hosted the 23rd Summer School in the Eurac convention center in the city of Bolzano, Italy. He joined the Summer School’s faculty, helping to shape up course content and becoming one of its speakers, emphasising the importance of the green agenda and the necessity for green events and their pivotal significance for the future development of the tourism and meetings industry. This year he takes over the course leadership of ECM Summer School, bringing to this job his trademark energy, ideas and convictions.

European Cities Marketing continues provide ECM convention members with major opportunities to cement their existing business networks and to meet potential new clients. Two workshops for the ECM Convention Forum members will be held in Spring 2011: Mercado and Meet Europe.

The European Tour Operators Association (ETOA) and European Cities Marketing (ECM) are joining forces with the launch of City Fair on 20th June 2011 in London. Over 100 participants have already registered for this new workshop. Putting tour operators and cities face to face, this event follows the tried and trusted formula in which cities take tables and meet operators in pre-arranged appointments.

The city of Uppsala, Sweden, was host to ECM’s Autumn meeting. Eighty representatives of Europe’s leading city tourist offices and convention bureaux attended the three day event which addressed the hot topic of city marketing. This included a one day seminar entitled “City Marketing - refreshing the parts that City Tourist Offices & Convention Bureaux cannot reach”.

Dr Heeley took up office in August 2010. His task is to initiate implementation of ECM’s three year strategy 2011-2013 approved by the General Assembly in Las Palmas last June. At the same time, he will seek to ensure ECM consolidates its unique position as a pan-European network within which city tourist offices and convention bureaux can benchmark themselves and exchange best practice and other information.

European Cities Marketing continues provide ECM convention members with major opportunities to cement their existing business networks and to meet potential new clients. Two workshops for the ECM Convention Forum members will be held in Spring 2011: Mercado and Meet Europe.

The European Tour Operators Association (ETOA) and European Cities Marketing (ECM) are joining forces with the launch of City Fair on 20th June 2011 in London. Over 100 participants have already registered for this new workshop. Putting tour operators and cities face to face, this event follows the tried and trusted formula in which cities take tables and meet operators in pre-arranged appointments.