Strategic Solutions LLC is extremely happy to announce the newest additions to the team! The Site Selection division of the company has just been expanded in both numbers and experience. Joining the team are Mikki Rogers and Bernard Simmons, together they will head up the Site Selection Division of the company. The site selection division will work with hotels destinations as well as association and corporate meeting planners to assist them in placing business as they require.

Mikki Rogers joins the group with an undergraduate degree in Business Administration from of Ohio State University; where efficient planning, productivity and the ability to thrive on competition was a mainstay, coupled with a personal need for people to people involvement, Mikki Rogers has spanned the last 29 years or more in the Hospitality Business.

After stints in corporate America with The Traveler’s Insurance Company and IBM, she began a career in the hospitality industry in the mid ’80’s and rose through the ranks with almost 13 years with Westin Hotels & Resorts and over 15 years at Hyatt Hotels & Resorts. During this time, she led dynamic and successful sales efforts, while building strong sales professionals, who have consequently gone on to dynamic sales careers. After earning multiple sales awards with both Westin Hotels & Resorts and Hyatt Hotels & Resorts and being involved in multiple high profile professional industry organizations, as well as being well known and respected nationally; Rogers chose to leave Hyatt Hotels & Resorts in January 2007 to form her own Meetings & Events Company. This gave her an opportunity to sit on the other side of the negotiations desk…from hotels sales to becoming the customer with which hotels sales people would negotiate. Rogers has a keen sense of and knows all of the “ins” and “outs” of the business…and, consequently brings all of these years of experience to you…to save your company travel and meeting dollars and to secure excellent venues, value and high service levels for all of your meetings and events, on a national basis.

In January 2010, Rogers joined “Strategic Solutions, LLC,” as Vice President of Site Selections. In this new role, she will be your advocate and liaison for all of your meeting, event or destination management requirements to ensure that all phases of your event will be expertly managed from A to Z.

Bernard “Bernie” Simmons is an accomplished Sales and Marketing professional with over 30 years of experience. He’s worked for the likes of The Roosevelt Hotel and The Omni Regional Sales, which are both located in New York City. He has also worked for The Sheraton in Philadelphia, The Doubletree Hotel in Atlanta and The Hyatt Hotel’s in Miami and Crystal City, Virginia. He has spent several years with The Kellogg Conference Center on the campus of Tuskegee University and most recently Bernie has spent the last 12 years as Director of National Accounts at Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville, Tennessee.

Over the years Bernie, has been affiliated with the following Professional Organization:

National Coalition of Black Meeting Planners

Society of Government Meeting Professional

Religious Conference Management

Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA)

ASAE

He has enjoyed the following awards:

Mandolin Award, award given to a manager for booking 500,000 + room nights during their tenure

Gaylord Opryland Hotel Leader Ship Award

2007 Pioneer Award From the National Coalition of Black Meeting Planners

We are proud to have Rogers and Simmons leading this Division as Vice Presidents of Site Selection. Strategic Solutions LLC Site Selection Division helps organizations like yours with Request for Proposal distribution, site selection & contract negotiation all at no cost to your organization. In addition we offer a wide range of conference management services that can actually help you run any of your meetings if needed.

Whether you are booking a large scale association meeting or a smaller corporate function, Strategic Solutions, LLC can locate, evaluate and contract the ideal venue. Best of all, this comes at no cost to you. Additionally we can provide a Marketing staff to target the distress market for 2nd and 3rd tier cities and Hotels / Hotel Companies that do not have the budget to hire a dedicated manager for this market. This market will provide needed room nights, and revenue during specific time frames i.e. Holidays, weekends and any dates that are identified by a destination or Hotel to be hard to fill.

The process is straight forward. An associate discusses your program needs and creates a to evaluate potential venues. Strategic Solutions, LLC tracks down the answers follows up with the hotels and manages the process on your behalf. Once we identify venues that match your criteria, we negotiate rates and concessions and facilitate the contracting process. As a client, you receive the highest possible return on your meeting, because your event has been negotiated and secured by an organization with the purchasing power and know-how that comes from years of experience with booking Hotels… In addition you, our client, remain in control throughout the entire process. We represent your interests.