Corey D. Bizzell Recognized by Meeting Professionals International Carolinas Chapter as 2011 Supplier of the Year and for Long-Term Industry Impact

Meeting Professionals International Carolinas Chapter (MPI-CC) recently announced Corey Bizzell, Director of Group Sales and Services at DCVB, was named Supplier of the Year by his peers at the MPICC annual awards banquet. He was lauded for his outstanding achievements and exemplary service to the hospitality industry not only during the course of the year but throughout his service to the chapter.

 
A 17-year Hospitality Industry veteran, Bizzell has held positions as both a supplier and planner.  Coupling skills used while planning meetings for clients and back of the house knowledge gained while working in lodging facilities Bizzell has been able to provide the highest quality of service to Groups and Conventions during his nine year tenure at the Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau (DCVB).  Karen Knox, CMP of Blue Cross Blue Shield, NC says of Bizzell, “Always accessible and responsive, Corey conducts himself with poise, professionalism and confidence, and doesn’t hesitate to raise his hand to assist in any way possible.”

Shelly Green, President and CEO of the DCVB, has supervised Bizzell for 8 years.  “Corey cares deeply about the clients he works with on behalf of our community.  I’ve heard him say many times, his job isn’t to sell someone on Durham.  His job is to understand what his clients need for a successful meeting.  Sometimes Durham is the answer to those needs; other times, it is not.  If not, he tells them so, knowing that the relationship is always more important than the sale.”

Bizzell has served MPI-CC in a variety of different volunteer leadership positions including in the past including chair and director positions.  MPI-CC is dedicated to the professional and personal growth of its members and the meeting industry through education, networking, and communications and is part of a larger organization of over 23,000 members.

DCVB is Durham’s official marketing agency and works through various channels to enhance both business and leisure visitation, sustain place-based assets and support the local economy.  Durham is within an hour flight or a day’s drive for more than half the US population and can accommodate more than 85% of the meetings held in the US annually.