Sales Strategy, Business Developmenr, and National Account Management
Open To Work
David Patrick Kinney
TravelCLICK
Chicago,IL
Work Preference
Job Search Status:
Open to work
Desired start date:
Open to discussion
Desired Job Title
National Account DirectorDirector of Business DevelopmentDirector of Corporate DevelopmentCorporate Sponsorship, Partnership, & ExhiibitsDirector of Business & Sales Strategy
Work Type
Full Time
Location Preference
Hybrid
Location:
Chicago, ILKansas City, MODallas, TXPhoenix, AZSeattle, WA
Open to relocation:
Yes
Salary Range
120000/yr - 200000/yr
Important To Me
Personal development programsCompany CultureCareer advancement
1
Certification
18
years of professional experience
Results-driven hospitality sales and account executive with over two decades of success elevating destination and hotel brands through strategic market positioning, revenue-focused sales leadership, and relationship-centric client engagement. Recognized for representing hospitality partners and hotels and my own CVB brands with authenticity, creativity, polish, and destination strategy—creating memorable guest and client experiences that inspire long-term loyalty. Motivated to bring a luxury-minded service philosophy, global hospitality perspective, and passion for refined guest experiences to this nostalgic & iconic hotel in Louisville, seeing the build from ground up in 2018. As my familiarity in Louisville is strong, I find the destination to have outstanding small town culture, and iconic & historic neighborhoods, with world class attractions you can’t find anywhere else. However, my number one goal is to fill room night inventory, meeting space, and food & beverage opportunities within the Omni. I am excited that we would be able to collaborate together to fill hotel room night inventory & grow economic development opportunities between Omni for self contained & incentive business, with the neighboring hotels & Convention Center city to citywide business. My Sales experience has long been an even mix between Corporate, Incentive, Association, and Intermediary markets by aligning with each of my past destination’s and hotel properties commitment to our overall sales mission, our brand pillars, pride in top level service, and overall memorable experiences in the hopes the attendees come back to share in not only the hotel or resort, but the destination as well.
Work History
Progressive Internal Sales & Marketing Roles
- Selling Hotelligence, Rateview, Phaser, and Galileo Featured Property to Global Hotel Bands | Worked with Sabre, Galileo, Amadeus, and Worldspan in various roles developing Electronic Media Plans for Global Travel Agents. As a hotelier, you surely know the GDS reports, and which of these reports even exist any longer.
Corporate Management Trainee
- Began career with Hyatt Hotels Corporation – Corporate Management Trainee
Internal Auditor
- Overseeing Audits at all Hormel Plants in Midwest, Minnesota, and Southeast USA Packaging plants.
Director of Midwest Sales
15 Years- Led strategic sales initiatives across a 12-state Midwest territory, consistently exceeding contracted room-night and RFP Lead goals.
- Contracted Minimum 50,000 room nights annually to achieve Midwest Regional goals consistently.
- Achieved Personal Best 1.2 Million Lead Room nights with 600+ Leads in 2024, in Midwest Territory Alone.
- Held the largest sales budget exceeding $350,000 for Midwest territory alone, in a destination that has grown from $12M to $28M overall operating budget over 15 years.
- Served as a trusted ambassador to hotel partners and global sales stakeholders. Assisted with opening of Hotel Distil Autograph, Hilton Bourne Bonne Curio, Grady Hotel, Hotel Genevieve, and Omni Louisville, additionally assisted with new-build of Kentucky International Convention Center.
- Trade Show, Branding, and In Market Events specialist.
- Assisted Customer Events (Conventions & Trade Shows) with sponsorship & partnership ideas, connections, and strategic goals.
- Maintained, and grew new relationships in business development, sponsorship, and partnerships – connecting clients looking for local partnerships such as: KFC Yum Brands (Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, Kentucky Fried Chicken), Ford, Humana, UPS, Brown Forman, Sazerac, Thorntons, Kindred Healthcare, Heine Brothers Coffee, Papa Johns, University of Louisville, and Texas Roadhouse.
- Specific Examples for Top Key Accounts Connecting to Sponsorships: Ace Hardware, American College of Surgeons, National Restaurant Association, National Association of Realtors, Society of Vascular Surgeons, American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, Association for Surgery of the Hand, International Thespian Festival (Signing a 6 year, 60,000 TRN contract, hosting a board of sponsors in Louisville) reviewing ideas for sponsor activations within the destination, including Disney, Live Nation, and Broadway all being present on the sponsorship site visit.
Regional Sales Manager
3 Years- Puerto Rico Convention Bureau’s Annual Budget increased from $5M to $11M in the three years I was present, meaning the regional sales team was instrumental in growing economic development for the Islands of Puerto Rico.
- Managed Midwest and West Coast group markets, achieving 120% of room-night goal of 20,000 room nights in year one and 24,000 contracted room nights in year two, reaching 110% of goal in year two. Met Room night, site visit, self contained leads, and other local regional goals for both years while representing Puerto Rico.
- Was not responsible for groups touching the Convention Center, which has since grown considerable since I was working in San Juan.
- Strengthened hotel and resort partnerships while executing elevated site visit experiences. Still remain close friends with many of the Puerto Rican sales professionals today. It continues to be one of my favorite destinations in North America.
- Met & Maintained relationships with key corporate stakeholders in Puerto Rico, including a majority of the top Pharmaceutical companies in the world.
- Memorable client events and sales missions that reinforced destination brand excellence. Worked closely with DMCs and site visit managers to add all special touches we could to welcome guests from the Midwest & West Coast USA.
- Assisted with opening of W Retreat Vieques Resort, St. Regis Bahia Beach, Condado Vanderbilt, and Ritz Carlton Reserve.
- Key Lead in Hosting Intermediary FAMS such as HelmsBriscoe, Maritz, HPN, and ConferenceDirect, primarily working Midwest, West Coast & Southwest USA markets for these listed important room night drivers.
- Connected corporate customers to Pharmaceutical Clients for sponsorships & tours, for example: Amgen, Abbvie, Pfizer, Merck, Bristol Myers Squibb, Johnson & Johnson, Abbott, AstraZeneca, Baxter, Eli Lilly, Nextgen, Thermo Fisher Scientific, and Cardinal Health.
- These important pharma organizations were essential to drawing corporate meetings, incentives, and conferences to the San Juan area due to the tax incentives received, but also because of the sponsorship dollars they were able to provide our contracted organizations.
Education
MS Coursework - Hotel Restaurant & Institution Management
BS Business Administration
International Marketing Programme - Hospitality And Tourism Management
Skills
Luxury Hospitality Sales | Brand Ambassadorship | Revenue Growth | Strategic Market Development | Executive Client Relationships | High-Touch Site Visits | Sales Missions & Events | Budget Ownership | Cross-Cultural Awareness | Elite Customer Service | Regional Team Lead | Volunteer Industry Experience with Board President & Committee Chair Leadership | Partnering with CVB on selling & event opportunities | Collaboration between hotels & resorts with DMC assistance | Leading with Loyalty & Humility | Relationship Selling | Building immediate Trust
Critical thinking
Excellent communication
Organization and time management
Decision-making
Problem resolution
Dependable and responsible
Flexible and adaptable
Attention to detail
Customer service
Teamwork and collaboration
Friendly
positive attitude
Certification
- CTA Certified Tourism Ambassador
- London School of Economics International Marketing Programme
- CDME Coursework Completed
- Still Working on final project on growing airlift in smaller to mid-level destinations
Honors & Awards
PCMA Heartland President, Completing a 6 year term commitment on the Board, PCMA Heartland Sponsor of the Year, PMCA Heartland Member of the Year, PCMA Greater Midwest Nominating Committee, 2 Years (2023, 2024), MPI CAC Young Leaders Award, MPI CAC Sponsorship Committee Chair, MPI CAC Board Member, and Director of 1st Annual TechCon, AMC Institute Chair of Associate Member Committee, 2 Year Term, Association Forum Holiday Showcase Committee & Fundraising Committee, Founder and Chair of 6 Destination Celebration customer & industry events in Midwest. Responsible for Creating & Growing Sponsorships, Corporate Gifting, and Developing Brand Regionally, which now is growing to West & Southwest USA., Destination Reps President (2020-2021 during COVID) – Led Team of 50 CVBs
SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS
- Endicott College, College of Hospitality Management, Beverly Massachusetts
- 15+ Speaking Engagements over various semesters, invited by the Dean of the Hospitality School, and a Professor that I knew from Hyatt Hotels.
- Spoke to classes from Sophomore to Senior Level
- Classes included but not limited to: Foundations to Hospitality Management, Rooms Division Management, Fundamentals of Events, Business & Sales Negotiation, Intro to Destination Management, Hospitality Strategic Management, Hotel & Lodging Operations, Sustainable Tourism, Hotel Revenue Management, Resort & Casino Management, International Tourism, and Contemporary Issues in Hospitality
- Once every 2 Years – the Juniors & Seniors interested in hospitality sales created a case study where they planned a sales mission for potential customers in the Boston area. We took them to each location, where they saw us give a formal presentation and then were able to ask questions to the client about the logistics of their meeting or convention. This was a semester long project, and a very rewarding experience.
- Iowa State University, College of Hospitality & Tourism Management, Ames Iowa
- Attended speaking engagements once per year with Hyatt Hotels where we met with Juniors & Seniors interested in working in hospitality, specifically hotel ops, sales, and f&b.
- As PCMA Heartland President, I created a hospitality day where we gathered Hospitality Leaders within 4 States, and held a career day for the school of hospitality, in addition to speaking to various hotel, f&B, and events classes. This was one of my proudest moments that we executed during my president term.
Timeline
Director of Midwest Sales
Louisville Tourism
01.2011 - 01.2026Read More
Regional Sales Manager
Puerto Rico Convention Bureau
01.2008 - 01.2011Read More
University of Kansas
BS Business Administration
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Iowa State University
MS Coursework from Hotel Restaurant & Institution Management
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Internal Auditor
Hormel Foods Corporation
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Corporate Management Trainee
Hyatt Hotels Corporation
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Progressive Internal Sales & Marketing Roles
TravelCLICK
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London School of Economics
International Marketing Programme from Hospitality And Tourism Management
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