Discover Saratoga marks 33 years of service

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. » Discover Saratoga celebrated 33 years of service this week at its annual meeting and breakfast.

A crowd of 150 members, government officials and past chairs attended the event, held Tuesday morning at the Saratoga Springs City Center.

In addition to highlighting the successes of 2017 and initiatives for 2018, the Discover Saratoga team welcomed new members of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee.

Those elected to serve a threeyear term on the board of directors are John Howard from The Gideon Putnam, Chris Perez of Live Nation and AJ Bodden of Albany Broadcasting.

The following candidates were also elected to serve their second one-year term as officers: Cindy Hollowood (The Saratoga Springs Holiday Inn) as chairperson, Tom Newkirk (Saratoga National Gold Club) for immediate past chair, AJ Bodden (Albany Broadcasting) as chairelect, Marianne Barker (Impressions) for treasurer and Megan Hennessey (Courtyard by Marriott) as the at-large officer.

Along with announcing the new board, the bureau recognized two 2017 Hometown Ambassadors, local individuals who brought their convention or event to Saratoga. These honorees were Bill Phelps of the USS Saratoga Reunion, and Stuart Sacks with the JDRF Northeastern New York Chapter - Ride to Cure.

Volunteers of the year were also honored. Colleen Earley was recognized as Discover Saratoga’s volunteer of the year, and Sam Klivans was awarded by the Saratoga Springs Heritage Area Visitor Center.

The Saratoga Convention & Tourism Bureau (DBA Discover Saratoga), incorporated in 1985, aims to serve as a key economic driver of the community. The mission of the nonprofit organization is to contribute a positive impact on the local economy by positioning and marketing Saratoga Springs (and Saratoga County) as a worldclass destination for meetings, conventions and groups, a news release said. In this role the bureau is responsible to a 20-member Board of Directors who represent the membership of more than 500 local and regional businesses.

More information about Discover Saratoga and its upcoming events and intiatives is available online at www.DiscoverSaratoga.org.

PHOTO BY SUSAN BLACKBURN PORTRAIT DESIGN Left to right: Discover Saratoga officers Cindy Hollowood, Megan Hennessey, AJ Bodden, Marianne Barker and Tom Newkirk at the organization’s 33rd annual meeting and breakfast on Tuesday at the Saratoga Springs City Center.