With over 30 years of experience in business travel, meetings and events, Julie has seen the industry survive some of the most difficult challenges and thrive in success. In her role as Managing Director of Hotel and Travel Solutions (HTS), Julie’s journey with beam began in November 2016 as the inaugural chair of the Agency Engagement Committee.
As your 2024 beam Chair, she aims to ensure the association continues to benefit all members – boosted by insights from her relationships with agency members. Julie’s strategy includes engaging existing and prospective members from across the business events, accommodation, and meetings industry.
Ryan Doyle is the Group Sales & Development Director for Switch Management group, leading the sales and development team across Switch Hospitality & Switch Housing Management. With over 15 years of experience in hotels & housing, Ryan is responsible for the leadership of the Sales & Development teams across a dynamic portfolio, galvanising a sales culture across all businesses and responsible for overall revenue and business growth.
Ryan has been involved with beam since 2019 under the Next Generation Talent initiative and in his role as Vice Chair, primarily working on venue membership and relations, as well as creating a robust events engagement calendar and promoting cross collaboration across various association, sharing knowledge and best practice to make the industry stronger together.
Linden Beattie is a highly experienced UK hotel General Manager with 20 years of expertise in luxury hotels and resorts across the UK. Currently serving as General Manager at Down Hall Hotel, a prestigious property renowned for MICE, leisure, and weddings, Linden’s leadership has earned the hotel numerous accolades, including East of England’s Large Hotel of the year in 2023. With a strong background in the UK travel, events, and leisure market, Linden is passionate about building effective teams and has actively contributed to not-for-profit organisations, including The Cambridge Roar and Visit Essex at Board Level
As our Finance Director, Linden is the reference and information point for all financial aspects of the Associations activities, ensuring all financial systems are robust and upheld.
Sian Sayward MCIPS (CS) is Director of People, Partnerships & Strategic Projects at Inntel, the UK’s leading independent meetings and travel management company. Sian has worked for Inntel since 2004, with her career in hospitality, events and travel spanning 30 years. She is a creative thinker who’s unafraid to question the status quo, passionate about driving best practices forward and dedicated to the growth of our industry.
Former Chair, Sian now acts as our Governance Director, supporting her fellow board members in the successful delivery of the association’s strategic objectives. Her role is to ensure the association complies with all statutory, regulatory and contractual requirements, and that our organisational risk management is robust. Sian also works closely with our Membership Services Team to provide guidance and advice to members.
Louisa Watson is Marketing Director & Sustainability lead for Wyboston Venue Management and Wyboston Lakes Resort. With over 20 years’ experience in her field. Offering professional expertise and experience in Brand strategy, web development, PPC and SEO, digital comms including social media strategy, CRM strategy, commercial product development in both B2B and B2C markets in both the UK and internationally. Fundraising, sponsorship and partnership activity, lead generation, as well as traditional marketing & PR strategy.
As our ESG Director, Louisa plays an imperative role in driving ESG initiatives across the industry, sharing her knowledge and expertise. Alongside her ESG beam Action Group, Louisa has successfully delivered two ESG Summits and is the driving force in ensuring we’re supporting charity partner Meetings Needs.
Joe Evans is a seasoned hospitality professional with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He currently serves as Business Development Director MICE for Aimbridge Hospitality EMEA, one of the largest third-party hotel management companies in the world. Throughout his career, Joe has held various leadership roles in hotel operations, sales, and marketing for several prominent hotels, including both domestic and international brands. He has a proven track record of driving revenue growth, improving operational efficiency, and delivering exceptional guest experiences.
As our Membership lead, Joe has an important role in ensuring our members discover the value of our association. Working collectively with our Membership action group, the team understand and develop key topics which fuel the content and topic discussions at our twice yearly, full member meetings.
Carla Garman is the Director of Abstract Events. Carla’s working life has been in the hotel and hospitality industry since leaving college in 1996 with her previous role of Director of Sales heading up the De Vere sales team at The University of Nottingham. Her passion, experience and unwavering commitment to excellence ensures that every event she undertakes is a resounding success from a board meeting to an awards event, even hosting a festival! Carla’s strengths lies in her exceptional organisational skills, She approaches each event with a methodical mindset, creating comprehensive timelines and checks to ensure nothing is overlooked.
The industry is a fast moving and ever-changing environment so being on the board of beam enables the team to be at the forefront. She believes in nurturing the next generation of professionals and passing on the invaluable lesson she has learned throughout her illustrious career.
David, the Managing Director at Inloco Events, is a seasoned professional with over 35 years of invaluable experience in the hotel and events industry. For the past 28 years, he has specialised in event management and venue sourcing, perfecting his expertise. Our dedicated team collaborates closely with clients to thoroughly understand their objectives and budget, ensuring the selection of the most suitable venues for their needs.
David serves on the executive committee of UKEvents as a representative of beam. He is a passionate advocate for diversity within the industry and is committed to voicing its concerns. David believes in leveraging data to demonstrate the industry’s economic value, driving initiatives for enhanced statistical understanding among members.
With a comprehensive background in both agency and hotel logistics, David appreciates the importance of communication and collaboration. He firmly believes that the best results, whether in events or in life, are achieved through collective effort towards the greater good.
Ben is currently Sales Director for Countrywide Hotels, who operates over 30 white label hotels across the UK. Ben has worked in the hospitality industry since the age of sixteen and has covered a fantastic mixture of jobs from being the 1st commie chef in a large country house kitchen peeling bags and bags of onions, running a 26 bedroom hotel with a 550 berth marina to his current role with Countrywide Hotels.
In his role with beam, Ben plays a crucial part in Commercial Partnerships, helping to establish new relationships that enable the industry to collaborate closely with key partners and share best practices and ideas. This provides an opportunity to support our members in achieving their goals and objectives, with the expectation that these commercial partners will complement their journey.
Caroline, is the Director of Events for XSEM, is passionate about the events industry. She has a wealth of experience from her roles in luxury hotel operations and national sales. Having previously led conferences and events for one of the country’s largest agencies, Caroline now guides the incredible team of project managers at XSEM, focusing on delivering the best possible experience for team and customers alike. She is committed to nurturing the next generation of event professionals by taking several voluntary roles within the industry including, being a Board member of beam, mentoring at Manchester Met University as well as part of the Elevate Mentor program, speaking at industry events, and advocating for mental health and well-being through her role as a trustee at Eventwell.
Tracy is Managing Director of Trinity Event Solutions and has joined the board in October 2024.
Tracy’s leadership and commitment to the advancement of our industry will be an invaluable addition to beam as we continue to champion the interests of our members and the wider industry. We are excited to see the positive impact she will make as part of the beam board.
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