Visit Portland Marketing Meeting Recap

January 14, 2026

Thank you to those who were able to join us at our Sales & Marketing Meeting January 14 at the Cambria Hotel Portland Downtown.  Once again, a BIG thank you to Jenn Pendexter with The Cambria— your breakfast spread was amazing, and The Forsley Room offered the perfect setting for our meeting full of natural light!  Another BIG thank you to Maureen Comito for sharing a presentation with us from Human Interest.

Please enjoy these meeting minutes, as well as the Human Interest Presentation.

Human Interest | Maureen Comito | maureen.comito@humaninterest.com

How It Went

Meeting Agenda

9:00AM Light refreshments

9:30AM Welcome and Introductions:
Jenn Pendexter, Area Director of Sales + Marketing, Colwen Hotels

9:40AM Presentation by Human Interest
Maureen Comito, Senior Partner Account Manager

10:40 AM Group Sales Review
• Trending Data Reviews:

Round Table Discussion

Visit Portland Updates:

• Caroline Zambernardi, Partner Success + Benefits Manager: Caroline is excited to announce the date for Visit Portland’s 2026 Destination Summit as April 8, 2026 at USM.
• Musseit (Moose) M’Bareck, Advertising Specialist : Moose is currently offering opportunities to advertise in the 2026 Destination Guide. If you are interested in learning more, please email him directly, moose@visitportland.com.
• Whitney Riley, Media Coordinator: Visit Portland’s newest hire, Whitney invites all partners to log into their Web Dashboard to double check their listings and ensure all copy and information is up to date. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to Whitney with any updates! whitney@visitportland.com .
• Kate McDonough, Chief Business Officer: Kate is dedicated to ensuring every partner’s experience is exemplary. She encourages partners to lean into their benefits and make the most of their marketing exposure, whether that means upgrading, adjusting target audiences, or getting a refresher on what their plan includes. She is always available to help and can tailor each partner’s exposure to align with their key goals for the year ahead.
• Kelly Schneck, Creative Director + PR Manager: Winter Weekdays runs January 5–April 30, 2026. Promote exclusive midweek offers from local restaurants, breweries, and lodging partners. Choose your slowest day(s) and feature a targeted seasonal promotion. Submit a deal

TOURISM/HOSPITALITY UPDATES

All Winter Weekday Deals mentioned below can be found HERE

• Tamara O’Neil | Edgestone Staffing: Edgestone Staffing partners with hotels, resorts, restaurants, and event venues to provide reliable talent across essential departments, including housekeeping, food and beverage, maintenance, groundskeeping, and more. Excited to be a new partner, Tamara invites anyone who has any staffing needs to reach out.
• Abigail Worthing | Waterstone Properties/Rock Row: Rock Row is excited to share they are breaking ground on their next phase of development in the late summer/early fall of 2026. Abby encourages folks to keep their eye on the Rock Row Events Calendar for upcoming announcements such as community events and a visit from the Easter Bunny.
• Jackie Berry | The Portland Collection: Offering Winter Weekday deals at the Cambria Hotel and the Portland Harbor hotel as well as a Canvas and Cocktails event at Alto Restaurant located on the 4th floor of the Cambria Hotel January 29th.
• Will Wohler | Wohler & Co.: Will offers on site and in studio headshot photography for groups and individuals. He is excited to continue his Headshot Happy Hour with the next event happening February 18th at Eighteen Twenty Wines. Will will also be at the Visit Portland Destination Summit offering headshots on a first come first serve basis, included in your registration for the event.
• Tiernan Pyle | Maine Wildlife Park: Maine Wildlife Park is a wildlife reserve just 30 minutes from downtown. Tiernan is hoping to create lasting connections with Portland businesses and has brochures to share with anyone who’s interested. ME Wildlife Park is excited to announce a handful of events and is searching for local food truck partners to participate in future events.
• Ashley Flowers | Ashley Flowers Yoga: Ashley offers unique yoga classes for all ages and abilities. Flexibility is key in managing stress and upcoming uncertainty– yoga can help with that! Ashley invites partners to bring their teams and groups to her classes where happiness is contagious.
• Rashad Zagon | Crestline Hotels: Rashad promotes the AC, Residents Inn, and ALOFT. ALOFT is under renovations in their lobby and they look forward to completion in a few months when they plan to host a grand re-opening event.
• Sarah Demaris | The Ecology School at River Bend Farm: Sarah is new to the property and looking forward to getting to know the Visit Portland community. The Ecology School started as an environmental education program and has since morphed into a beautiful solar powered retreat property located on a retired horse farm along the Saco River. The retreat is open year round and surrounded by 5 miles of walking trails and open for groups of all sizes.
• Matthew McCagg + Kelsey Lynn | Hilton Garden Inn Portland Downtown: The Hilton Garden Inn is excited to offer a Winter Weekday Deal to help get them through Q1. HGI is happy to share they just finished their room refresh.
• Albert Thayer | The Press Hotel: The Press will be undergoing exterior construction from now through mid-March. Don’t let that stop you, however, from visiting The Press and enjoying their Winter Weekday deals.
• Charlotte Ix | Luke’s Lobster: Charlotte is happy to announce her new role with Luke’s Lobster. Luke’s is also participating in Winter Weekdays and invites everyone to stop by.
• Kate Stanek | The Brunswick Hotel: The Brunswick Hotel is excited to announce a Winter Weekday deal and the roll out of their new 7-day a week breakfast program. The hotel has igloos on the patio and is offering activities and deals alongside Brunswick’s 207 Days.
• Nicholas Bonadies | Belleflower Brewing: Belleflower is offering beer specials as part of Winter Weekdays and excited to share it’s their 5th Anniversary! Keep your eyes on their events calendar to stay up to date with their beer events and spring beer festival.
• Eric Pray + Kim DeWeever | Portland Explorer: Portland Explorer is offering land tours year round for individuals and groups (light house tours, food tours, beer tours, etc.). If groups or guests you are working with are looking for something to do in the off months, please don’t hesitate to reach out!
• Zachary Poole | Portland Beer Hub: Right next to Rosie’s Portland Beer Hub has 22 beers on draft, prosecco on draft, and 5 gluten free beers on draft at all times and beer to go available. They are excited to announce a Trivia Tournament every Thursday night with a prize of an overnight experience at Fortland! Portland Beer Hub is also offering a Winter Weekday deal and is open for groups and private events year round.
• Kathy Landry + Bri Derhagopian| Portfire Events: Located in York, ME Portfire Events assists with corporate events all over Maine and New England. From airport transportation to tours and activities, to catering and entertainment, Portfire is a DMC one stop shop! A Portfire is a vessel used to ignite fireworks– Portfire Events brings the color and the fun!
• Meredith Lubking | Maine Day Trips + Portland Discovery Land + Sea Tours: Tours are offered year round and open for individuals and groups. Meredith is excited to promote their new Winter Warmer Tour as well as a Valentines Day Tour offered the whole week of Valentines Day. Meredith is now fielding inquires for both Maine Day Ventures and Portland Discovery Land + Sea Tours, so if you’ve got a group interested in something to do don’t hesitate to reach out!
• Carrie Doughty + Michelle Sarber | Portland Regency Hotel + Spa: The family owned, 95 room hotel is happy to share that they also represent the Mariner’s Church across the street. Mariner’s Church can accommodate up to 350 guests cocktail style. All 3 Portland Regency outlets are offering Winter Weekday deals and invite you to join them! The Portland Regency plans to host a Spring Party, more information to come.
• Topaz Smith | EN-NOBLE: EN-NOBLE offers immersive cultural experiences for individuals and groups alike. They offer live cooking demos, specialty tours and chef tastings, and intimate chef experiences. EN NOBLE is a newer partner and excited to make new connections within the Visit Portland community!
• Halle Farnsworth | Sodexo Conference services at USM: USM is excited to host Visit Portland’s Destination Summit again this year and hopes everyone will attend. The Sodexo team at USM offers meetings and events at all USM campuses and is looking for a tour company to host one of their upcoming groups.
• Holly Westbrook + Emily Safar | Hyatt Place Portland Downtown: Holly and Emily are excited to announce their new roles at the Hyatt Place and that the Hyatt Place is undergoing some lobby and room renovations over the next few months. Holly is looking forward to getting to know the Portland community and is open to grab a coffee with anyone who wants to connect!
• Avery Windham + Michael Fay | The Docent’s Collection: Construction is finally finished at all Docent properties! The Docent’s Collections is happy to launch their Romance Package, From Portland With Love and are soon to launch a new Wellness Package.

What’s Coming-Up

Upcoming Sales + Marketing Meetings

Visit portland is looking for venues to host 2026’s Sales and Marketing Meetings! Don’t miss out on this excellent opportunity to showcase your venue!

If you are interested in hosting a Sales + Marketing Meeting in 2026, please contact Abby Traver at abby@visitportland.com.

Have interest in hosting or presenting at an upcoming Marketing Meeting? Please reach out to Abby Traver at abby@visitportland.com.