Visit Portland Marketing Meeting Recap

November 5, 2025

Thank you to those who were able to join us at our Sales & Marketing Meeting November 5th at Nonesuch River Brewing.  Once again, a BIG thank you to Heather Guglielmo and Jeff Gambardella with Nonesuch River Brewing— your breakfast spread was amazing, and The Mezzanine offered the perfect setting for our meeting!  Another BIG thank you to Dustin and Dan Caron for sharing a presentation with us from Culinary Roots Consulting.

Add some festive cheer to your local draft lineup with Nonesuch River Brewing’s Santa’s Reinbeer, a seasonal favorite that brings bold holiday flavor to every pour. And when you’re planning your upcoming holiday gatherings or staff appreciation parties, remember Nonesuch River Brewing as the perfect place to celebrate!

For Nonesuch River Brewing Brewery Sales please contact: shae@nonesuchriverbrewing.com
For Nonesuch River Brewing Events Team please contact: heather@nonesuchriverbrewing.com     

Please enjoy these meeting minutes, as well as the Culinary Roots Consulting presentation. 

Culinary Roots Consulting | Dustin Caron | culinaryrootsconsulting@gmail.com

---

How It Went

Meeting Agenda

9:00AM Light refreshments

9:30AM Welcome and Introductions:
Heather Guglielmo, Director of Events and Marketing & Jeff Gamberdella, Managing Partner/Owner

9:40AM Presentation by Culinary Roots Consulting
Dustin Caron, Owner & Dan Caron, Owner

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.
• Harleigh Gastman, Media Coordinator: Harleigh is excited to share that Visit Portland has switched its photo storage platform to Crowdriff. This is a great time to send her any new assets so she can better highlight your business on social media and in events/deals. She will be reaching out with upload links, along with links to your photo gallery and Visit Portland’s main galleries. In the meantime, please reach out with any questions! harleigh@visitportland.com.

TOURISM/HOSPITALITY UPDATES

• Cinderella Elbatanoni | The Westin Portland Harborview: Cinderella is excited to share that the Top of the East will be hosting a Thanksgiving Day Event, so if you are looking for a festive way to spend the Holiday, they will be open.
• David Agyemang Opoku Asamoah | En-Noble: En-Noble offers immersive cultural experiences through specialty food tours and live cooking demonstrations led by Cultural Ambassadors from around the world. EN-Noble is currently in search of a host kitchen, if you know of any please let a Visit Portland team member know and we will connect you directly with David.
• Kristopher McClure | Portland Donut Tour: Offering tours year round, Kris is excited to announce he successfully completed his first full season of offering Lobster Tours! Both donut and lobster tours will be available for locals and visitors all winter. He is always interested in meeting fellow partners and exploring new collaborations.
• Albert Thayer | The Press Hotel: The Press Hotel will be undergoing exterior building renovations January through March. During renovations, Union and the hotel will still be open!
• Anna Sinnott | Terrarium: Terrarium is the perfect rainy day activity for anyone in the Greater Portland Area! Anna is excited to partner with hotels welcoming groups and looking for an indoor creative activity. Terrarium is a garden center and hub for DIY terrarium creations hosting a cafe serving snacks and craft beer and wine.
• Anya Sivinski | Arcana: A new partner, Arcana is a healing arts studio offering yoga classes, massage therapy and more, as well as a metaphysical retail shop located in the heart of the Old Port. Arcana is excited to partner with the group market offering private yoga classes, on-site massage, and other wholistic group activities.
• Lucretia Russell | The Clarion Hotel: Lucretia is excited to announce her new role as the DOS at The Clarion Hotel– soon to be Hampton Inn! The property is undergoing a full renovation and rebrand and is set to reopen in the Spring of 2026 complete with new fire pits and a children’s splash pad!
• Ashley Flowers | Ashley Flowers Yoga: 1 in 4 people suffer from back pain– yoga can help with that! Ashley invites locals, visitors, and groups to join her for yoga classes for all abilities. She is proudly partnering with Toad & Co. for a Yoga For Good series offering yoga classes to support Friends of Casco Bay. Alpaca yoga coming soon!
• Will Wohler | Wohler & Co.: From onsite Headshot stations for events to in-studio branding and portrait session we help you reconnect to your inner artist, your most authentic self. Will is happy to announce the continuation of his Headshot Happy Hour series! Keep your eyes peeled for 2026 dates!
• Norman Patry | Summer Feet Cycling: Summer Feet Cycling is happy to celebrate their 25th Anniversary!
• Eric Pray & Dylan Suhr & Kim Deweever | Portland Explorer: The Portland Explorer Team is happy to announce their new networking series, Hospitality Happy Hour, at the Portland Beer Hub every 3rd Wednesday of the month. Portland Explorer is open year round offering a variety of tours of Greater Portland, so keep them in mind this holiday season when celebrating your staff!
• Jake Charette | Casco Bay Lines: Catch the Bay Mist as the Sleigh Mist in this year’s Christmas Parade of Lights December 14th. Jake would like to remind folks that the Casco Bay Lines runs boats year round and is the perfect group activity or reception venue for winter meetings and groups.
• John Paglio | flyte new media: Check out flyte’s flyte school free live webinar, 2026 Digital Strategy Roundtable: SEO, Content, and Ads That Move the Needle December 4th!
• Jaime Larrea | Portland Discovery Land & Sea: Jaime would like to thank all the hotels who partnered with Portland Discovery with referrals and groups. Jaime is happy to announce Portland Discovery Land + Sea hosting approximately 160 private groups and is excited for next season!
• Meredith Lubking | Maine Day Ventures: Maine Day Ventures is open for tour year round offering a variety of tours including foodie tours, history tours, healthy day ventures, and more. Meredith is excited to share MDV will be bringing the Winter Warmer Tour by popular demand!
• Kim Strondak | Courtyard Portland Downtown: Kim is excited to announce her new role as DOS at the Marriott Courtyard Portland Downtown. She is proud to share that they will be hosting the Courtyard National Advisory Board this year and is looking forward to showcasing Portland! Kim is interested in connecting with her fellow partners with local products to feature in guest rooms and private meetings and events. If you are interested in collaborating with the Courtyard as a vendor, please let a Visit Portland team member know and we will connect you directly.
• Andrew Gendron & Abigail Worthing | Waterstone Properties, Rock Row: Andy is excited to announce that Rock Row’s third phase of development is set to break ground Spring of 2026! He also reported that Rock Row is RFPing some branding work– if anyone is interested in learning more please reach out to a Visit Portland team member and we will connect you directly. Santa Claus is coming to Rock Row December 21st!
• Michelle Sarber | Portland Regency Hotel & Spa: With over 6,000 square feet of meeting space and multiple group size capacities, The Regency is the perfect spot for your staff Holiday Party! The Portland Regency is also spearheading a Relief For Jamaica Drive!
• Tim Johnson & Jules Malueg | The Axe Pit: The Axe Pit is an axe throwing bar, one-part sport and one-part bar! An excellent venue for group activities and team bonding, the Axe Pit is open year round. They offer a wide variety of local beers on tap and can host groups of up to 150 people with their new expansion.
• Caroline Bisi | Thompson’s Point: Caroline is excited to announce her new role at Thompson’s Point! The seaside campus can host groups of varying sizes, from 20-6,000 people. She’s also excited to share the The Rink will be open November 28th for skating!
• Eileen Menard | Portland Sheraton at Salbe Oaks: With five renovated meeting spaces, the Sheraton can host any event ranging from a successful business meeting to an elegant wedding. As a Marriott property, The Sheraton is the perfect place for groups– local and visiting alike!
• Kathleen Landry & Bri Derhagopian | Portfire Events Inc.: A New Partner, Portfire Events is your go-to for event design with purpose! Where planning an intimate retreat or a a large-scale conference, the team at Portfire Events is eager to ideate, create, elevate, and celebrate. Kathy and Bri are excited to get to know the Visit Portland community and are open to new partnerships, especially with hotels!
• Maya Atlas | Allagash Brewing Company: Allagash is celebrating its 30th Anniversary! Maya is also happy to announce the opening of their Scarborough locations, The Allagash Bungalow.
  

---

What’s Coming-Up

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