Meetingselect
Meetingselect Announces Award-Winning Industry Powerhouse Rachel Havas as Cluster Director for Americas
AMSTERDAM, March 27, 2023 – Meetingselect, the world's leading marketplace for meeting venues, group bookings, and workspaces, announces the appointment of Rachel Havas as Cluster Director of Latin and North America (LATAM & NORAM). Havas brings nearly three decades of world-class experience, including time as Executive Director of the logistic for Sponsor Programs during the FIFA® World Cup in Brazil and Country Special Houses operations for the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Havas will oversee Meetingselect’s Americas expansion, operations, and strategies in the region, ensuring corporate clients’ seamless experience in booking top-quality events.
Rachel brings 28 years of experience in B2B hospitality to Meetingselect, with a career focus on operations, sales, commercial, marketing, IT and general management. As an Executive Director, she not only oversaw organization for the FIFA® World Cup and the Rio Olympics, but also coordinated multiple international congresses and meetings for high-end incentive group experiences on behalf of leading worldwide brands. While leading Havas Creative Tours, Havas was the recipient of multiple Top Producer Awards. She sat on the Board of Directors for Global DMC Partners, Euromics, and spent many years as a SITE World Member, discussing industry strategies with the top minds in the market.
Rachel holds both an MBA with specialization in Services Management as well as a Master's Degree in Economics from EPGE/FGV, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Business from the PUC/RJ. She is fluent in English, Portuguese, Spanish, and French, granting her ease of communication for the entirety of the two continents she will serve. Havas has spent time in Brazil, France, and the United States.
Rachel's work with Meetingselect will cover the broad domain of planning as well as operation and service management, with an immediate focus on medium-term projects with a multicultural profile. She will bring emphasis to commercial and marketing areas, project and team management, brand development, and market penetration, as well as product assembly and relationships with suppliers. Havas’s strong ability to capture, communicate, and build relationships with customers will be essential.
“I was totally captivated by how the Meetingselect marketplace solves a very important issue in the MICE industry, mixing quality service, real people, and state-of-the-art technology to deliver escalation and efficiency to industry stakeholders,” said Rachel. “An event is confirmed by a meeting planner only seven minutes after the request has been released. This is the speed our industry is looking for! Meetingselect is the future the hospitality world was waiting for and I am honored to embrace the opportunity to expand Meetingselect in the Americas.”
Judith Huisman, Founder of Meetingselect BV, welcomes Rachel and comments on Meetingselect’s development in the Americas: "In 2022 we decided to cross the Atlantic Ocean and started Meetingselect, Inc., establishing an even stronger base in the USA, Canada, Mexico, and all Latin America. Meetingselect was happy to announce Rachel Havas as the Cluster Director for NORAM and LATAM, bringing more than 20 years of knowledge and experience in the Hospitality Industry in the region. Following 16 years of awarded success in the Netherlands, Meetingselect is currently the world's leading all-in-one marketplace for meetings and events, delivering efficiency, data control, transparency, and reduced complexity to our corporate clients and global partners. Now fully established in NORAM & LATAM, we have extended the business opportunities in the region, bringing innovation to the industry."
About Meetingselect
Meetingselect is the world's leading marketplace for meetings & events, group bookings, and workspaces. The meeting management platform has been awarded by organizations, venues, and partners. We empower bookers and venues with streamlined solutions in meeting’s automations resulting in access to data, savings, and insights. By offering innovative features and technologies, we create a more transparent, sustainable, and efficient booking process, which in turn evolves the industry as a whole.
