Successful Meetings - January 2010 - (Page 16)

PLANNER’S WORKSHOP my path to success George Aguel’s passion for building the Disney brand is rivaled by only one thing—his Harley A Man, a Mouse—and a Hog By Andrea Doyle andrea.doyle@nielsen.com I magination is what fueled the world Walt Disney created and continues to be at the core of the company’s success. If you ever catch a glimpse of George Aguel, senior vice president of worldwide sales and services for Walt Disney Parks & Resorts—a man who exudes professionalism and class— dressed in jeans and black leather riding a Harley, it’s not your imagination getting the best of you. “I have a passion for motorcycles and spend as much personal time as I can riding them,” he says with a chuckle. “I have the required Harley as well as a custom bike that is my real fun ride.” Walt Disney was once quoted as saying, “You can dream, create, design, and build the most wonderful place in the world, but it requires people to make the dream a reality.” He would’ve been proud to have had a professional like Aguel as part of his team. The titles and accolades Aguel has earned are many: chairman of the Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau; former chairman of Meeting Professionals International (MPI); board member for the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE); twice recognized as one of the 25 most extraordinary minds in sales and marketing by Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI). Aguel is also one of only a handful of industry professionals to have received the Academy of Leaders Award from ASAE, and he’s part of an equally select group of executives inducted into the Convention Industry Council’s Hall of Leaders. As rudimentary as it may sound, Aguel attributes his success to oldfashioned hard work. Aguel emigrated with his family from Cuba in the late 1950s, shortly before Fidel Castro came to power. “My parents came to the United States with absolutely nothing. They worked extremely hard in this country,” Aguel says. “By watching my father, I was fortunate to develop a work ethic and to recognize that hard work is essential to being successful. You certainly have to incorporate many other things, but if you don’t have the willingness to apply yourself and give more than you’re asked to give and exceed expectations, it will be hard to ever generate any strong feeling of success. Thankfully, I’ve been aware of that for as long as I can remember and have been around leaders who have the same philosophies. Hard work has always been part of my DNA.” I SM I January 2010 I SuccessfulMeetings.com George Aguel with Barry Jacobson, catering and corporate events director for Disney Destinations http://www.SuccessfulMeetings.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Successful Meetings - January 2010

Successful Meetings - January 2010
Contents
Editor's Letter
Taking the Reins
Incentive Insights
Meetings Law
Path to Success
Innovative Meetings
Convention Centers
Places and Spaces

Successful Meetings - January 2010