NEC Keynote Speakers
Be Inspired and Learn from Industry Experts
Our keynote addresses will inspire and share trends that government meeting professionals need to know. Learn more about the educational sessions and our full schedule.
Opening Keynote: Michael Dominguez
Michael Dominguez is Senior Vice President and Chief Sales Officer for MGM Resorts International. In this role, he provides executive oversight for the global sales strategies of the company’s 42,000 hotel rooms and its 3 million square feet of meeting space (more meeting space found than in all of New York City). Dominguez also leads the company’s industry relations and MGM Resorts Event Productions’ efforts.
Prior to joining MGM Resorts in 2012, Dominguez was Vice President of Global Sales for Loews Hotels & Resorts, where he oversaw sales efforts for 18 luxury hotels in the U.S. and Canada starting in 2008. He began his hospitality career working with Hyatt in 1984.
Dominguez actively serves in various leadership roles in the meetings and events industry and currently serves as the Immediate Past Chairman on the International Board of Directors for Meeting Professionals International. His most recent appointment is to the Board of the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) Foundation Board.
Among his other achievements, Dominguez was named one of Meetings Focus’ 2014 Meetings Trendsetters, among the “50 Influentials” in the 2013 HispanicBusiness.com’s annual list, one of the 25 Most Influential Hispanics in Business in North America by Hispanic Business Magazine, and one of the “25 Most Influential People in the Meetings Industry” by Successful Meetings Magazine.
Closing Keynote: Crystal Washington
The Future of Technology for Event Professionals
Crystal Washington will present the closing keynote address on “The Future of Technology for Event Professionals.” She is a professional speaker, author, and marketing and social media strategist who is known for her ability to take complex Web and social media topics and make them easy to understand and accessible for meeting professionals, business owners and the public. Washington is the owner of CWN Enterprises and co-founder of Socialtunities, a social media instructional brand aimed at training everyone in strategically using social media. She is the author of One Tech Action and The Social Media Why. Washington hosts a weekly technology segment on Houston’s Fox television affiliate and has appeared in Black Enterprise Magazine, Essence and CareerBuilder.com. She has been interviewed by ABC, NBC, FOX, CBS, Associated Press, and numerous radio stations and magazines around the globe as a social media expert.
Crystal Washington’s career began in corporate sales. As the youngest manager in her company, she immediately shot to the top, closing contracts with Fortune 500 firms previously unattainable by her company, exceeding aggressive sales goals and leveraging relationships and creative strategies to gain lucrative contracts. She is frequently sought after by brands wanting to leverage unique marketing strategy and companies who want their employees to leverage tools like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to support company goals. Washington is an international keynote speaker and workshop facilitator who has impacted companies, associations and entrepreneurs all over the world.
Washington serves on the Advisory Board of the American Heart Association’s American Stroke Association, Inprint and Rice University’s Center for the Study of Women, Gender, and Sexuality. In addition to having served on the Steering Committee of Ensemble Theatre, she has also been a “Big” with Big Brothers Big Sisters. Washington received her Bachelor of Science from the University of Houston.