Michel Couturier (photo) has joined Horwath HTL as the Managing Director, and from the New York office, he now oversees the consultancy on destination marketing and management for North American and international destinations, as well as provide support to the international members of the Horwath HTL network.
Horwath HTL is the world’s largest hospitality advisory firm with 47 offices in over 30 countries.
The Company is a member of Crowe Horwath International – a 90-year old network of certified public accounting firms with more than 500 offices worldwide.
A seasoned expert who possesses more than 30 years of experience in the leisure, corporate and association travel markets, Michel Couturier is Founder and President of Marketing Challenges International (MCIntl), a leading international destination marketing company in New York City.
The Barcelona Convention Bureau, Hyderabad International Convention Centre and the Vienna Convention Bureau are among the current clients that MCIntl markets in North America.
On this new venture, Michel noted, “In addition to continuing to lead MCIntl, I am truly excited to share my knowledge by launching the New York Office of Horwath HTL. And, the timing cannot be better with two major shows – AIBTM and IMEX Americas coming – the spotlight is on the North American market. It’s now or never for international destinations to break into the market.”
Michel’s professional involvement in the international travel community also extends to being an active member with the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE), Destination Marketing Association International (DMAI), International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), Meeting Professionals International (MPI), Society of Incentive & Travel Executives (SITE) and the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO).
He served as the Chair of the Brand Strategies Advisory Council of MPI, and is currently on the MPI Faculty Task Force. Michel is also member of the Reed Travel Exhibitions' Global Advisory Board.
A strong advocate for advancing the meetings and convention industry, Mr. Couturier is a much sought-after speaker in his field. Over the course of his career, he has led seminars in Barcelona, Sydney, Copenhagen, Edinburgh, Geneva, London, Johannesburg and New York on the international North America travel segments.
In 2009, he achieved professional accreditation from DMAI as a Certified Destination Management Executive (CDME), the highest educational achievement in the destination marketing industry.
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