Speakers

Sue Graves is a hospitality executive turned entrepreneur at Experience Alive, LLC DBA SG Consulting Https://www.ExperienceAlive.com, sourcing, vetting, and connecting affordable innovative technology solutions to the hospitality industry helping modernize the industry while adding value to the asset for owners and operators. Sue has an extreme passion for the industry and has vetted nearly 400 solutions for the industry ranging from labor solutions utilizing AI/ML to attract/retain and develop associates to autonomous robots supporting the industry with security, delivery and cleaning robots, reducing injuries while increasing guest satisfaction and preserving our most valuable asset- our people from boring, redundant tasks. Sue served as a board member for the Ohio Hotel & Lodging Association and was the founding chair of the Innovation & Technology committee, a newly created committee. Previously, Sue spent 5 years as Assistant General Manager at the Greater Columbus Convention Center (GCCC) where she oversaw the ongoing development of the operations and staff of the Finance, Sales, Customer & Guest Experience, Marketing, Event Management and Parking Departments. She helped navigate the team through a $140M renovation and transformation of the center, bringing it to 5-star hotel standards while building a hospitality blueprint for the convention center industry. At the conclusion of her tenure the GCCC was named the best convention center in North America.

Prior to her convention center employment, she had a nearly 29-year career with Marriott International, where she served in 5 different brands as a senior leader for the company and finished her career with Marriott as the area general manager for the Kingsgate Marriott Conference Center in Cincinnati. While in Cincinnati, she served on the Cincinnati Convention & Visitors Bureau Executive Committee and Board of Directors, as president and board member of the Cincinnati Hotel Association, chairperson of both the Greater Cincinnati Lodging Council and the Southwest Ohio and Northern Kentucky Marriott Business Council, and board member of the Ohio Hotel & Lodging Association.

A Certified Tourism Ambassador, she has also received the JW Marriott Award of Excellence and been named a YWCA Woman of Achievement in Western Wayne County. She and the Marriott hotel properties she managed received the President’s Cup Award for outstanding sales achievement, gold and silver hotel ratings for guest satisfaction and the Pinnacle Award as a top meeting destination. A graduate of Central Michigan University, Graves earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a major in hospitality management and minor in food service.

Sue has been featured on podcasts and other key hospitality spaces supporting the industry with her knowledge of technologies that are affordably advancing and modernizing the hospitality industry.