Employment History:
Previously, Ms. Drouillard was the Vice President of Sales, Marketing and New Development for the Conference Center Management Group, Aberdeen Woods Conference Center. She currently works for them as a freelance consultant.

Published Works:

Public Speaking Experience:

Why She is an Expert:
With more than 30 years of experience in the service industry, Ms. Drouillard is skillful at building conference center packages based on her clients’ specific needs in terms of service type, region and customer base. “Since I started in the industry, my goal was to be a general manager of a nice property one day,” she beams. Ms. Drouillard holds certificates in real estate and investment and advanced management from Cornell University. She completed the General Management Program and the Leadership Program at the Disney Institute and has also fulfilled the Leadership Development Program at Eckerd College.

Best Advice:
“Maintain your network and your relationships with customers. It’s so easy with hospitality and sales to say, “We’re going to call you once in a blue moon and you’re going to think about us.” That’s not the case. Keep your customers close to you and strive to keep learning.”

Passionate about:
Ms. Drouillard truly enjoys selling and having the customer leave satisfied, feeling they got more than they paid for. “I’m always learning,” she states. “I’m passionate about keeping aware of what’s happening in the industry.” She also enjoys speaking to people from other countries to see how they handle the hospitality industry.

Biography Excerpt:
Gail B. Drouillard, CHFP is a specialist in marketing and new development for conference centers and event spaces. She is a one-stop consultant who can take charge of clients' marketing, web design and print advertising requirements as well as duties involving development, renovations and operations. Previously, Ms. Drouillard was the vice president of sales, marketing and new development for the Aberdeen Woods Conference Center, which is a part of the Conference Center Group. Employed as a staffer for a total of 18 years, she maintained her vice presidential post there for nine years.

     

Cambridge Who's Who: What is the most rewarding aspect of your career?  
GAIL B. DROUILLARD :  The opportunity for advancement and involvement in so many caveats of the business. There’s the selling and marketing to the renovation and the design. The part I like the most is the consulting pieces. This entails looking at other opportunities for current customers, including people who are looking to build hotels or conference centers.

How do you link your patrons up with the best product?
We have a format we use, based on the kind of consulting I have done in the past. When I was a general manager at a property, we based it on the owner’s needs and the scope of the customer base, which was what you were looking to draw; also, where your region was.

How have you seen your industry change?
In order to continue finding customers, you have to add a lot of amenities, so it has become an amenity war. The market has changed to benefit the industry with the integration of Internet marketing and business-to-business marketing. These allow you to drive business to your hotels. In the old days, you had to enroll people by phone or trade shows.