Capital: Lunch & Learn: Mastering Hotel Contracts & Event Planning
Thursday, September 10 | Noon - 1 p.m. ET
Join us for an engaging Q&A session featuring Allison Goldmann, Director of Meeting Services for the American Bar Association, Sara Wilshire, Director of Meetings for the Section of Taxation with the American Bar Association, Deanna Thibault, Senior Manager, Contract Enablement for Hilton, and Ryan Hayes, Associate Director of Strategic Client Events at Winston & Strawn LLP. The moderator of the lunch & learn is Katherine Russo, National Account Director with Destination DC.
Our panel features extensive years of experience in the meetings and travel industry. The American Bar Association is one of the largest associations, planning over 400 meetings annually worldwide, resulting in substantial buying power with its hotel partnerships.
Today, Allison, Sara, Deanna, and Ryan will share their best practices for sourcing and planning law firm retreats and client conferences, focusing on the process of sourcing hotels, negotiating key contract terms, budgeting, logistics, and on-site management. They will be moderated by Katherine Russo.
LMA Body of Knowledge: Client Services, Communications
Our Speakers:
Sara Wiltshire
Director of Meetings-Section of Taxation, American Bar Association
Sara Wiltshire, CEM is the Director of Meetings for the Section of Taxation at the American Bar Association. She currently manages 8-10 domestic and international meetings with attendance ranging from 300 – 2,000. Being in the meeting industry for over 30 years, Sara has extensive experience in the RFP process, contract negotiations, exhibitions, and meeting planning logistics.
Allison Goldmann
Director of Meeting Services Department, American Bar Association
Allison Goldmann is the Director of Meeting Services at the American Bar Association, where she leads ABA Leverage, the association’s hotel contracting resource supporting law firms, state bars, and law schools nationwide. With more than 30 years in the meetings and travel industry, she has produced major CLE and leadership programs, overseen operations for more than 1,000 in house meetings annually, and advanced strategic sourcing initiatives across the ABA. Allison began her career with the Monaco Government Tourist and Convention Bureau promoting Monte Carlo as an incentive destination, followed by managing large scale educational conferences of up to 20,000 people and developing sourcing strategies for Fortune 500 clients at a boutique third party agency. She earned her CMP designation and is an active member of the Professional Convention Management Association.
Deanna Thibault
Senior Manager, Contract Enablement- Commercial Services Hilton Legal
Deanna Thibault is the Senior Manager, Contract Enablement for Hilton and is responsible for the evolution of enterprise contracting guidance, tools, and templates globally, with a focus on training for Managed Hotels in the Americas. Her role centers on driving strategic, consistent contracting practices while equipping hotels with the tools to keep partnership at the forefront of negotiations. Prior to Hilton, Deanna spent more than 15 years in hotel sales and event planning, informing her approach to contract strategy with deep commercial and operational insight.
Ryan Hayes
Associate Director of Strategic Client Events, Winston & Strawn LLP
Ryan Hayes is the Associate Director of Strategic Client Events at Winston & Strawn LLP, where he leads the firm’s global events team in delivering a best-in-class events function designed to advance business development through data, structure, and intentional design. With over 20 years of experience across legal marketing, nonprofit, fundraising, and the arts, he brings a balance of creative vision, operational rigor, and relationship-building to his work. Prior to joining Winston, Ryan served as Global Head of Events at Covington & Burling LLP, where he built the firm’s events function from the ground up—establishing a global team, standardizing processes, and integrating events into broader marketing and client engagement strategies. His work frequently involves complex venue sourcing, hotel partnerships, contract negotiations, and developing long-term relationships that create value for both clients and firms. Across his career, Ryan has worked on a wide range of events, from wedding planning to large-scale experiences like Pokémon GO festivals—experiences that reinforce a consistent truth: whether negotiating with a luxury hotel or managing thousands of attendees in a park, details matter, relationships matter, and flexibility usually wins the day.
Katherine Russo
National Account Director, Association 600+ on peak and SMERF 1350+ on peak Midwest & West Coast
Katherine Russo serves as a National Account Director with Destination DC and brings nearly a decade of experience in destination marketing and convention sales. Having worked across both the Washington, DC and Baltimore markets, she has built strong partnerships with meeting planners, hotel partners, and industry stakeholders to drive successful events and impactful attendee experiences. Katherine is passionate about the meetings industry’s ability to foster connection, collaboration, and economic impact.
Agenda:
11:30 AM - 12:00 PM – Registration
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM – Luncheon/Panel Discussion
Location:
Conrad Washington, DC
950 New York Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20001
Cost:
LMA Members: $25
Prospective LMA Members: $50
Thank you to our Sponsors!
For questions or concerns about your event registration, please contact lmamidatlantic@legalmarketing.org