Phoenix Porcelli, 35, is the global head of sales for Convene. She's based in New York. A quote from her nomination: "In this role, she oversees a team of more than 85 sales professionals supporting three brands—Convene, etc.venues by Convene, and Convene Signature—and nearly 40 locations. ... Under her leadership, Convene has continually exceeded its sales targets."
My career journey: "I studied business administration and management at Boston University and started my career in finance—I’ve always had a zeal for numbers. But I fell in love with hospitality through a study abroad program in Paris and decided to shift my pursuits.
I worked for the Waldorf Astoria as an events manager and earned my Certified Meeting Planner accreditation. Five years into my events career, I realized how ripe for disruption the meeting and event industry was and joined Convene; I wanted to be at the forefront of creating impactful change. Convene challenged me professionally, in a good way. I learned so much during my time with the organization and grew into a more entrepreneurial mindset that allowed me to question the status quo and build an innovative enterprise sales team to support the evolving needs of the industry.
But when the pandemic hit, everything we knew about the business went sideways. I decided to take a risk and jump into a new opportunity creating a similar enterprise structure at a retail real estate startup. Less than a year later, I was recruited back to Convene where I helped reshape the entire sales function for a post-pandemic world before being named global head of sales in 2024."
!['The entrepreneurial culture of [Convene] allowed me to think big and identify new and better ways of working,' Porcelli says.](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2025/04/178980412_convene_a1_49836.6800fc1358af5.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&dpr=2&fit=max&q=70&w=700)
"The entrepreneurial culture of [Convene] allowed me to think big and identify new and better ways of working," Porcelli says.Photo: Courtesy of Phoenix Porcelli
What inspires me: "I’m inspired by the opportunity to grow—in all ways. I’m focused on the personal growth of those around me, coaching leaders under my purview on ways to navigate various situations and empowering them to drive their teams toward success. I’m focused on the growth of the Convene network, working closely with our real estate, product, and design teams to build venues where our clients need them and delivering on what event types they need them for.
And I’m focused on relationship growth, making sure the human touch in our hospitality organization is never lost along the way, whether with team members, clients, vendors, or anyone we have the privilege of interacting with on a daily basis."
My greatest career accomplishment: "Building and growing the enterprise sales function at Convene. The entrepreneurial culture of the company allowed me to think big and identify new and better ways of working. I pitched the idea of an enterprise sales organization focused on account-based relationships rather than selling into a singular location. After months of diligence, I was given the resources and latitude to test my hypothesis, building an enterprise sales team that I stood at the helm of.
The result was a resounding success and shifted the entire way we thought about meeting and event sales. It’s been almost six years since I introduced this concept, and today our enterprise sales team comprises nine global sellers and represents 40% of Convene’s total business."
Porcelli manages a team of 96 across two countries and six time zones.Photo: Courtesy of Phoenix Porcelli
My most memorable event: "Being an event manager at the Waldorf Astoria during the United Nations General Assembly is an experience that I will never forget. Having the opportunity to plan for and serve influential global leaders—from coordinating arrivals, partnering with security details, managing culinary needs, and hosting delegations from around the world—is a career highlight.
During my time with Convene, I am most proud of the work we have done in creating a master service agreement (MSA) program to offer clients exclusive benefits in exchange for long-term event partnerships. This program has been instrumental in our working relationship with Financial Times, helping them bring to life keystone events like 'Future of the Car Summit.'"
Impressive stats I'm responsible for: "I manage a team of 96 across two countries and six time zones for 38 venues and counting! In my first year stepping into the global head of sales role at Convene, our team increased the amount of revenue it generated by 18%. And in 2024 alone, we welcomed 870,000 attendees across 11,000 events while maintaining an average net promote score (NPS) of 80%."
My ideal day OOO: "A tropical beach vacation with delicious food, copious cocktails, good fiction books, nowhere to be, and—as an occupational hazard—an amazing hospitality experience. And hopefully my dog can come too."
