The Woodlands, Texas — March 28
Benchmark Hospitality International has announced the appointment of Eric Terry as vice president of sales and marketing. Terry will be based at the company’s Home Office, which is near Houston.
“It is with great enthusiasm that I welcome Eric to Benchmark Hospitality,” said Sam Haigh, president and chief operating officer. “He is a proven leader who brings significant experience in hospitality to his new role, as well as demonstrated success in diverse entrepreneurial sales and marketing initiatives. He is a great addition to Benchmark’s leadership team.”
A hotelier with an extraordinary record of accomplishments, Terry comes to Benchmark with more than three decades of experience and business success within the entertainment, hotel, casino resort and events marketing industries.
He was most recently president of Xelerate Group, a marketing agency he launched in 2002, based in Dallas.
Terry grew the enterprise into an organization, with a recognized specialty in national events marketing, sponsorship partnering, media buying and celebrity appearances.
Throughout his tenure as president, the company experienced significant growth, expanding at an annual rate of more than 60 percent per year.
Before launching his company, Terry served as vice president of sales and marketing for Malibu Entertainment Worldwide Inc. of Dallas, which operates 35 family-oriented entertainment parks throughout the United States.
While there, he was enormously successful in developing national sponsorship programs through partnerships with major consumer products brands, in addition to overseeing sales and marketing programming for the company.
Terry has also served as corporate marketing director for Hollywood Casino Corp. of Dallas, where he was responsible for sales and marketing initiatives, as well as government affairs for casinos and resorts throughout Illinois, Mississippi, Louisiana, in Atlantic City and Puerto Rico.
While there, Terry rapidly advanced within the organization and within a decade, was appointed to six positions of increasing responsibility.
These included general manager, regional director of sales and marketing, vice president of sales and marketing, vice president operations and director of casino development, culminating with his appointment as corporate marketing director.
Terry also has served in sales leadership positions within Bristol Hotels — Harvey Hotel Corp., Marriott Hotels and Resorts and Anheuser Busch’s “Busch Gardens” of Williamsburg, Va.
Terry is a graduate of Virginia Tech University, earning a bachelor’s degree in hotel, restaurant and institutional management.
Recognized as “An Outstanding Alumnus,” he previously served as president of the Virginia Tech Alumni Association, Dallas/Fort Worth Chapter.
He is an active member of Meeting Professionals International and the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International.
He is a former president and vice president of the Crowne Plaza Marketing Association.
Terry is also actively involved in community service. He is a board member of The Texas Music Project, a nonprofit dedicated to strengthening and restoring music education to Texas schools.
He served as vice chairman of Senior Adult Services of Dallas, a nonprofit committed to caring for seniors as they face changes in abilities caused by illness or age, until his move to the Houston area.
Terry, his wife, Leslie, and their young son, Reed, have relocated to The Woodlands.
