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About Ascend |
Douglas Arnold
Douglas
Arnold is the president of Ascend Seminars. He
is currently the CEO of the Greater Alton/Twin Rivers Convention and Visitors
Bureau in Alton, Illinois. Starting in 1997, Douglas headed the
administrative management, media relations and community programs of the
Bureau. Along with managing the Bureau staff, Arnold is responsible for
creating and distributing all promotional materials, as well as supervising
marketing communications within the print and electronic media. Arnold helps
support community tourism efforts throughout a three-county region in
Southwestern Illinois. His determination in building strategic partnerships
with regional tourism organizations and counciling new tourism developments
both help make the region more visible than ever. Arnold
is a graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Journalism and
has focused his career on integrated marketing communications. He is
accredited with the Public Relations Society of America, a former member of
the National Press Club, a state delegate to the Mississippi River Parkway Commission,
an officer of the Illinois Council of Convention and Visitors Bureaus, a
member of the International Association of Convention and Visitors Bureaus
and serves on numerous boards including the Meeting of the Great Rivers
Scenic Byway Council, as well as the National Great Rivers Museum Board. Past
achievements include the Addy Nomination for Outdoor Communication in 1994,
the Emmy Nomination for Broadcast Documentary in 1992, the 1989 IABC Bronze
Quill Award for Video Production and the 1982 National Pro/Comm Award for
Advertising. He also attended the CASE Institute on Communications at Notre
Dame University. Arnold's career path is paved with some of the most prestigious corporate and public organizations in St. Louis, including McDonnell-Douglas, ITT, Bi-State Development and the Missouri Botanical Garden. Significant contributions to each organization were made by Arnold. He was chosen to represent McDonnell Douglas in Europe, where he served as the International Marketing Communications Representative. While at Bi-State Development, he developed the AQ Card ozone alert promotion with the St. Louis CBS-affiliate that people still rely on daily to determine air quality. Arnold's media relations at the Missouri Botanical Garden with the New York Times, CNN, NPR, Washington Post, Time Magazine, National Geographic and NBC resulted in media placements nationally and around the world. |