Benchmark Japan's Kozue Honda Joins Global Board of Directors for IACC
HOUSTON, TX, July 19, 2005. Benchmark Hospitality International's partner in Japan, Benchmark Japan, and the International Association of Conference Centers (IACC) have announced the election of Kozue Honda to IACC's Global Board of Directors. Ms. Honda, who is the general manager of Benchmark Japan's Tokyo Conference Center Iidabashi and Tokyo Conference Center Shinagawa, joins the IACC Global Board as the prestigious organization strengthens its presence around the world. Kozue Honda was elected to the Board to further expand the boundaries of IACC's global organization in the Pacific Rim and other parts of Asia.
In accepting the new position with IACC, Ms. Honda said, "I am very pleased to accept this challenge and to continue to promote the conference center concept in the emerging Asian market. I look forward to helping expand the IACC concept and promoting the Universal Criteria."
As director of project development for Benchmark Japan, Ms. Honda worked with Benchmark chairman & CEO Burt Caba~nas in 1992 to conduct market research on the potential conference center demand in Japan. In 1999, she opened Tokyo Conference Center Iidabashi as general manager and went on to open Tokyo Conference Center Shinagawa in 2003.
Ms. Honda spent ten years as secretary general of a Japanese governmental organization involved in specialized committees committed to city planning and environmental issues. Additionally, she was a student of Human Factor Research and worked as an independent consultant on numerous projects, including corporate strategic planning, marketing research and management training.
Benchmark Japan is a subsidiary of Benchmark Hospitality International, an independent hospitality management company based in The Woodlands (Houston), Texas. Benchmark Hospitality operates resorts, conference centers and hotels both domestically and internationally.
Founded in 1981, IACC is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting awareness of the conference center industry. The current 400 member facilities must meet a stringent set of Universal Criteria http://www.iaccglobal.org/about/index.cfm?fuseaction=memcrit, which have consistently set apart IACC conference centers from hotels or other meeting venues. The association currently has member chapters in the United States, Canada, Denmark, Sweden, United Kingdom, Australia and Japan.
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