SUZANNE REQUA CEPHAS

Project management support for Private Sector vaccination project to assist the Ministry of Health and Wellness (MoHW) in vaccinating the productive sector in Jamaica. The secretariat team had been established to action the workplan and deliver the vaccination project - requirements include expert planning and tracking skills, well-organised and focused on results, capable of managing multiple projects, excellent time and self-management skills, problem-solving abilities, strong interpersonal skills, team player, able to work in different cultural environments, to negotiate timelines and to develop effective international collaboration.

• Establish a strong working relation with the Project Lead to jointly ensure timely deliverables and to continuously seek ways of improving team performance.
• To develop a clear understanding of project content and maintain relevant knowledge throughout the project life cycle.

• Identify and develop roles for project team members and help individual contributors to be successful in those roles.

• Track project progress against timeline, financial and quality milestones as well as report to the project lead. Proactively identify issues and / or obstacles, work with subject matter experts to develop resolutions and / or contingencies to guide the project to a successful outcome.

• Maintain and closely manage project risks to ensure that mitigating activities were fully resourced. Ensure that risks were sufficiently and regularly exposed to PSVI's governance committees.

• Eliminate redundancies and facilitate collaboration and communication between different projects; identify ways to accelerate project execution where possible while maintaining high quality standards

• Manage project team related documentation and communications. Assist with determination of cross-functional communication and coordination of action items. Generate, collect, distribute, store and retrieve project communications.

• Actively contribute to portfolio review and analysis, work closely with colleagues across PSVI Committees, MoHW staff and their Public Health Team, contributing to continuous improvement through leveraging lessons learned.

Nyamin Style Caterers was launched in April 2020 during Covid-19 pandemic which the idea of providing home cooked meals to families who were home-based for work and school. The business has grown via word-of-mouth and meals prepared within a 48- hour window with meal delivery service for anyone in the Kingston area.

Specialising in the organisation and management of congresses, conferences, conventions, seminars, and similar events. Offering full-service management for conferences including but not limited to conference design, program development, registration, site, and venue selection and booking, audiovisuals, IT support, logistics, leisure management, marketing, printing and web services, sourcing speakers, funding, sponsorship and exhibitor sales, financial management and budget control.

• Source new clients through prospect calling, cold calling and business development meetings.
• Supervision and coordination of all aspects of client relationships to include representation to direct hotel and 3 rd party partnerships.
• Provide industry knowledge and expertise to clients to facilitate solutions and/or optional cost-effective approaches to prospective event engagements.

THE AFRICAN-CARIBBEAN CANCER CONSORTIUM (AC3) – October 11-14, 2019

AC3 hosted their seventh bi-annual Consortium Conference, which brings researchers, scientists and medical professionals from around the world to share findings and progress, here on the sunny island of Jamaica. The 2019 conference theme is "Cell to Society Approaches to Reduce Cancer Risk and Improve Outcomes among Populations of African Ancestry"

• Conference Management Services - support AC3 with the initiation and planning, create and maintain the budget, assist with preparing and printing materials, booking conference venue, coordinate meals, provide on-going written and verbal communications to AC3 and applicable key personnel.
• Other Conference Management Services - management of ancillary vendors and assistance with hotel logistics, audio visual and food and beverage requirements. Preparing forms, conference agendas and exhibitor/sponsorship lists and sourcing. Negotiating decorators etc., as well as creating exhibitor packets, follow up on payments. Liaise with all aspects of the exhibition process.
• Conference Management/Exhibitor Management - management of exhibition and hotel support facilities, design show floor to maximize accommodations for exhibitors, sponsors, and food service flow.
• On-site Management Services - conduct all aspects of pre- and post-conference meeting with hotel, decorator and ancillary vendors. Assist the exhibitors, speakers and sponsors who attend the conference with special needs. Oversee room-sets, registration desks and exhibit hall set up prior to the conference. Liaise with all requisite hotel personnel and oversee all activities of hotel to ensure efficient and effective support.
• Manage Conference Logistics and Equipment Needs - evaluate and select vendors for transportation, printing services, photography/videography, audio-visual needs. Determine and acquire supplies for convention badges, signs and onsite forms. Coordinate with international vendors who will need special assistance with clearing goods to Jamaica.

Coordinate with JTB regarding VIPs and special access required.

• Post Event Management Services - reconcile all final invoices for payment, follow-up on collections outstanding from sponsors and exhibitors, conduct post event conference meetings with hotel, decorator, and other ancillary vendors. Create summary report of conference

THE AFRICAN-CARIBBEAN CANCER CONSORTIUM (AC3) – October 11-14, 2019

AC3 hosted their seventh bi-annual Consortium Conference, which brings researchers, scientists and medical professionals from around the world to share findings and progress, here on the sunny island of Jamaica. The 2019 conference theme is “Cell to Society Approaches to Reduce Cancer Risk and Improve Outcomes among Populations of African Ancestry”

Conference Management Services – support AC3 with the initiation and planning, create and maintain the budget, assist with preparing and printing materials, booking conference venue, coordinate meals, provide on-going written and verbal communications to AC3 and applicable key personnel.

• Other Conference Management Services – management of ancillary vendors and assistance with hotel logistics, audio visual and food and beverage requirements. Preparing forms, conference agendas and exhibitor/sponsorship lists and sourcing. Negotiating decorators etc., as well as creating exhibitor packets, follow up on payments. Liaise with all aspects of the exhibition process.
• Conference Management/Exhibitor Management – management of exhibition and hotel support facilities, design show floor to maximize accommodations for exhibitors, sponsors, and food service flow.
• On-site Management Services – conduct all aspects of pre- and post-conference meeting with hotel, decorator and ancillary vendors. Assist the exhibitors, speakers and sponsors who attend the conference with special needs. Oversee room-sets, registration desks and exhibit hall set up prior to the conference. Liaise with all requisite hotel personnel and oversee all activities of hotel to ensure efficient and effective support.
• Manage Conference Logistics and Equipment Needs – evaluate and select vendors for transportation, printing services, photography/videography, audio-visual needs. Determine and acquire supplies for convention badges, signs and onsite forms. Coordinate with international vendors who will need special assistance with clearing goods to Jamaica. Coordinate with JTB regarding VIPs and special access required.

Post Event Management Services – reconcile all final invoices for payment, follow-up on collections outstanding from sponsors and exhibitors, conduct post event conference meetings with hotel, decorator, and other ancillary vendors. Create summary report of conference

First Conference at the Lincoln University Graduate Campus. The purpose of the conference is to build on the local, national and global outreach efforts of the African-Caribbean Cancer Consortium (AC3). The overarching aim is to prevent premature prostate cancer deaths and excess suffering in the Black community, and to reduce the burden of prostate cancer in men and their families through outreach, awareness, and advocacy.

• Conference Management Services
  • o Support the Planning Committee with the initiation and planning of the AC3 PCS Conference
  • o Development and management of timeline/action schedule and facilitate registration process
  • o Create and Maintain the AC3 PCS Conference budget and track income and expenses. o Assist AC3 PCS Conference in the production of printed materials, including but not exclusive of text, photos, and other brochure collateral material and coordinate the overseas printing for delivery to Fox Chase Cancer Center - Temple Health.

• Other Convention Management Services o Management of ancillary vendors providing services on behalf of AC3 PCS Conference.
  • Manage and coordinate the venue logistics, audio visual and food & beverage requirements.
    • o Assist AC3 PCS Conference Planning Committee in the production of conference agendas, exhibitor/business partner lists, sponsorship lists, and all other necessary database management.
    • Monthly meetings via phone or skype with venue staff and all other ancillary vendors
• Convention Management of Meeting Materials
  • o Management of venue support facilities and design meeting space.
  • o Negotiations for and management of decorator services (if required).
  • o Assisting with compiling the creation of the Post-Conference Publication on Prostate Cancer Resiliency
  • o Assisting with the creation of the small Handbook for Black men diagnosed with prostate cancer
• On-site Virtual Management Services
  • o Conduct pre-conference meeting with Venue personnel and ancillary vendors.
  • o Oversee set-up of general session, training classes, registration desk.
  • o Coordinate the speakers and trainers with rehearsal and special needs
• Manage Convention Logistics & Equipment Needs
  • o Evaluate and select vendors for transportation, printing services and photography.
• Post Event Management Services
  • o Reconcile all final bills with venue and ancillary vendors. Conduct post event conference meetings with vendors
  • o Assist AC3 PCS Conference Planning Committee to complete income/expense accounting and reconcile to the current conference accounting and registration system when and where applicable

Coordination of the Jamaica Dental Association's Annual Convention working closely with the Committee Chairman for the current year. Duties include Overall management of conference logistics, excluding presentation content. Strategizing with committee members to meet organizational goals and objectives through meetings and events; design event specifications to meet organizational needs and objectives. Planning and execution of major aspects of meeting management to include:

• Site evaluation, selection and logistics management to include coordinating meeting vendors, transportation, hotels, caterers, security, and speakers.
• Developing marketing materials, building registration processes and databases, and providing on-site management for assigned meetings ranging from 30 to 300 attendees.
• Plan, implement, manage, and evaluate more than 100 U.S., international and local attendees with an annual budget of JAD$12 million ranging from 100 to 350 attendees.
• Negotiate and manage more than 40 service contracts per year and approve all meeting expenses.
• Build and maintain relationships with vendors, suppliers, customers, and exhibitors.
• Assist webmaster for the conference website and assistance in providing content and maintenance as well as making regular updates to the JDA website.
• P&L responsibility for operations; solicited and leveraged more than $11M annually in corporate sponsorships.
• Development of highly effective print ad campaigns that aggressively promote JDA events.
• Manage five onsite coordinators providing feedback and training and development; project-manage multiple onsite cross- functional teams.

Develop and manage national and international corporate client relationships entailing all aspects of event management to include site evaluation and selection, contract negotiation, RFP and proposal planning, hotel accommodation/ attrition/ cancellation negotiations, registration database management and on-site management.

• Build and cultivate client relationships through prospect calling, cold calling and business development meetings.
• Manage all aspects of client relationships to include representation to direct hotel and 3rd party partnerships.
• Provide industry knowledge and expertise to clients to facilitate solutions and/or optional cost-effective approaches to prospective event engagements.
• Perform site research, scheduling and evaluations to ensure client needs are met.
• Negotiate on behalf of client suitable contract terms with Service Providers, ensuring full transparency
• Work with prospective clients and key stakeholders to fully understand needs and critical factors for success.
• Create and update Company's monthly newsletters and brochures.
• Participate in strategic planning to maximize opportunities for revenue growth and build strong client relationships.
• Participate in the development and management of sales plan, and periodic reviews with owners.
• Create and submit weekly sales status reports and business development prospects to Owners.

Oversaw the sales and business development for the association and government markets. Worked with internal and external stakeholders to cultivate client relationships to successfully meet both financial and customer satisfaction goals. Analyzed sales and production activities through monthly reports, weekly sales, staff meetings and daily revenue meetings to capitalize on opportunities to maximize revenue. Solid knowledge of all facets of the hotel sales department to include wholesale, retail travel business, corporate and group travel business.

• Cultivated client relationships that led to consistent track record of exceeding an increasing annual average goal.
• Successfully responded to RFP to land a key government contract of $1 million in 2006.
• Recipient in 2005 and 2006 of company's top sales producer Award for significantly exceeding goals.
• Maximized opportunities for attaining sales goals through trade show presentations and proactive in person business development cultivation of clients.
• Participate in the development of annual revenue budget and marketing plan.
• Worked in the capacity of head of online marketing, international sales, customer relationship management, and collections teams.
• Perform periodic review with senior management of sales goal performance to budget.

Responsible for managing and coordinating all aspects of the meeting and catering service function to include planning, organizing, pricing, and directing the activities of the Convention Service Manager, and Catering Service Administrative Assistant and Catering Sales Manager. Develop and manage department budgeted revenue for catering food, beverage, banquet, and rental.

• Recipient in 5 years of company's top performer in Group Catering & Sales; and manager of the year in 2001.
• Collaborated with all departments to ensure consistent delivery of high standards to provide satisfaction to guests.
• Managed and monitored monthly budget goals of the catering department and provide monthly variance reporting.
• Participated in the development of periodic forecasts, annual marketing plan, and programs to maximize revenue.
• Develop budgets and forecasts
• Collaborated with chefs to plan menus and programs to meet the needs of clients and ensure customer satisfaction.
• Trained and developed new staff and provided ongoing coaching to staff to build a high-performance team.
• Managed the hotel's systems conversion project to replace the ESP system to Delphi system.
• Make sure that restocking of the supplies and other expenses does not exceed the budget
• Conduct regular evaluations of the catering and convention services staff
• Coordinate, direct and manage the hotel operation to achieve maximum profitability
• Brand (reputation) management using social media optimization, search engine optimization, feedbacks, reviews etc.

Facilitated all planning and scheduling of meetings and events that came to the Hotel. Ensured that all aspects of equipment needed to facilitate the meeting are available - to include publishing, graphics, audio visual needs, video and multimedia support needs.

• Handled all markets segments, conference servicing, group resumes and function sheets.
• Assisted with the training of new Convention Service Managers at sister property Hotels.
• Provided consultation and advice to customers on most efficient and cost-effective methods for their event.

Managed all aspects of catered events to the Washington DC Convention Center with revenue of $20 million. Oversaw weekly banquet and catering forecast, administered all phases of the banquet and catering department including, but not limited to, sales, planning, marketing, servicing, and administrative procedures.

• Participated in catering sales presentations, tours, and customer business development engagements.
• Provided consultation and advice to customers on most efficient and cost-effective methods for their event.
• Directed, managed, trained, and developed catering sales and convention services staff.
• Participated, prepared, and compiled data/information for strategic sales plan, annual goals, and periodic forecasts.
• Managed account relationships with strong emphasis on building and maintaining high customer satisfaction.

ASSOCIATE DEGREE, Professional Cooking, Baltimore International Culinary College, 1997

BACHELOR OF ARTS, Hospitality Management and History, Howard University, 1994