Today, representatives from the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association (FRLA) announced the addition of three news staff members in the Membership department. These new employees bring a wealth of expertise to the department and will ensure the continued growth of the division. Keri Burns will serve as Regional Director for the FRLA Central Florida Chapter, Ann Farran will serve as Administrative Assistant and Ashley Connell will be Director of Membership Marketing.
“I could not be more pleased with the new talent we are adding to the Membership team at FRLA,” said Carol Dover, President and CEO of the FRLA. “Their respective backgrounds and diverse experience will undoubtedly allow us to continue to serve our 10,000 members while simultaneously growing our chapters and events statewide.”
Burns will be based in Orlando and oversee all activities for the Central Florida Chapter. Before joining the FRLA team, she served as the Senior Vice President of Business Development at Ballantine Management Group (BMG) and the Entertainment Events Coordinator at Universal Studios Orlando. In addition to events experience, Burns also brings business development skills to the Association, having helped bring in new business for EDLEN Electrical Exhibition Services as well as BMG.
Farran most recently worked as a Marketing and Membership Industry Relations Coordinator at VISIT FLORIDA. In addition to working with VISIT FLORIDA partners across the state, Farran worked to capture and maintain data and provided customer service. As the Director of Marketing and Membership at Florida Trust for Historic Preservation, oversaw the organization’s membership and retention efforts and collaborated with Executive Director to save statewide programs.
Connell previously worked as an Assistant Media Buyer/Planner at VISIT FLORIDA, managing strategic digital and traditional ad buys to attract visitors to the Sunshine State. She brings extensive experience with contract negotiation and management to FRLA as a direct result of her work at VISIT FLORIDA. Prior to her work at VISIT FLORIDA, Connell served as an Account Executive at iHeart Media, developing relationships in order to effectively advise advertising clients.