Smart Meetings

Bios

Marin Bright

Publisher / Editorial Director

Marin Bright, founder of Bright Business Media, LLC, as well as publisher and editorial director of Smart Meetings magazine and the Smart Meetings Action Kit, is a publishing veteran with extensive experience in the hospitality and meetings worlds. A graduate of Mills College and an alumni of the prestigious Stanford Professional Publishing Course, Bright’s prior positions at the Hyatt and the Mandarin Oriental in the hotel industry provided the foundation for a publishing career that began at San Francisco magazine and Meeting News. In 1993, she was named publisher and vice president at Meetings Media where, and during her 9-year tenure, the publication grew from a quarterly newspaper, Meetings California, to a monthly magazine, Meetings West. While Marin was publisher, Meetings Media launched Meetings South, Meetings East and Meetings 411 (now Meetings Focus).

The company’s annual guides were also redesigned and reformatted to standard, user-friendly sizes. Marin has also been a torchbearer in meetings website development, one of the first publishers to create a website for meetings magazines. Understanding that people today must accomplish more in less time, Bright created new meetings publications to provide fresh perspectives and usability. Launched in 2002, Smart Meetings magazine and the Action Kit stand out from the crowd – new tools designed for fast, measurable results for both meeting planners and advertisers. Because planners increasingly wear more professional hats, Bright identified the need for a publication that breaks the “trade” mold and provides clean, easy-to-access information appealing to a broader audience. In her 20-year career, Bright developed close relationships with meeting professionals and hotels. She understands the changes the industry has undergone and has thorough insight into the business. With a passion for and understanding of the Western United States, Bright knows there are many choices in the industry when it comes to meeting planning tools. Her professional training, relationships, and years of experience put her in a unique position to provide the best products on the market.

Photo: Jamie Hadley