Smart Meetings

Bios

Marin Bright

Publisher / Founder/ Editorial Director

Office welcomes newest addition!

What is the craziest place you have ever traveled to: Morocco—everything was crazy to me: painting myself with Henna, cobra dancing, monkeys in the square...

Favorite Smart Meetings memory? I have so many, everyday brings great memories with our wonderful staff. I love the first time we opened the box and found our first magazine inside, or when we first got Scarlett, as a six-week-old puppy and brought her to the office. Everyone looked at us like “you are kidding” but grew to love her and put up with her potty training (well, kind of).

What is the greatest skill you bring to the team? Vision, Energy and Creativity.

What is your favorite part of a meeting? The exchange of ideas and energy that comes from getting everyone together in one place, and the fun food at breaks!

On the weekends you are likely to be…Walking my dogs, cooking or working out.

How do you take your coffee? Black… I prefer cappuccinos.

What’s your favorite book or author? Joy Luck Club and Naomi Wolf

What phrase could describe your desk? Piles waiting for files

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Biography
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.