Rick Vymlatil Elected IAFE Chair Las Vegas, Nev. – November 29, 2017 – Rick Vymlatil,
CFE, president/CEO of the South Florida Fair & Palm Beach County Expositions, Inc., in West Palm Beach, was elected the 2018 chair of the International Association of Fairs and Expositions (IAFE) during the final business ses- sion of the 127th IAFE Annual Convention. Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Vymlatil became a Flo-
ridian when his parents relocated to Palm Beach County in 1961. He completed middle and high school there and received his associates degree from Palm Beach Junior College. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Business Man- agement from Wilmington College in 1974. Vymlatil began his fair career in November of 1982 as
assistant general manager of the South Florida Fair. Dur- ing his 35 year career, he also served as manager of the St. Lucie County Fair in Fort Pierce, Florida., for two and a half years and as executive director of the Florida State Fair in Tampa for eight years. Vymlatil has served as president/CEO of the South Flori-
da Fair & Palm Beach County Expositions, Inc., since July 2004. In this position, he is responsible for overseeing every aspect of the fair and fairgrounds operations. He supervises a staff of 52 full time employees. Active in the fair industry, Vymlatil received his Certified
Fair Executive designation from the IAFE in 1998. He has served as co-chair of the IAFE Management Conference
Why is the Convention leaving Las Vegas? The contract with the Paris/Bally’s hotels ended after the 2017
Convention. Only one Las Vegas hotel even bid on the 2018- 2019 Convention. That hotel’s proposed room rate was the high- est of all responding hotels in the final review. In addition, your Association would be subject to penalties of up to $250,000 if members stay in hotel rooms outside the IAFE room block. Fi- nally, the hotel demanded an unreasonable minimum guaran- teed expenditure for food and drink at the Convention. Where will Convention events in San Antonio be held? The Henry B. Gonzales Convention Center will be the center of activity for the Convention. The Trade Show will be on the ground floor and directly above will be educational sessions, informal networking areas and meal functions. The general sessions will take place in the elegant Lila Cockrell Theatre, also located in the Convention Center. There will be too much walking to get from hotels to Conven-
tion Center. WRONG! Six hotels are all closer to the meeting space than the distance between the elevators in The Paris hotel and the Bally’s Event Center meeting space in Las Vegas. But we liked the great restaurants and nightlife available in
Las Vegas. *Food Wine says San Antonio is America’s next great culinary destination (11/2/17) and is only second city in US to receive UNESCO “Creative City of Gastronomy” designation. There are many fine – and affordable restaurants in San Anto- nio, with world-class cuisine – from German to Peruvian, from Tex Mex to Italian! The Culinary Institute of America’s Texas campus is located in San Antonio and its graduates are known for remaining in the area and opening up new restaurants, espe- cially in the vibrant Pearl Brewery area connected to the famous Riverwalk! There are even franchise places you love like Hard
30 FAIRCRACKER-SPRING 2018
Committee and previ- ously served on the IAFE Industry Relations Committee. Prior to his current service to the IAFE Board, Vymlatil served as the IAFE Zone 2 director. He is a past chair of Florida Federa- tion of Fairs, the Mid- West Fairs Association, and the Florida Festival & Events Association. He was inducted into the Florida Federation of Fairs Hall of Fame in 2003. Vymlatil is a trustee of
IAFE Chair Rick Vymlatil with Marla Calico,
the Chamber of Com- merce of the Palm Beaches and the Central Palm Beach County Chamber of Commerce. He is also a board member of the Law En- forcement Assistance Foundation. He and his wife Denise reside in Tequesta, Florida., and are the proud grandpar- ents of Lucas Harnek, 9, of Jacksonville Beach and Dane Vymlatil, 3 months, of Fort Lauderdale.
IAFE President/CEO
Rock, Dick’s Last Resort and more. And don’t forget the brewer- ies! San Antonio is home to three micro-breweries. Or wineries! The Hill Country of Texas is the 2nd largest viticulture area in the US and more than 30 wineries participate in the Texas Wine Trail. Fredericksburg, TX is located just 70 miles west of San Antonio and is home a number of great wineries as well as the National Museum of the Pacific War. San Antonio has bars and lounges, and clubs with live music of all types.
http://www.iafeconvention.com/
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72
