Visit Raleigh promotes Loren Gold to president and CEO
Visit Raleigh has named executive vice president Loren Gold as its next president and CEO. The post takes effect 1 January 2027. Gold succeeds Dennis Edwards, who retires at the end of 2026. The bureau’s board voted unanimously to hire him.
Gold joined Visit Raleigh in 2005 as director of sales and has served as executive vice president since 2007. PCMA’s People on the Move column records nearly 40 years in the hospitality industry.
The column carries no compensation figure, team size or reporting line for the post.
Visit Pittsburgh names Josh Valasek to business events sales
Josh Valasek has been appointed director of business events sales at Visit Pittsburgh. PCMA puts his most recent post at national account executive for Meet Minneapolis, and before that director of sales and marketing at Pittsburgh’s Oaklander Hotel.
Trade Show News Network’s 7 October roundup reports the move after a nearly two-year run at Meet Minneapolis, and a previous spell at the Pittsburgh bureau as a sales director from 2015 to 2020. PCMA gives no start date, no named successor at Meet Minneapolis and no account list from either employer.
Opus Origin names Desiree Hanson president for North America
Desiree Hanson has joined Opus Origin as president, North America. She brings more than two decades across events, market intelligence, commercial strategy and portfolio leadership, and most recently served as president of North American Energy at Clarion Events. In the new role she will identify investment opportunities and work with management teams across data, events, media and intelligence.
The column names no start date and no predecessor for that post.
Where the column sits
PCMA heads the page 15 October 2026 and stamps it 14 October 2026. The three editions listed beside it are dated 7 October, 30 September and 23 September 2026.