September 29, 2023


 OUR TEAM


A. Brian Parker, CMP - President
Sharmagne Taylor, CMP - Director of Registration Services
Rodney Rackley, Senior Meeting Manager


A. BRIAN PARKER, CMP 
President, Parker Conference Management, Inc.

Brian Parker, a New Jersey native is a graduate of Seton Hall University, South Orange, N.J., with a B. A. degree in Broadcast Communications. Following college he pursued his dream of radio broadcasting by moving to Los Angeles, CA. There he spent 5 years as a news and traffic reporter for several Southern California radio stations. 

Upon moving to Orlando, Florida to be closer to family that had relocated there from the Northeast, Parker was introduced to the rapidly growing tourism industry in Central Florida.  He secured a sales position with a local hotel and subsequently gained 15 years of experience in the hospitality and event management industry. 

Parker parlayed his industry experience into an entrepreneurial venture, A. B. Parker & Associates, now Parker Conference Management, Inc. and became President in 2001. His skills in negotiating, planning and executing events for numerous organizations, has consistently exceeded their expectations. 

Brian's hospitality industry experience includes:  
  • 4 years of Convention Sales and Service experience with major convention and resort hotels in Orlando, FL, including the former Sheraton Twin Towers Hotel & Convention Center and Walt Disney World Resorts. 
  • 11 Years of Sales and Sales Management positions with the Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau, Inc. During his tenure at the Orlando CVB, Parker served in the following roles: 
    • 4 years as Sales Manager
    • 2 years as Manager of Sales Development 
    • 5 years as Director of Convention Sales, where he managed a Sales and support staff of 45 people, while overseeing a $3.5 million budget 

Prior to establishing his own firm, Parker's experience includes participating in the planning and execution of Special Events for the following organizations:

    • National Business Travel Association 
    • Meeting Professionals International 
    • National Coalition of Black Meeting Planners
Parker has formerly served on MGM Resorts International Diversity Advisory Council, the CONNECT Marketplace Advisory Council and as the National Treasurer on the Board of Directors of the National Coalition of Black Meeting Planners, Inc. He is a member of Professional Convention Management Association, Meeting Professionals International and his company is a certified Minority Business Enterprise through the Central and Northern Florida Minority Supplier Development Council, a part of the NMSDC Network.
 
 


SHARMAGNE TAYLOR, CMP  
Director of Registration Services

Sharmagne Taylor is a graduate of the Conrad N. Hilton College at the University of Houston in Houston, TX, with a B. S. degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management and has also completed the University of Texas, McCoombs School of Business' Minority Business Advancement certificate program with a focus on business finance and marketing for small and medium sized firms.

She is a 20 year veteran meeting management professional specializing in Housing and Registration Services.

Sharmagne's experience includes:
  • 3 years as Director of Registration Services for Parker Conference Management, Inc.
    • Since joining our team, Sharmagne has worked diligently to improve our client's Convention Registration processes by better organizing the pre-registration preparation, significantly enhancing the attendees' on-site registration experience, and providing comprehensive post-convention evaluation and suggestions for continually improving the systems being utilized.
  • 8 years as Reservations Manager and Sales Manager for the Hyatt Regency Houston, TX
    • Sharmagne's tenure at this 1000 room Convention Hotel provided her with the experience to manage group and VIP reservations for such prestigious organizations as the National Football League, NAACP, National Council of La Raza, ExxonMobil, Chevron, Texaco, Shell, HP and Wal-Mart and to manage accounts on a national basis in the medical and pharmaceutical markets.
  • 2 years as Convention Services and Sales Manager for the Doubletree Post Oak
    • Managed on-site details for key accounts such as General Electric, Shell Oil and American General
  • 10 years as Owner and Operator of On-Site Partners, a full service housing, registration and on-site management company, providing support to conferences and events in the corporate and association sectors with 500 to 5,000+ attendees.


RODNEY RACKLEY, CMP
Senior Meeting Manager 

Rodney earned a B.S.B.A. in Marketing/Management from the University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL. Rodney brings several years of industry experience to the team including:
  • 3 years as Senior Meeting Manager with Parker Conference Management, Inc. Rodney primarily assists our team with all required on site details such as logistics, transportation and volunteer  management
  • 12 years President/Owner of TRG Orlando, LLC
  • Meeting Planner for:
    • Florida Federation of Alpha Chapters
    • Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Naturalization
    • U.S. Naturalization Ceremonies
    • Corporation for National and Community Services, AmeriCorps
    • VISTA Continued Development Training
    • Department of the Treasury, Bureau of Public Debt
  • Business Continuity Planning Review Training
  • Business Continuity Exercise Planning and Plan Testing
  • 8 years as Sales and Senior Sales Manager with the Orange County Convention Center
  • Additional 10 years of hospitality and sales experience with Marriott Orlando World Center, Radisson Resort Parkway, Sprint National Sales Center and Walt Disney World



©2023 Parker Conference Management, Inc.