About Us
CMC & Associates was established in 1996 by Karen Crawford as a meeting planning company catering primarily to government groups in the state of Florida. As the company grew through recommendations from our clients, our client base expanded nationwide and more services were requested, resulting in the addition of full conference management and training in transportation modules, laws, rules and ethics. This expansion is based on our ingenuity and creative drive to please our customers and provide a premium product within any budget parameter. In 2001 we incorporated as Crawford Marketing and Consulting, Inc., and expanded our services to include association management and leadership enhancement training.
The dynamics of our company are defined by our integrity, passion to please, attention to detail and our ability to accept and prevail over challenges that are common in this industry. We are a behind-the-scenes company that strives to make you the owner of the conference with the least amount of effort or worry on your part. CMC has built itself from referrals of our many repeat customers and our ability to exceed their expectations while staying within their budgetary constraints. We have partnered with experts to provide the best service at the best price for services we do not have in-house. And we never forget that our job is to make you look good.
Our custom built software is a web-based, accounting-driven system capable of managing association business and conference management. It allows us to assist with your registration, budget and revenue tracking, create web-based registrations with confirmation pages, process payments electronically, manage attendee housing and even golf tournaments. Announcements designed for your event can be emailed to your attendees, exhibitors and sponsors through the data base or through an electronic survey system.
About Our Team
Karen Crawford, President of CMC & Associates, has more than 20 years’ experience in the hospitality management field. As a former Director of Sales in the hotel industry, Karen brings valuable insight when negotiating contracts for clients as well as an intrinsic ability to fit clients’ needs to specific properties. In 1996, Karen opened her own business, CMC & Associates, serving private and government clients with meeting planning and housing services. In 2002, Karen made the decision to incorporate, creating Crawford Marketing & Consulting, Inc., with four divisions. CMC & Associates offers full-service meeting planning and conference management, housing management, leadership training and association management.
Fred Crawford, Vice President of CMC & Associates, has more than 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry. Prior to joining CMC Mr. Crawford worked for the State of Florida as the Quality Assurance & Training Coordinator for the Division of Hotels & Restaurants within the Department of Business & Professional Regulation. He joined CMC & Associates as the Executive Director of the Florida Transportation Institute, a training branch of CMC, and was responsible for marketing, budgeting and logistics for up to eight courses a year in Intermediate Work Zone Traffic Control (WZTC), Advanced WZTC, Roadside Design, Mutual Gaines Contract Negotiations and Ethics in the Real World for Engineers. Mr. Crawford has held the position of Project Director for the AASHTO National Transportation Management Conferences for the last five years with similar responsibilities for the three conferences held around the country.
Robin Dunn Bryant, Manager of Publications & Resources. Robin’s verbal and written communication skills, as well as a keen attention to detail, have been honed during her years working in corporate communications and employee training. She enjoys applying these skills to the meeting and conference planning industry to ensure complete client satisfaction. Because she holds an MFA in Creative Writing and a BA in English she approaches meeting and conference planning with a creative, artistic mind.
Erica A. Stokes, Housing Coordinator, has 10 years’ experience in the hospitality management. Before joining CMC & Associates, she worked as a Front Office Manager in one of the largest brand name hotels. Her experience gives her extensive knowledge of hotel operations which helps her understand the needs of clients. Erica has a BA in Business Administration from the School of Business at Flagler College.
Lauren Keen, Conference Manager, is well versed in all aspects of conference and event planning and management through her degree in Hospitality Management at Florida State University as well as five years of involvement with the Florida Sterling Council of Performance Excellence Annual Conference. She also has experience in graphic design, marketing, and advertising.
Jessica Chapman, Conference Manager, has experience in association and membership management, restaurants and food and beverage, contract and legal knowledge, and marketing. Her past work experience and Bachelor Degree with a Minor in Hospitality Management give her the skills needed to provide excellent customer service and logistical support to our client’s events.
Robin Dunn Bryant, serves as the Publications Specialist. Her verbal and written communication skills, as well as a keen attention to detail, have been honed during her years working in corporate communications and employee training. She enjoys applying these skills to the meeting and conference planning industry to ensure complete client satisfaction. Because she holds an MFA in Creative Writing and a BA in English she approaches meeting and conference planning with a creative, artistic mind.
Debbie Moody, Director of Planning and Destination Selection, has over 30 years experience in the travel & marketing industry. She owned and operated her owner Travel Agency for over 25 years and through her strong association with the snow ski industry she joined Club Med and became their top worldwide Manager of Ski Sales – a position she held for 5 years. Debbie handles sports marketing for CMC & Associates.
