SITE PNW Officially Launches

Building Community, Elevating the Pacific Northwest

At SHW, we believe some of the best things in our industry start with connection. So we couldn’t be prouder of our own Mark Penaroza, Director of Client Accounts & Programs, for his leadership in helping bring SITE Pacific Northwest USA to life.

The new SITE Pacific Northwest USA Affiliate brings together incentive travel, hospitality, destination and event professionals across Washington, Oregon, Alaska and Idaho, creating new opportunities to connect, learn, collaborate and strengthen the Pacific Northwest’s presence within the global incentive travel community.

For Mark, the idea began with a simple conversation.

Mark and fellow industry leader Paola Leavy met at a networking event in Seattle and discovered they shared the same question: With such a strong incentive travel and hospitality community in the Pacific Northwest, why wasn’t there a formal SITE presence bringing everyone together?

That conversation quickly grew into something bigger.

“The Pacific Northwest has such a unique identity and an incredibly strong network of hospitality, DMC, hotel, destination, and event professionals, yet there wasn’t a formal SITE presence bringing those individuals together.” Mark Penaroza, Director of Client Accounts & Programs, SHW

Together with Paola Leavy and Jennifer Dolnik, Mark helped turn that opportunity into a new SITE Affiliate designed to represent the broader Pacific Northwest and connect professionals across cities, companies and sectors.

More Than Networking

From the beginning, the vision for SITE Pacific Northwest has been about more than adding another industry organization or networking event to the calendar. It’s about building a community.

Relationships are at the heart of incentive travel, and SITE PNW creates a regional platform where professionals can exchange ideas, access education and mentorship, support one another and build connections with established and emerging leaders throughout the industry.

It also creates an opportunity to tell a bigger story about the Pacific Northwest. From Seattle and Portland to Alaska, Idaho and destinations throughout the region, the Pacific Northwest offers an incredible combination of natural beauty, distinctive destinations, innovative cities, local culture and memorable experiences.

“There is tremendous creativity, experience, and hospitality expertise throughout our region, and I think this affiliate creates a meaningful platform for those individuals to connect in new ways.” Mark Penaroza, Director of Client Accounts & Programs, SHW

An Exciting Beginning

The enthusiasm surrounding SITE PNW was evident at its official launch at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel in Seattle, where hospitality, meetings and incentive travel professionals came together to celebrate the beginning of this new community.

For SHW, it was especially meaningful to see Mark’s passion for our industry, commitment to building community and dedication to meaningful connections reflected in the launch.

Those same values are at the heart of what we do every day at SHW.

As a full-service event agency headquartered in Seattle, SHW helps organizations bring people together through corporate event planning and management, venue and hotel sourcing, destination management and incentive travel programs throughout the Pacific Northwest and around the world.

Our event planning team supports everything from strategy and program development to creative, logistics and onsite execution. Our sourcing experts tap into a global network to identify hotels and venues that align with each program’s goals, audience and budget. And our incentive travel team designs highly personalized experiences that recognize achievement, reward top performers and create lasting connections.

It’s why SITE’s mission resonates so strongly with us. We believe in the power of travel and shared experiences to motivate people, strengthen relationships and create meaningful impact.

“Mark’s leadership in bringing SITE Pacific Northwest to life reflects what we value at SHW: connection, collaboration and a passion for our industry. We’re incredibly proud of Mark and excited to see SITE PNW elevate the Pacific Northwest within the incentive travel community.” Brett Robertson, CEO, SHW

SITE Pacific Northwest gives our regional industry another opportunity to collaborate, share expertise and introduce more organizations and planners to everything the Pacific Northwest has to offer.

And the work is just beginning.

Congratulations to Mark, the SITE Pacific Northwest leadership team, the event sponsors including Visit Seattle, and everyone who helped make this vision a reality. We can’t wait to see what’s ahead!

Interested in SITE Pacific Northwest?
Learn more about the new SITE Pacific Northwest USA Affiliate, membership and how to get involved through SITE Global.

Planning your next meeting, event or incentive program?
Discover SHW Services can help with everything from finding the right destination and venue to designing and delivering the complete attendee experience.

Photo Credits: Barbie Hull Photography

Frequently Asked Questions

What is SITE Pacific Northwest?

SITE Pacific Northwest USA is an Affiliate of the Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE), bringing together incentive travel, hospitality, destination and event professionals across Washington, Oregon, Alaska and Idaho. The Affiliate provides opportunities for education, professional development, networking and collaboration while helping elevate the Pacific Northwest within the global incentive travel industry.

What is SITE?

The Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE) is a global organization dedicated to strengthening and supporting the incentive travel industry. SITE connects professionals around the world through education, community, advocacy and industry events focused on the business impact of incentive travel.

What is incentive travel?

Incentive travel is a business strategy that uses exceptional travel experiences to recognize and reward employees, sales teams, partners or other top performers. Programs are typically designed around a destination and include accommodations, activities, dining, entertainment and special experiences that participants might not otherwise access on their own.

What are the benefits of incentive travel programs?

Incentive travel programs can help organizations motivate performance, recognize achievement, strengthen relationships and build loyalty. Unlike a traditional cash or merchandise reward, travel creates a shared experience and lasting memories that can deepen participants’ connection to an organization.

Does SHW plan incentive travel programs?

Yes. SHW provides end-to-end incentive travel planning and management for programs throughout the United States and internationally. Our team can support destination and hotel sourcing, contracting, attendee registration and communications, transportation, activities and excursions, special events, dining experiences, gifting, logistics management and more.

Can SHW help source hotels and venues for meetings, events and incentive programs?

Yes. SHW provides hotel, resort and venue sourcing for corporate meetings, conferences, events and incentive travel programs. Our team helps identify options that align with program goals, attendee needs, experience, budget and destination requirements while supporting negotiations and contracting.

What corporate event planning services does SHW provide?

SHW is a full-service event agency supporting corporate meetings, conferences, leadership events, employee experiences, incentive travel programs and special events. Services include event strategy and planning, venue and hotel sourcing, destination management, event registration, creative and experiential design, logistics, transportation and onsite execution.

Does SHW only plan events in Seattle and the Pacific Northwest?

No. While SHW is headquartered in Seattle and offers deep destination expertise throughout the Pacific Northwest, our team plans and manages meetings, events and incentive travel programs across the United States and around the world.