Consumer >> CEO Interviews >> April 25, 2002
ANDREW DOLCE is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Dolce
International, the leading conference center company. Mr. Dolce
spearheaded his company's recent partnership with Soros Real Estate
Partners and AEW Capital Management which will enable the company to
more than double its 19-property portfolio in the next three years. This
deal, coupled with a new, strong branding direction clearly
differentiating the conference center product from the hotel product,
has helped Mr. Dolce position his company as the only branded conference
center company in Europe and as the global leader in the meetings niche.
A graduate of Iona College with a Master's degree from Cornell
University, Mr. Dolce has long been considered a visionary in the
conference center industry. A former Board member and President of the
International Association of Conference Centers (IACC), he was awarded
the conference center industry's highest honor ' the Mel Hosansky Award
' bestowed annually by IACC to an individual who has played an
exceptional role in advancing awareness of the conference center
industry. In 1998 both Meetings News and Business Travel News named Mr.
Dolce one of the '25 Most Influential Executives' in the meetings and
travel industries, respectively. He is a Board Member of New York
University's Center for Hospitality, Tourism and Travel Administration
and serves on Iona College's Board of Advisory Trustees. In 2000 Iona
College honored Mr. Dolce with the prestigious Iona College Trustee
Award. Before founding Dolce International in 1981, he worked for the
American Management Association and for Harrison Conference Centers as
Executive Vice President. He also served as Chief Operating and
Development Officer of The Houstonian in Houston, Texas. Profile
International and then a picture of what you're doing at the present
time?
Mr. Dolce: I founded the company in 1981 in Houston,
