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This Just In

Steve Moster Takes Helm of Viad, Parent Company of GES

HIL ANDERSON, SENIOR EDITOR

Phoenix, AZ – Steve Moster, president of Global Experience Specialists (GES), is now the president and CEO of GES’ parent company, Viad Corp., and a member of the Viad board, following the resignation of Paul Dykstra.

Dykstra stepped down as chairman, president and CEO of Viad effective December 4. Moster will remain president of GES while taking on the additional duties of running Viad’s Travel & Recreation Group, which consists of Brewster Travel Canada, Glacier Park Inc. and Alaska Denali Travel.

“Steve’s proven track record and deep understanding of Viad’s operations make him the ideal executive to accelerate our strategic growth initiatives across our businesses,” said Viad Chairman Rich Dozer. “Under Steve’s direction, GES is being transformed, creating opportunities to expand the business.”

Dykstra, whose plans were not revealed, joined Viad in 1984 and was named president and CEO of Viad in 2006; and was named chairman as well in 2008. He briefly served as head of GES in 2010 before Moster was named president later that year.

Moster joined GES in 2004 and had been executive vice president and chief sales and marketing officer. Prior to joining GES, he was an engagement manager at McKinsey & Company.  He earned an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College.  Moster serves on the board of the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR).

Moster told Trade Show Executive that he was committed to maintaining close ties with GES customers while at the same time overseeing the Travel & Recreation Group and keeping GES on a path to expansion. “We have great growth plans in place for both divisions,” Moster said.

“We are continuing to invest in the Travel & Recreation Group to build scale by refreshing, building and buying assets in iconic areas of natural beauty in North America,” said Moster. “We are also strengthening our GES business with new value-added services that complement the core business, positioning us to become the preferred global full-service provider to the live events market.”

GES has been on a hot streak in recent months, which has paid off well for Viad (NYSE: VVI), an S&P SmallCap 600 company. The parent company’s Q3 revenues this year totaled $299.8 million compared to $220.2 million in the Third Quarter of 2013.

“We are growing as a company,” Moster said. “We use a same-show growth metric, which says things were growing in the mid single-digit range in the Third Quarter.”

Moster said GES’ strategy included adding “best of breed” technology with an eye peeled for growth opportunities overseas as well as in the U.S. “We are interested in going to where our clients are, and they are going more global,” he said.

In October, GES announced the acquisition of onPeak and Travel Planners, which established GES in the trade show housing management sector. A month later, GES acquired N200, a company that provides registration and data intelligence services in Britain and the Netherlands. GES also named Kelly Smith-Dotson chief marketing and commercial officer in November.

“Our mission remains solving our clients’ most complex problems,” said Moster. “We are continuing to pursue our growth strategy. We have a healthy pipeline of acquisitions that we want to do, as well other initiatives.”

Moster will be at Expo! Expo! December 9-11 and will then settle in to guide GES and Viad through what should be an eventful 2015.

Reach Steve Moster at (702) 515-5500 or smoster@ges.com

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