IN MEMORIAM: Adriana Meregalli
23 June 2014
Celebrating the Life of Adriana Meregalli,
Admired Staffer and Association Leader
It is with a sad heart that we share that Development Counsellors International (DCI) association sales manager, Adriana Meregalli, passed away on Friday night at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
A DCI/Mondotels employee for more than 30 years, Adriana was a staple in the association sales arena. Over the years she identified and helped to secure numerous association conventions on behalf of DCI client destinations - from IPEG's 23rd Annual Congress for Endosurgery in Children which will bring 800 delegates for five nights to Edinburgh, Scotland, to the Society of Petroleum Engineers Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition which will bring more than 9,000 delegates for five nights to Dubai. Adriana prided herself on identifying the best leads for each destination and pursuing them with fervor until a deal was closed.
Born and raised in Italy, Adriana came to the United States as a teenager. Teaching was her first career as she strived to make a difference in children's lives. But following a few summers in Paris to sharpen her French, she left teaching for New York in search of fame and fortune. Instead, as she said, she discovered a "rewarding and fun career within the travel industry."
Long-time client, Steen Jakobsen, Director, Convention and Business Tourism, Dubai Convention & Events Bureau, noted Adriana "was such a beloved, kind and professional individual who worked hard and was dedicated to her clients... I feel blessed that I had the chance to know her and to work with her."
Always one to be engaged within the industry, Adriana was a member of the Professional Convention Management Association for more than 15 years, active with the Greater New York Chapter and serving on the International Taskforce for more than three years.
Within the walls of DCI, she was a dedicated and passionate employee - and more than that, she was a genuine mentor and friend to countless DCI staff.
"Adriana began as a colleague and became a precious friend. She taught me to find the good in everything. A life lesson that has changed me," said DCI association sales manager, Donna Pellizzi.
Adriana's presence in DCI's office and in the industry will be truly missed.
A funeral mass was celebrated on Friday, June 13, 2014 at 10 a.m. at The Church of St. Catherine of Siena, 411 East 68th Street (slightly east of 1st Avenue), New York, N.Y.
In lieu of flowers, the family invites those who wish to send a remembrance to consider one of Adriana's favored charities where good work may blossom in her memory:
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