Get to Know Open The Door
Open the Door is a strategic marketing and public relations firm uniquely positioned to serve the needs of our domestic and international clients. Leveraging years of professional experience and key contacts to increase business for clients, we specialize in business development, marketing and public relations.
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With over thirty years of experience in the domestic and international marketing arena, and extensive contacts throughout North America, Europe, Asia and South America, Open the Door offers clients immediate access to consumer & trade media, meeting planners, tour operators, travel agents, airline personnel & potential marketing partners in both the United States and around the world.
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As a company focused on delivering results, Open the Door has the courage to do things differently. From developing niche markets to increasing leads, we have the experience and expertise to position your organization to yield higher business gains. We know what works, we understand how the consumer thinks, and we know how to build a brand.
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Contact us to learn more about how Open the Door can help you grow your business!.
Meet the Team
The Faces Behind Open The Door
MEET CHRISTINA PAPPAS
CEO, Open The Door
Christina Pappas is CEO of Open the Door. With over 35 years’ experience,
Pappas’ background covers a long career in the hospitality industry holding the position
of Director of Marketing for both the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority and
the Massachusetts Port Authority before founding Open the Door in November, 2001 to
provide clients with innovative solutions and a fresh approach to marketing, sales and
public relations.
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A solid leader with a number of key relationships on local, regional and international
levels, Pappas is responsible for designing marketing, sales and public relations
programs which are highly proactive and work towards meeting very specific objectives
with measurable results. From creating global destination marketing programs for
Boston, resulting in increases in the number of international visitors five times the
national average, to generating media coverage for the USS Constitution Museum
which led to a 30% increase in museum visitors year over year; from booking six times
the revenue expected by Best of Boston over a three month period to generating $2.1
million worth of media coverage for Petlink, Pappas is known for meeting and exceeding
goals for her clients.
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Open the Door also manages the Massachusetts Lodging Association and as such,
Pappas serves as President & amp; CEO of the MLA.
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With extensive experience in all aspects of marketing, including branding, advertising,
sales, promotions and public relations, Pappas has been recognized for her marketing
expertise by the Travel Industry Association of America and the Hospitality Sales &
Marketing Association International, with over 30 awards for advertising, public relations
and community programs. She is often asked to speak by national and international
groups, particularly on destination marketing, leveraging budgets and working with
international markets.
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Pappas serves on the board of the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority, Meet
Boston and the Skal Boston Philanthropic Foundation and has served on the board of
the Travel Industry Association of America, MAASH (Massachusetts Advocacy for Arts,
Sciences, and Humanities), and Skal International Boston where she was also
President from 2011 – 2012. She is a member of Professional Convention
Management Association, Meeting Professionals International, American Society of
Association Executives, Meet Boston, Greater Merrimack Valley Convention & Visitors
Bureau, and the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce. Pappas has also served as
an adjunct professor at the Boston University School of Hospitality.
MEET STEPHANIE PAPPAS
President, Open The Door
Joining in January 2025, Stephanie brings domestic, international and sports sales and marketing experience to Open the Door.
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Pappas was previously employed at Meet Boston (formerly Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau), most recently in the position of Vice President of International and Sports Sales. For over 30 years she led efforts to expand the presence of the organization and destination, elevate Boston’s image and develop new initiatives for the promotion of Boston, the Commonwealth and New England domestically and internationally.
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Charged with attracting world-class sporting events and responsible for soliciting and booking international association and corporation meetings business, Stephanie’s work resulted in the booking and consumption of over 1.3 million hotel roomnights. She has been recognized for the extraordinary ability to build partnerships and drive revenue for the Greater Boston hotel community. In the past five years, Stephanie led successful bid efforts for sports related events that drove more than $200 million in economic impact, over 175,000 hotel room nights and resulted in significant spending for restaurants, attractions and visitor industry businesses. In the international marketplace, as a direct result of her efforts, Boston & Cambridge saw upwards of 25% growth in the number of international meetings held and have been recognized as being in the top three U.S. destinations for international meetings for over ten years.
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A graduate of the University of New Hampshire, Pappas is a member of Skal International and current President of the Skal International Boston Board of Directors. She is a member of the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) and has served locally on the PCMA New England Board of Directors.