While the meetings and hospitality business is generally not on the radar of most high-school kids, there are eight siblings in the D’Eletto family of Park Ridge, N.J., for whom that business was always top of mind. After all, their parents owned a restaurant on the New Jersey shore, and each child worked there while growing up in the 1980s.
Today, the two youngest siblings are successful meeting executives focused on the life-sciences niche: David D’Eletto is the owner of events agency Meeting Alliance, while Amy Quigley is a regional vice president for Unbridled and on the advisory board for the Pharma Forum 2025 conference. MeetingsNet recently spoke to David and Amy to learn their personal and professional stories—and how they navigate the same competitive landscape as each tries to land medical-events business.
MeetingsNet: What were your paths into the meetings and events field?
Amy Quigley: Growing up in a hospitality-driven family that today consists of chefs and event planners, I knew what my path would be early on. I decided I wanted to attend Johnson and Wales University for hospitality management even before I entered high school.
David D’Eletto: I graduated from George Washington University with a degree in finance and a strong ambition to work on Wall Street. But after my first job at a large New York bank, I realized I would be very bored sitting in a cubicle in a corporate atmosphere. Luckily, Amy went to work for McGettigan in Philadelphia in 1996 and recommended me as an on-site travel director. I was assigned to work a large product launch in Orlando; two days into that program, I realized that I had a passion for this work.
MeetingsNet: So, Amy was first to get into the meetings business?
D’Eletto: Many in our industry assume I got into it first, but the truth is that Amy found it and brought me in pretty quickly. I thank her for that all the time.
Quigley: David fell in love with the events side and then started his own firm, Meeting Alliance. So yes, I got into it first—but at industry events, I am often referred to as “David D’Eletto’s sister.”
MeetingsNet: Do you often compete for the same clients or programs?
D’Eletto: Up until last year, we almost never competed for business due to the nature of the companies that Amy worked for. In her most recent position at Unbridled, though, I’m certain our paths will cross at some point.
Quigley: People often assume we are not close because we are in the same market. But the reality is that we are the very best of friends—and our model has been to stay away from the other’s existing clients. We are lucky that there is so much business out there for each of us.
MeetingsNet: Have you ever worked on a meeting together, and how did that go?
Quigley: Many years ago, I did some consulting for David; we worked on meetings together in the pharma and real-estate spaces. It was always fun being on site together.
D’Eletto: Amy worked a few Meeting Alliance programs when I first started the firm, and she was instrumental in our early success. Amy brought enthusiasm, energy, and her planning skills to our programs, and helped us build the standard operating procedures we still have as the foundation of our business.
MeetingsNet: Are there parts of your personalities that are alike?
Quigley: All eight of us siblings share the gift of humor and kindness, but David and I in particular have a more pragmatic approach to dealing with the complicated inner workings of people. He and I differ in that I’m a bit more hyper while David is quieter and more understated—and that sometimes confuses people in the business when they find out we are related.
MeetingsNet: What is the toughest part of each of your jobs?
D’Eletto: After 25 years of servicing clients, I’d say it is working through tough times for the economy and for society, including the 9/11 tragedy, worldwide financial troubles in 2009 and 2016, and the Covid pandemic. As the owner, it is up to me and my business partner to motivate our team and lead them through those phases.
Quigley: I’d say keeping up with the workload and staying current with trends and creativity in events are the toughest things. Keeping existing clients happy and keeping those accounts growing in the present landscape is a chore all to itself. Add in the need to always get in front of potential new clients in a budget-conscious climate, and the days are pretty challenging.
MeetingsNet: What is one trend you see happening with medical events, and how are you adapting your approach as a result?
Quigley: Whereas medical meetings used to be a bit more mechanical and straightforward, I now see a greater focus on interactivity and the overall attendee experience. I love how these meetings have added more personalized elements. We are designing ways to keep the content as the most important piece, but also making the experience more meaningful and memorable.
MeetingsNet: Do you talk about business at family functions?
D’Eletto: Honestly, I try not to. But it’s inevitable since several family members work for Meeting Alliance.
Quigley: With seven of us in the meetings and hospitality industry, it would be really hard not to talk about it!
MeetingsNet: What is one interesting thing the world doesn’t know about your sibling?
Quigley: David was the star quarterback in high school as well as the captain of the basketball team due to his natural leadership qualities.
D’Eletto: Most people know that Amy has a big, vibrant, contagious personality. However, she also has a quiet side where she enjoys a weekend of solitude and just sitting back and enjoying time with her family.
