John Dillon

Founder and CEO, Wedding Book
WHEN: Thursday, November 15, 2007 at 12:00 pm - 12:05 pm
TOPIC: Five Minutes of Fame: Previewing Travel Industry Start-ups (4 of 4)

John Dillon is the founder and CEO of WeddingBook.com, a local search engine that helps engaged couples comparison shop the more than 200,000 local businesses that comprise the $60BN wedding reception market in the US. WeddingBook focuses on the 10 wedding business categories that collectively represent 90% of the average wedding budget: reception sites (including hotels), caterers, photographers, videographers, bridal stores (gowns), DJ’s and wedding bands, florists, wedding cake bakers, invitations and transportation. Prior to starting WeddingBook, John worked in strategic development in Cendant’s travel distribution division where he focused on international expansion efforts, particularly in the Asia Pacific region. John worked closely on the development of Cendant’s joint venture with China Youth Travel Service, the acquisition of Flairview Travel in Australia, and the acquisition of Gullivers Travel Associates. Previously, John was an investment professional evaluating private equity and special situation investments at Ares Management and distressed debt investments at Goldman Sachs. John received an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a BA with honors from Duke University.