CMHoF Names Sr. Director, Museum Sales And Retail

The Country Music Hall of Fame has appointed Mark DeLelys to the position of senior director of museum sales and retail. The promotion recognizes his vital contributions to the museum’s work.

DeLelys joins the museum’s senior leadership team, which includes museum CEO Kyle Young; Sharon Brawner, senior VP of sales and marketing; Nina Burghard, senior VP of financial services and operations; Carolyn Tate, senior VP of museum services, Lisa Purcell, VP of development; Jay Orr, executive senior director for research, editorial, and content; Peter Cooper, senior director, producer, and writer; Warren Denney, senior creative director and Nando Rodriguez, senior director of events and culinary.

“As a nonprofit, museum ticket and retail sales are very important to us,” said Brawner. “That revenue sustains the work of the museum, which is to document and preserve the history of country music. It is gratifying to recognize Mark’s contribution to our success. He brings years of experience with arts and cultural institutions from across the United States. At our museum, Mark has elevated the profile of Hatch Show Print and increased retail sales there. He is a major asset to the museum as it grows and welcomes more guests.”

DeLelys will report to Brawner. He will direct the museum’s guest relations and tourism functions, all ticket sales, retail and wholesale operations, and Historic RCA Studio B and Hatch Show Print.

DeLelys came to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in 2012, from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia, where he oversaw renovation and expansion projects related to retail development and the guest experience.

After joining the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum staff, DeLelys played a key role in developing the retail strategy and mix that includes three retail stores (Circa, Museum Store and Hatch Show Print Store) and the Haley Gallery, a fine-art gallery featuring Hatch Show Print-related artists and exhibitions. Between 2014 and 2017, with help from DeLelys, museum revenue from retail sales increased by 50 percent while centralizing retail buying and management staff to increase efficiency and improve customer service.

In the Haley Gallery, by featuring restrikes of historic Hatch posters alongside the work of contemporary artists who have collaborated with Hatch designers, DeLelys has created a fresh dialogue about the relationship between letterpress past and present.

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Jessica Nicholson

Jessica Nicholson serves as the Managing Editor for MusicRow magazine. Her previous music journalism experience includes work with Country Weekly magazine and Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) magazine. She holds a BBA degree in Music Business and Marketing from Belmont University. She welcomes your feedback at jnicholson@musicrow.com.

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