Meet our Sales & Services Team

Groups & Wedding Services to Assist with Planning

The Wilmington and Beaches Convention & Visitors Bureau Services Department can provide visitor information for group tours, family reunions and weddings in Wilmington and the Island Beaches of Carolina, Kure and Wrightsville.

Meet our Sales & Services Team

Ashley Ackary Headshot

Ashley Ackary Sales Manager


Ashley Ackary joined the Wilmington and Beaches CVB in 2021 after graduating from Appalachian State University in Boone, N.C. with her BSBA in Hospitality and Tourism Management. In her role, Ashley greets visitors at the CVB’s front desk, answers phone and email inquiries and assists the sales team with pre-event planning in the SMERF market. During her free time, Ashley enjoys hiking, yoga, pottery, crafting, listening to live music and playing with her two kittens, Pluto and Venus.

Karen Headshot

Karen Warren Visitor Services


Karen Warren has been employed with the Wilmington and Beaches CVB since 1998. In her role, she provides support services for individuals, organizations, meeting planners and group tour operators. She spends as much time at the beach as possible and enjoys the theater, art and restaurant scene. Karen caught the archaeology bug at an early age, courtesy of Howard Carter and King Tut, and received a degree in anthropology with a focus on Meso-American archaeology with a side bar in Egyptian hieroglyphs. She loves to travel and one of her most memorable trips was to the ethereal Incan site of Machu Picchu.

CVB Groups and Wedding Resources & Services

Here are just some of the services we provide:

  • Pre-event planning/assistance including list of vendor resources, venues, locations and transportation
  • Destination literature including visitors guides and area maps
  • Assistance with finding accommodations at area hotels