About Us

Amicus, friend in Latin, signifies the relationships we seek with our clients.   We see our role as partner and supporter, working together to create memorable experiences for your guests.

We specialize in Philadelphia-bound international and domestic meeting and congress delegations, incentive trips and ad hoc tours - all perfectly designed and meticulously executed to meet your objectives. Especially important for our valued internation clients, we understand the cultural differences of people from different nations and endeavor to make your guests' visit to the United States unforgettable.

From the time your group arrives in Philadelphia until they return at home, our professional and knowledgeable staff will oversee each and every aspect of their visit.   We provide airport welcome services and transfers; hotel selection and hospitality suites; tailor-made sightseeing itineraries which include special behind-the-scenes tours and experiences at museums, historic sites, gardens and private homes; technical tours; gastronomic adventures; and visits to nearby New York, Washington, D.C., the Amish Country of Pennsylvania and Atlantic City, the East Coast gaming capital.   We also can create twin- or multi-centered itineraries that include other U.S. and Caribbean destinations.

Our planning process starts with your needs, your group's interests and your budgetary considerations. Each congress delegation's itinerary, incentive program or ad hoc tour is customized for our clients.   With our in-depth knowledge of the Philadelphia area and our contacts throughout the industry, you can count on special access to those venues that may be difficult to arrange in other destinations and choose from a variety of experiential tours and events that will make your guests' trip to Philadelphia so special.

Carri S. Tovsky, an experienced meeting and event planner, serves as president and director of client services.   She is responsible for program development, creative services and operations.  

Previously, she served as tourism services manager for the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau. In that capacity, she developed and implemented educational (familiarization) tours for international and domestic tour operators, conference and incentive planners and travel agents.

As part of the development of educational tours, she choreographed a number of new activities, including cooking with a chef in his kitchen, art class and champagne reception at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and a progressive cocktail reception at several different venues.   She also assisted the PCVB's Communications Department in planning press tours.   In May 2004, she was in charge of logistics for the PCVB's European sales mission, conducted in concert with the Philadelphia Orchestra's annual tour, which was highlighted by client events in Paris, Frankfurt, London and Amsterdam.

Prior to joining the PCVB in March 2003, she was an account executive for Boggs Chung, Inc., a meeting management firm. Tovsky also worked in a supervisory capacity for Festival Food Management, which provides food service to large-scale outdoor events, and also served as an event planner for Karen Spiro EVENTures, coordinating events for non-profit organizations in the Philadelphia region.   She is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh.

Mark A. Hoy, president of GJS Investment Group, LLC, a Washington, D.C.-based private equity investment firm, serves as secretary/treasurer. He is responsible for administrative and financial services. He also serves as Chairman of Amicus International Hospitality Services, LLC, our parent company.

Most recently, Hoy served as vice president, international marketing, of the Travel Industry Association of America (TIA).   Prior to that, he was executive director of the United States National Tourism Organization (USNTO) and director of tourism for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

His industry involvement includes numerous leadership positions, including vice chairman of the World Tourism Organization - Business Council, based in Madrid, Spain; member of the boards of directors of TIA, the National Tour Association and the National Council of State Tourism Directors; a member of the U.S. Congressional Travel Tourism Caucus' Advisory Board, and as a member of the White House Conference on Travel and Tourism Steering Committee. He holds a B.S. in economics from the University of Scranton (PA).

Amicus Hospitality Services was founded in 2004 by Sam Rogers , a 25-year veteran of the travel industry. The former vice president of the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau (PCVB), he was the architect of the bureau's international consumer marketing campaign, which captured the Travel Industry Association of America's Odyssey Award for 2004. Sam currently serves in an advisory role to the Amicus management team.