ConVis Celebrates 53rd Annual Meeting
Local Industry Super Stars Receive Awards
By Joanne DiBona, jdibona@sdcvb.org
The San Diego Convention & Visitors Bureau (ConVis) celebrated its 53rd Annual Meeting January 30 at Copley Symphony Hall. The event featured a keynote address by James H. Gilmore, best selling author of The Experience Economy and Authenticity: What Consumers Really Want, in addition to the presentation of awards honoring several outstanding individuals and organizations in the local hospitality industry.
The event brought together nearly 700 of the region’s visitor industry professionals, government, business and civic leaders to learn about San Diego’s dynamic evolution into a top vacation and meeting destination…and what it will take to ensure continued success in the future.
The day’s honorees included San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders, who received the prestigious ConVisionary Award. This award is bestowed upon an individual or organization that has shown incredible dedication and leadership in pursuing and executing projects or programs that benefit the tourism industry, as well as the community at large.
Mayor Sanders was cited for his selfless commitment to San Diego’s visitor industry, evidenced not only by his championing of the recently approved Tourism Marketing District -- designed to ensure a stable funding model for future tourism promotion -- but also for his active participation in a wide variety of industry marketing initiatives aimed at promoting San Diego.
The 2008 Client of the Year—Hotel Sales award, given to a client who generates significant business for the destination, was presented to Marine Corps Recruit Depot -- San Diego (MCRD). Established in 1923, MCRD continues to train more marines today than any time in history. In 2007, more than 21,000 marines completed training and took part in graduation ceremonies throughout the year. These ceremonies brought more than 90,000 visitors to San Diego last year alone, as friends and family came to see the recruits graduate, and then joined them for sightseeing activities throughout the destination. These visitors generated over 50,000 hotel room nights.
Rose Marie Starns, who has served as executive director of the San Diego County Hotel-Motel Association since 1985, became the ninth recipient of the ConVis Hall of Fame award. The award was established in 1999 to recognize organizations and individuals who have made significant lifelong contributions to the local hospitality industry. During her tenure at the helm of the Hotel-Motel Association, Ms. Starns played an instrumental role in San Diego’s visitor industry, helping to secure three super bowls and a national political convention for the destination.
Terry Brown, President & CEO of Atlas Hotels, was honored with the Chairman’s award, a designation bestowed upon an individual whose contributions stretch far beyond the visitor industry. In addition to his long standing efforts to position Mission Valley and Hotel Circle as a major tourist destination, and his support of numerous tourism entities and programs over the years, Brown has also served on a wide variety of local civic and nonprofit organization boards. These include the University of San Diego, Scripps Mercy Hospital, the San Diego Firefighters Foundation, and the San Diego County Council Boy Scouts of America.
The establishment of a scholarship fund honoring the memory of past ConVis Chairman Tom Fat was also announced at the meeting.
The memorial scholarship fund, available to students pursuing an undergraduate degree in San Diego State University’s Hospitality and Tourism Management Program, will be underwritten with proceeds from the Bureau’s annual golf tournament, now to be dubbed the ConVis Annual Tom Fat Memorial Golf Tournament.
In his state of the industry address, ConVis President and CEO David Peckinpaugh highlighted the forces that have propelled San Diego into one of the world’s most desirable visitor destinations, citing the continuing evolution of the San Diego brand. In addition, he outlined the Bureau’s current promotion efforts -- designed to maintain and strengthen San Diego’s market share – in a highly competitive marketplace, and provided a preview of the Bureau’s strategies in the months and years to come.
The meeting concluded with a keynote address by James Gilmore, who emphasized how the delivery of an Authentic Visitor Experience is key to successfully competing in the global marketplace, and how San Diego stands to capture more of this market in the years ahead.
Tourism is the region’s third largest industry. In 2007, a total of 32.2 million visitors came to San Diego, pouring $7.7 billion in direct visitor spending into the local economy.
