POSITION: President and CEO
Chattanooga Convention & Visitor’s Bureau
A process is underway to select the next President and CEO of the Chattanooga Convention and Visitor’s Bureau. The successful candidate will assume the leadership of the organization by February 1, 2018, and will lead a team of professionals to:
Build relationships with elected officials, business leaders and community stakeholders to achieve measureable returns on invested funds.
Provide strategic vision, direction and presence that will result in significant tourism-related growth.
Provide leadership to energize a strong CVB team that will grow investments in the tourism market.
The President and CEO of the Greater Chattanooga Convention and Visitors Bureau is responsible for providing strategic leadership in planning and implementing goals that positively impact the regional tourism industry by working with the Board of Directors, the CVB team and community partners. The President/CEO provides the direction to effectively achieve the CVB mission, to assure the financial strength of the organization and to lead the organization and its partners to significantly increase the growth of the tourism industry in the community. The President/CEO serves as the primary voice for tourism in the community, coordinates with local partners to build on the Chattanooga renaissance and develops strong relationships with local, state and national tourism leaders.
The successful candidate will have a proven track record of growth and leadership in the tourism field, a pattern of positive financial performance, an ability to build partnerships within the tourism industry and ancillary organizations and the ability to identify and act on changes within the tourism market. The ability to set goals that are data driven is essential in measuring success and planning for the future. Excellent communication skills will be essential in sharing the CVB story, in attracting new venues that generate tourism dollars, in sharing annual updates on the success of the tourism industry and in attracting and retaining an effective CVB team.
This person should have at least seven years’ experience in a leadership role in tourism-related fields, should be able to demonstrate leadership through financial, event and visitor growth and should be able to show management leadership skills. A bachelor’s degree is preferred. The ability to clearly demonstrate strategic development and execution is important. There should be clear indicators of an overall understanding of changing market demographics and the ability to implement strategies that reflect and support the data. The ability to report on the CVB, tourism and the tourism impact to various audiences including government officials, industry representatives, business and other community organizations is essential.
Salary will be commensurate with experience and other strategic measures.
SELECTION PROCESS
Candidates for this position will be evaluated by a search committee comprised of a small group of community leaders. The most qualified individuals will be invited to participate in the next phase of the selection process. For consideration, please submit a cover letter and a comprehensive resume, combined into a single .pdf document, no later than November 13, 2017, emailed to:
[email protected].
CHATTANOOGA CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU
The mission of the Chattanooga Convention and Visitors Bureau is to strengthen the area economy by marketing Chattanooga as a year-round destination for conventions, meetings, trade shows and leisure travel, and to provide information and services that enhance and reinforce that image for the area’s visitors. The Chattanooga CVB is partially funded by membership dues, and is the designated recipient of proceeds from the Hamilton County Hotel-Motel Occupancy Privilege Tax, generally restricted for the purpose of promoting tourism by recruiting prospective clients, advertising and other promotional activities.
$1.06 billion – The direct spending that visitors leave in Hamilton County annually.
3.5 million – That’s the number of visitors that come to Chattanooga annually.
$140 million – This is the amount of private dollars being invested into our community right now on hotels under construction or in the pipeline.
$92,000,000 – The 2017-18 economic impact for 140 supported events
For more information visit www.ChattanoogaFun.com.
ABOUT THE CHATTANOOGA REGION
Tucked between the mountains of Southeast Tennessee, nestled along the banks of the beautiful Tennessee River, Chattanooga is one of America’s most exciting and livable cities offering an incredible combination of breathtaking scenic beauty, outdoor adventures on water and land, rich history, a vibrant arts and museum scene, a thriving music industry, amazing restaurants to please every palate, and popular live events and festivals to provide plenty of year-round fun. Accommodations ranging from historic hotels and renovated rail cars to artistic, urban oases that soothe the body and soul beckon weary adventurers to a welcome and revitalizing nightly respite. Because of the diversity and quality of Chattanooga activities, we’ve been added to the must-see destinations listed by the New York Times, Outside magazine, Industry Week, Travel+Leisure, Today Show, Southern Living, Garden & Gun, U.S. News & World Report and many others.
Our easy accessibility within a day’s drive of more than 1/3 of the U.S. population plus our mild four-season climate makes Chattanooga a popular destination for both business and leisure travel. With 100,000 square feet of column-free exhibit space, 21 meeting rooms and 10,000 square feet of divisible ballroom space, Chattanooga’s Convention Center is flexible enough to accommodate all but the largest events, and the metropolitan area’s more than 10,000 hotel rooms provide ample lodging for visitors and attendees. Chattanooga is a vibrant, walkable city with world-class broadband infrastructure that business travelers, convention planners, attendees and vacationers can agree is a great place to create a memorable occasion.
