Pittsburgh Society of 
Association Executives

Travel and Tourism Matters

  • February 07, 2014
  • 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM
  • Omni William Penn

Registration


Registration is closed

Travel and Tourism Matters

Registration for this event is now closed.

Please call 412-372-1898 to register.

The tourism and travel industry is a significant force in economic development, representing over $5.3 billion in direct spending in our region. Pittsburgh has garnered attention over the last several years from national and international media, as well as governments, corporations, and arts and nonprofit groups.

Join us on February 7th as Craig Davis, the President and CEO of VisitPittsburgh, the official convention sales and tourism marketing organization for the region, explains how and why Pittsburgh has been successful in attracting conventions, meetings and tourists. You will learn what is new in Pittsburgh for the hospitality and meetings industry and how this impacts you and your organization. The presentation includes beautiful photographs, a video and informative statistics, as well as endorsements from nationally known third-parties, to demonstrate why tourism helps to energize our economy, reputation and quality of life.

 

 

Craig Davis is President and CEO of VisitPittsburgh, the official convention marketing and tourism promotion agency for Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. In this position, Mr. Davis oversees a $10.5 million budget. He directs and manages all VisitPittsburgh strategies, operations, activities and staff of 51 as the nonprofit organization works to achieve its mission: generate convention, trade show and leisure travel business for the Pittsburgh region.

 

Mr. Davis has worked in the hospitality industry for over two decades. He began his tenure at VisitPittsburgh – formerly the Greater Pittsburgh Convention & Visitors Bureau – in 2000 as Executive Director of Convention Sales. In this capacity, Mr. Davis was responsible for overseeing the convention sales and marketing efforts for the new David L. Lawrence Convention Center, the first Platinum -LEED certified convention center in the world. Mr. Davis was promoted to Vice President of Sales and Marketing in 2007 and, most recently, to the position of President and CEO in March 2012.

 

Mr. Davis’ extensive background in the hospitality industry includes experience as Director of Marketing for the Westin William Penn Hotel (now the Omni William Penn); Marketing Director for the Vista Hotel (now Westin Convention Center Hotel); Director of Convention Services for the Toronto Hilton and Toronto Airport Hilton; and as Director of Sales and Marketing at the Drake Hotel in Chicago.

Born in St. Catharines Ontario, Mr. Davis became a U.S. citizen in 2001. He graduated from the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario with a degree in computer science.  In 2002, Mr. Davis became a Certified Destination Management Executive (CDME). The CDME status is recognized within the convention and visitors bureau industry as its highest educational achievement.

 

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