Q: What are your top priorities as chairman of the board of Visit Denver?
A: My priority is to build on the success of the past. The passage in 2005 of measure 1A that provided for increased Visit Denver funding through a lodgers’ tax on out-of-town visitors launched us on a growth trajectory that continues.
Visit Denver is celebrating its 100th anniversary, and there are only six other destination- management associations in the country with this longevity. The board’s responsibility is to give Visit Denver staff the resources they need to keep Denver’s second-largest industry healthy and growing.
Q: What are some of the challenges you’ll face this year in marketing Denver and attracting new conventions and tourism dollars amid the recession?
A: People aren’t traveling like they were 18 months ago. We see this in hotel occupancy, travel industry updates and the number of attendees to conventions. There is a movement away from extravagance — or the impression of extravagance — in corporate travel. While Denver is not immune to this current downturn, it is better positioned than most cities to weather the recession.
Specifically, the Visit Denver staff are continuing their efforts to book major conventions for the future, but they are also increasing efforts to go after short-term business and association meetings. There will also be a major regional tourism campaign this spring to drive short-distance, impulse-leisure visitors to Denver.
Q: Are there any sporting events that you would like to help Denver land for the first time?
A: The Sportaccord conference, which happened (last month), brought together the world’s major sport decision-makers in a great testament to Denver’s stature as a sports city and a huge boost for Denver, as this is the first time the conference has been held in North America. If this gathering becomes the precursor for any Olympic Games in Denver, we will all work toward achieving this goal.
Edited for length and clarity by Andy Vuong
