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New board leadership and focus on Greater Miami and Miami Beach 2023 tourism outlook among meeting highlights
On Tuesday, October 11th, the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau (GMCVB) hosted its 2022 annual meeting at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County, welcoming 15 new board members, providing industry-leading hotel and visitation results from its destination marketing efforts, and presenting a preview of trailblazing 2023 programs.
“It is incumbent that we continuously recruit and develop a board that is representative of the sectors and constituents we promote and serve,” said GMCVB Chairman of the Board of Directors Bruce Orosz. “This group joins an already outstanding team of board members and I look forward to collaborating with them as we strive to maintain the outstanding momentum our organization and our industry is experiencing.”
The 12 new board and three ex-officio members are:
- Amir Blattner, general manager, Hyatt Regency Miami
- Anthony Brunson, CPA, Anthony Brunson P.A.
- Suzette Espinosa Fuentes, vice president, communications, Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County
- Teresa Foxx, vice president and COO, Banco De Credito (BCI) Miami Branch
- Yvette Harris, CEO, Harris Public Relations
- Felecia Hatcher, CEO, Black Ambition Opportunity Fund
- Marlon Hill, of counsel, Weiss Serota Helfman Cole + Bierman, P.L.
- Michael Hooper, general manager, Hilton Miami Airport Blue Lagoon
- Raul Leal, CEO, SH Hotels & Resorts
- Navin Mahtani, founding partner, Think Hospitality
- Caroline O’Connor, senior vice president and chief of staff, Miami Marlins
- Myles Pistorius, senior vice president, general counsel, Miami Dolphins/Hard Rock Stadium
- Liliam Lopez, president and CEO, South Florida Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (ex-officio)
- Jorge Gonzalez, village manager, Bal Harbour Village (ex-officio)
- Mark Trowbridge, president and CEO, Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce (ex-officio)
“A successful and accountable non-profit organization is first led and supported by an outstanding board of directors,” said GMCVB President & CEO David Whitaker. “The voices and expertise we gather around our table need to be harnessed and engaged in order to elevate our effectiveness and to help add fuel to the impact of our organization. I could not be more excited to have this collection of outstanding leaders.”
Momentum and leadership were common themes at the tourism organization meeting which attracted more than 700 attendees. As a preview to upcoming initiatives, the GMCVB showcased how the range of diversity of people, places and experiences in Greater Miami and Miami Beach will be “reimagined.” Reimagination builds on existing foundational experiences such as the 20th anniversary of Art Basel and expands on storytelling to reposition the Greater Miami and Miami Beach destination product from South Beach to South Dade. This includes agri-tourism options in South Dade, more inclusive vacation options for travelers with disabilities and emphasis events like Rainbow Spring, designed to attract LGBTQ+ travelers.
Greater Miami and Miami Beach’s hotel performance indicators continue to lead the industry. New data revealed the following trends which underscore the resilience of the destination:
- For the first 11 months (October-August) of Fiscal Year 2021/2022, Greater Miami & Miami Beach’s hotel demand (rooms sold) increased by 24%
- Hoteliers average daily rate (ADR), the ability to charge premium room rates, increased by 26.2%
- Miami-Dade County’s weekly ADR for September 2022 was pacing 29.6% ahead of September 2019 figures
Event registration fees were donated to Easterseals South Florida. Earlier in October, the GMCVB partnered with the organization and the Miami Beach Convention Center (MBCC) to host a mini-job fair kicking off National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). The event was designed to open additional avenues of tourism industry inclusiveness with hiring opportunities. In addition, thanks to a cruise donation from Carnival Cruise Line, funds were raised for the GMCVB’s Black Hospitality Initiative.
The GMCVB’s official Year in Review Report and 2022-2023 Marketing Plan are both available for download. For additional resources visit, https://www.miamiandbeaches.com/gmcvb-partners/tools-resources.
