Dear CVB Team,

I could not be more excited to have the opportunity to work closely with all of you and the Board of Directors in my role as the 2015 Chairman of the Board.

This year is poised to be very successful. Our business outlook includes a long list of great citywide conventions and we will have another year in the limelight with great events like the Bicentennial of the Battle of New Orleans earlier this month, the Indy Grand Prix of Louisiana this spring, and the opportunity to tell the stories of the city’s resurgence and growth for the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina this summer.

The strategic direction all departments are taking is very exciting and forward thinking. The work of the Convention Sales team to gain additional citywide market share and build stronger weekday compression along with short-term meetings is exactly where we need to be going. Leisure tourism's targeting of domestic and international travelers through direct sales and marketing as well as continued growth in markets such as Brazil, China and Australia are key to reaching our visitor number and spending goals. National Tour Association (NTA) being in town this week is a perfect example of the team's hard work and the opportunities that we are not only participating in but hosting to showcase our wonderful city. The Communications and Public Relations team does such a great job of making New Orleans an attractive destination for events, conventions and all visitors through their promotion. Everyone at the CVB, led by the efforts of the External Affairs department, does a great job of enhancing the return on investment of CVB members through sales and marketing opportunities and customer engagement.

This year we will make even further strides in speaking with one voice with NOTMC. The merger of the two organizations' Facebook pages to one joint page for the destination was very successful and the next step will be to merge websites, creating a singular New Orleans message at www.NewOrleans.com.

This is a transformational time for our industry and we recognize the hard work that you are doing every day to ensure New Orleans continues to be the premier destination for meetings, events and visitors from around the world. Keep up the good work!

Thank you for all that you do,

 

Tod Chambers

2015 Chairman of the Board, New Orleans CVB