Letter from the President & CEO
Heading into the second half of the calendar year, our Brand USA staff is as busy as ever. We have embarked upon some very exciting initiatives including the launch of a new advertising campaign and consumer website. In addition we are in the middle of our FY 2017 planning process and will soon release our latest ROI results, which are ahead of key targets.
Many of you have already received my recent communications regarding our Chief Marketing Officer. David Whitaker has decided to leave Brand USA to join Choose Chicago as its next President and CEO. This is a tremendous opportunity for David, and we wish him all the best. Choose Chicago has been a great partner with Brand USA, and we see this as a great opportunity to build upon that relationship in the months and years ahead.
I am excited to announce that we have since named Thomas Garzilli Chief Marketing Officer of Brand USA. Thomas has dedicated his life to destination marketing and is one of the most well respected members of the travel industry. He has an entrepreneurial spirit and a partner-focused approach to marketing destinations, and has been a key driver of the strategies Brand USA has put in place since he joined the organization in March 2013. He was the impetus for the production of our giant-screen film, National Parks Adventure, which was our major initiative behind the great outdoors and supports each of our strategic foundational elements to create innovative marketing, market the welcome, build trusted relationships, add & create value, and drive results. And he was an integral part of the leadership team that has driven our storytelling, content-driven platforms, as well as our increased focus on digital marketing.
We will be in New Orleans, Louisiana, June 18-22, for IPW, the blockbuster international tradeshow powered by the U.S. Travel Association. This is the fifth straight year that we will participate at IPW as U.S. Travel’s premier partner.
The IPW marketplace brings 1,300 travel buyers from six-dozen countries to meet with representatives of 1,000 U.S. travel organizations from all regions of the USA. This whirlwind of activity is expected to lead to 8.8 million international travelers who will visit the United States, generating more than $4.7 billion in future business tied to U.S. tourism.
I’m looking forward to the all of the coming excitement at IPW, meeting with our partners, and sharing our many announcements and accomplishments during our press conference and lunch on Monday, June 20.
Together, we are marketing the USA!
Chris Thompson
President and CEO