Courtesy Photo / Visit San Antonio
Marc Anderson spent six years as chief operating officer for Choose Chicago.
Marc Anderson, a veteran tourism-marketing executive from Chicago, will take over as president and CEO of Visit San Antonio, the nonprofit entity that spearheads tourism promotion for the Alamo City, its board said Monday.
He replaces Casandra Matej, who left earlier this year to head tourism marketing for Orlando, Florida.
She departed as the pandemic took a deep bite out of San Antonio's tourism and convention sector. Late last year, the city began making bond payments for the 1,000-room Grand Hyatt convention center hotel after the entity was no longer able to cover them with room revenue.
“I am thrilled to join the Visit San Antonio team and this vibrant community that is poised for not only an incredible recovery, but extensive growth in the coming years,” said Anderson, who previously spent six years as chief operating officer for Choose Chicago and McCormick Place, the largest convention center in North America.
Anderson's experience also includes work as regional marketing director for The Peninsula Hotels, during which he oversaw all its business development in the Midwest and Canada.
“Marc joins an already outstanding team in San Antonio, and possesses the qualifications and expertise to help us navigate through the COVID recovery period and create a lasting impact on our area,” said Jeffrey Arndt, chairman of the Visit San Antonio board and CEO of VIA Metropolitan Transit.
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