Connect Travel, LLC, a division of Connect (a Tarsus Group company), has acquired multiple assets from North American Journeys, Inc. in Sausalito, Calif.
Connect Travel works with destinations, resorts, hotels and attractions to increase their domestic and international leisure travel business by connecting them with the right people, at the right time and in a format that will expedite the sales process and help them close business.
In March 2018, Connect Travel acquired eTourism Summit, now in its 20th year. Connect Travel will hold the inaugural THRIVE Summit in 2019 as well. Read the press release here.
Jake Steinman, 
William Pate, President and CEO of the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau will serve as the 2018-2019 chair of Destinations International‘s board of directors. Other board officers include Craig Davis, VisitPittsburgh (chair-elect); Butch Spyridon, Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp. (secretary-treasurer); and Tammy Blount-Canavan, Monterey County CVB, (immediate past chair).
Jason Fulvi, CDME, the new president and CEO of Visit KC, will chair the Destinations International Foundation board of trustees for the same period. Others serving are John Groh, Rockford Area CVB (chair-elect); John Lambeth, Civitas Advisors, (secretary-treasurer); Stephanie Pace Brown, Explore Asheville immediate past chair); and John Percy, Destination Niagara USA (at-large officer).
Sheelagh Wylie has left the inbound side of the U.S. tourism business—and her job as vice president, business development and head of trade sales, Midway Attractions, North America, Merlin Entertainments—to join Visit Britain as chief marketing officer, Americas. She is based in New York. For the past 15 years Wylie had been with Merlin which includes Madame Tussauds among its 127 attractions, 19 hotels, and 7 holiday villages in 27 countries.
Fritz Smith has been named as the new executive director of the Central Pennsylvania Convention and Visitors Bureau. Smith has worked in Pennsylvania government as director of tourism operations and as deputy secretary for tourism, film, and economic development. He also has served as vice president of tourism for the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau and most recently was vice president of research and hotel initiatives for Visit Philadelphia.
Julie Calvert was named president and CEO of the Cincinnati CVB following a five-month executive search. Calvert had previously served as VP – Communications and Strategic Development for the bureau in 2011-2016. Dan Lincoln, who led the bureau for 11 years, stepped down at the end of 2017, citing health reasons.
Memphis Convention & Visitors Bureau has rebranded as Memphis Tourism. including a new logo. The update follows months of data-driven research, stakeholder interviews, and audience testing by destination analysts in surveys with 800 potential visitors. President and CEO Kevin Kane, a 27-year veteran, and CMO Regena Bearden, a 30-year veteran, launched the new look for the “Home of Blues, Soul, and Rock ‘n’ Roll” in June.
Cheryl Y. Kilday, CDME, will leave in mid-October after eight years as president and CEO of Visit Spokane (WA) to become CEO of North Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce. A nationwide search for Visit Spokane expected to last 10-12 weeks is planned, while the interim role will be filled by TJ Hake, VP of Strategic Development and Operations.
Marshall, Texas has named Mallori James as the new leader of Marshall (TX) Convention and Visitors Bureau as the new Tourism and Marketing Manager. The position is responsible for the leadership of the DMO, implementing a robust and creative marketing strategy to attract tourists, and enhancing nature, culture, and arts opportunities for city visitors and residents.
Salesforce billionaire CEO Marc Benioff and his wife Lynne “sent shock waves from New York to San Francisco” with their purchase of the 95-year-old Time Magazine, one of the world’s most iconic magazine titles, reports Business Insider. Observers are left musing; will they go all-video with the $190 million purchase?