| Seattle man to head Indy tourism Jennifer Whitson - jwhitson@ibj.com IBJ staff Seattle Convention and Visitors Bureau CEO Donald P. Welsh will be named the new CEO of the Indianapolis Convention & Visitors Association, the local group announced today.
Current ICVA CEO Bob Bedell will retire July 31 and Welsh, 52, will take the reigns Aug. 1.
Welsh's background is in the hotel industry, apart from a short stint in 2000 as president of the Continental Basketball Association. He moved to the Seattle bureau in 2003 as senior vice president for sales and marketing. He's led the organization since 2005. It has an $11 million budget and staff of 50.
That compares with a $11.2 million budget and 58 staff people in Indianapolis. Welsh comes aboard as Indianapolis attempts to increase its tourism and events prowess with the debut of Lucas Oil Stadium in August and the new midfield airport terminal in October. By late 2010, Indianapolis also will have an expanded convention center and the new 1,600-room convention hotel complex in its arsenal. Indianapolis is a "marketer's dream come true," Welsh said.
More than 100 applicants were screened for the job. Search committee leader and Indiana Pacers executive Jim Morris said Welsh is the right fit. "When he came here to visit, he displayed a genuine passion for our community," Morris said in a statement.
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