Executive Director, Greenbrier County CVB
Tell us your career path.
I am a rare breed; I am someone who does for a living what I always said I would do when I grew up. I completed my Bachelor of Science in Travel Industry Management. I was fortunate to land my first job out of college working in my field at the Southern West Virginia CVB.
Gaining a variety of experiences working for specific attractions, I worked as a marketing assistant for the Knoxville Symphony Society, and Area Promotion Manager for Louise Mandrell at her theatre in Pigeon Forge. These experiences eventually led me to the Park Vista Resort, where I served as Sales Manager. I found the opportunity to further my career joining the Gatlinburg Department of Tourism and Convention Center as its Sales Manager. The next six years I was lucky enough to have had a boss who gave me opportunities to learn and grow by promoting me twice.
In the fall of 2006, I had the opportunity to attain one of my personal goals when the Executive Director position for the Greenbrier County Convention & Visitors Bureau became available. It was an opportunity to manage one of the largest CVBs in the state of West Virginia, return home to the area where I grew up and promote a wonderful, beautiful place. I have been here since February 2007.
What is your organization?
The Greenbrier County Convention and Visitors is a relatively young CVB, established in 2001 and born out of the Lewisburg CVB. We represent the entire County including the municipalities of White Sulphur Springs, Lewisburg, Rainelle and Alderson.
What is your organization's biggest asset/tourist attraction/event?
While tourism is vital to Greenbrier County with more than 15 percent of the total workforce in the county dedicated to the industry, a significant portion of those industry jobs are found at The Greenbrier. A destination of discriminating travelers since 1778, The Greenbrier is an award-winning resort which is also designated as a National Historic Landmark. With more than 50 recreational activities including three championship golf courses, and the resort’s 40,000 square-foot Spa, The Greenbrier is indeed the biggest asset to Greenbrier County.
What is the most challenging aspect of your work?
Not having a crystal ball to help me anticipate and predict what’s next! The opportunity to plan for unexpected issues which will adversely impact the industry would be appreciated!
How is your organization interacting with green tourism?
We are blessed to be home to an area that has been “green” before it was popular. Truly, many of our tourism business practice sustainable tourism as they have for years. Several locally-owned restaurants buy their meat and vegetables in the Greenbrier Valley. As a CVB, we are doing what we can to push visitors to our web site to download our interactive guide, rather than requesting the printed piece.
What trends are you following?
The economy has presented opportunities to evaluate ways to best speak directly to those visitors who want to know more about the Greenbrier Valley. To do this effectively, we have found tremendous success targeting a more regional market through social media (Facebook and Twitter) and speaking directly to our audience via e-mail correspondence. Recently, we conducted a spring campaign focusing on a 100 mile radius and saw an immediate jump in our visitation to our web site and our visitors’ center.
How do you measure success?
Success in this industry is always tracked by “heads in beds.” We fully engage our industry so we would also measure success by being seen by our tourism partners, and the community as a whole, as a valuable asset and partner in promoting economic development in the County. Whether it’s funding a new festival through our mini-grant program, helping a partner write a press release, or awarding a local worker a Hospitality Star pin, we have to be seen as part of what we are promoting. As our partners succeed, so, too, do we.
Why did you join STS?
Southeast Tourism Society is an organization that affords me the opportunity to network with friends throughout the Southeast. There is much value in being able to pick up the phone and call another CVB executive that may have some advice on how they dealt with an issue that I may be having. It’s also a great place to get great ideas. The conferences help to keep me up to date with what is going on as an industry as a whole and Marketing College is a program that should be envied by every region in the country.
Advice you’d give to someone new to tourism?
There are three things that I think are key to being a success in the tourism industry.
First, you have to be a people person. Everything we do is about providing an experience to people and that’s what needs to drive everything we do. Tourism is undoubtedly a team sport; playing well with others is vital to making your organization a success.
Second, you have to be motivated. There is no “how to” manual. You have to dig in, pay attention, and always be willing to learn and improve.
Third is a willingness to change and embrace new opportunities. Change can be a scary (and even dirty word), but you have to embrace it. This industry is in a constant state of evolution as we are impacted the way we market, the way our visitors respond to us and now, having a dialogue with our guests that has not previously existed.
When I began in this industry, the internet was a novelty that very few people had access to. Today, our prospective visitors can engage each other about the good, and the bad, about a destination.
What are your three favorite songs of all time?
“Be Still My Beating Heart” by Sting
“Brown Eyed Girl” by Van Morrison
“You Are My Sunshine”
You may reach Bennish Brown at kdense@greenbrierwv.com.
For more information http://www.greenbrierwv.com.