San Antonio CVB Director Steps Down

By Rachelle Crum -- Tradeshow Week, 6/6/2005

Melvin Tennant has resigned from his position as executive director of the San Antonio Convention & Visitors Bureau. Tennant, who is also the current chairman of the Intl. Assn. of Convention & Visitor Bureaus, cited personal reasons for his May 19 resignation, although local news reports claim that an improper relationship with a subordinate was to blame.

The San Antonio bureau's assistant executive director, Janis Schmees, is serving as acting director. According to Roland Lozano, assistant to the city manager, Schmees informed him of Tennant's alleged misconduct, sparking a three-day review, during which Tennant was placed on paid administrative leave, before submitting his resignation. The bureau is a department of the city of San Antonio. Tennant's annual salary when he left the bureau was $149,711, according to city records.

"I'm just trying to look at the future and not at the past," said Schmees, a former president and CEO of the Hershey (Pa.) Capital Regional Visitors Bureau, who began working for the San Antonio CVB in September. One of Schmees' main objectives is to "make sure that the staff is staying focused. I'm just here to step in and do what we need to do right now." Schmees' salary as acting director stands at $122,298, 10 percent higher than her assistant executive director salary.

The bureau is currently outlining a five-year strategic plan dubbed Destination: San Antonio. The plan, to be rolled out in September, will include a repositioned brand for the bureau, said Schmees, who also previously served as director of sales for the Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Lozano called the bureau's management change a "speed bump." Although the city is currently searching for a permanent replacement, officials "want to let the dust settle" before picking one, he added.

Tennant will remain IACVB chairman until his one-year term expires in August, said Maura Nelson, vice president of marketing and communications for the Washington, D.C.-based group, as IACVB's "bylaws provide for transitional periods in CVB professionals' careers up to six months."

IACVB's current vice chairman, Sydney (Australia) Convention & Visitors Bureau Managing Director Jon Hutchison, will move into the role of chairman as planned during the IACVB Annual Convention Aug. 3–6 at the Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego.

Several of Tennant's current and former colleagues said they were surprised by his resignation, stating that he has been an asset to the tourism industry throughout his career. Tennant, an IACVB member since 1988, served on its board of directors for three years, was vice chair of the group's education committee and chair of the consulting operations committee.

Tennant has also served as president of the Oakland (Calif.) Convention & Visitors Bureau, Visit Charlotte (N.C.), the Convention & Visitors Bureau, and the North Carolina Assn. of Convention & Visitor Bureaus; as associate director of the Irving (Texas) Convention & Visitors Bureau; and a convention sales director for the Corpus Christi (Texas) Convention & Visitors Bureau. He is also a current member of Meeting Professionals Intl.'s Multicultural Initiative Committee.

Michael Sawaya, director of convention facilities for the city of San Antonio, said Tennant's departure was "not something that anyone would have wanted to happen."

However, Sawaya added, "Even though he left early, (Tennant) left a legacy of change that's going to continue." In his two years at the bureau, Tennant streamlined its operations, Sawaya said, and together the two initiated the soon-to-be completed strategic plan for the city's $7 billion tourism industry. "Melvin did a lot of good things here," Sawaya said.

Visit Charlotte Executive Director Mike Butts, who worked closely with Tennant for five years at the North Carolina bureau, said he had "a very positive experience" with Tennant and was also shocked by the reported allegations. "He was very professional," Butts said.

During Tennant's 11 years at Visit Charlotte, he realigned its partnership program and expanded its tourism division, Butts noted. "He was well known as a leader in the industry and a leader in the community."

In her new post, Schmees "shouldn't miss a beat," Sawaya said, because she's worked closely with Tennant during his tenure at the bureau. "She will insert herself into a direct sales leadership role," he added. "She's going to hit the ground running over there."

One of the city's new developments, a proposed 1,000-room Hyatt convention center hotel adjacent to the city's Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, is scheduled for a June 10 groundbreaking.

Tennant could not be reached for comment.

Several CVB officials' improprieties have led to their demise over the last few years, including former Denver Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau President and CEO Eugene Dilbeck, who was ousted after a TV news crew spotted staff members at a bureau event at a strip club.