Portland CEO Tapped for San Francisco CVB Spot

Portland Oregon Visitors Assn. President and CEO Joe D'Alessandro is returning to his home state of California after being selected as the new president and CEO of the San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau. He will replace John Marks, who is retiring after 19 years.

D'Alessandro said it would be difficult to leave Portland, where he more than doubled annual tourism revenue during his decade heading the visitors association. But at the same time, he is excited about leading the CVB in a city with such a robust convention and tourism business.

"San Francisco is obviously an incredible destination," he said. "It's got a tremendous history in the hospitality community. I'm really looking forward to hitting the ground running and continuing the great tradition."

D'Alessandro, who was contacted by the San Francisco CVB search committee only a month ago, said he and Marks have served together on the boards of the Travel Industry Assn. of America and other tourism groups. They also worked together when D'Alessandro was international program manager for the California Office of Tourism.

"I've known John and respected him for a long time. The legacy he's left is strong," D'Alessandro said.

In particular, Marks is credited with building and expanding Moscone Center, which now hosts seven Tradeshow Week 200 shows. The area around the center has also been improved and developed.

"John really helped to establish it as a top-of-mind convention and tradeshow destination too," D'Alessandro said.

Marks, a San Francisco native and former head of the Phoenix CVB and Scottsdale Chamber of Commerce, plans to retire in Tucson, Ariz., and get his golf handicap back down into the single digits.

"It's been a great 19 years," he said, adding that D'Alessandro "has a background that will be conducive to success."

The San Francisco CVB has 1,700 members, 69 employees and an annual budget of $13.6 million. It has been led by just three CEOs in its century of existence: Marks; the late George Kirkland, who served seven years; and Bob Sullivan, who headed the bureau for 19 years.

The bureau faces one major challenge, however. In late 2004, one of the city's strongest tourism years was disrupted by a hotel strike. The dispute affected 14 downtown hotels and led to a boycott that caused at least eight groups to cancel their conventions.

D'Alessandro said he hopes "that the situation can be resolved in a productive way." He plans to get together with partners and staffs when he takes the helm in early July to figure out the city's strengths and weaknesses.

Meanwhile, the Portland authority has already formed a search committee to identify his replacement. D'Alessandro doesn't expect there to be any shortage of candidates.

Before joining the Portland tourism association, D'Alessandro served as executive director of the Oregon Tourism Commission. Last month he was the recipient of the 2005 Governor's Tourism Award. The Sacramento, Calif., native was knighted by the Portuguese President Mario Soares in 1989.