NYC & Co.'s Nicholas Plans Departure
By Rachelle Crum -- Tradeshow Week, 9/25/2006
NYC & Co. President and CEO Cristyne Nicholas led the city's $24 billion tourism industry to record growth following Sept. 11 and was a force in obtaining final approval for the long-awaited Jacob K. Javits Convention Center expansion. Now, after seven years at the helm, she's ready to move on.
"I made this decision with great pride and a profound sense of accomplishment, knowing that the goals set forth seven years ago have been achieved and exceeded," Nicholas said.
She announced her decision to resign Sept. 8, after notifying New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg of her plans. Subsequently, Bloomberg asked Nicholas to remain with the bureau through the year's end to assure a smooth transition.
A NYC & Co. spokeswoman said the group would make an announcement in the coming weeks about organizational changes, including senior leadership positions. In June the mayor said he was integrating NYC & Co., NYC Big Events and NYC Marketing into one organization.
Nicholas told Tradeshow Week that the timing of her departure was "open," and that she may stay on board through the first quarter of 2007. She said seeing the Javits expansion get off the ground is a key reason for staying on a bit longer.
Nicholas said she was "not quite ready to discuss" any future career plans, noting that she would like to continue to work on "anything where I think I could make a difference."
NYC & Co., she said, has "created a difference for all New Yorkers."
After Sept. 11, Nicholas was determined to strengthen the city's tradeshow business. She led NYC & Co. to make personal pleas to many groups to bring their events to New York. She acknowledged a few organizations that announced almost immediately that they would return, including the World Economic Forum (which took place in January 2002) and the American Bus Assn. (its American Bus Marketplace in 2004).
"These (events) were attended by key stakeholders" that drove more business to New York post-Sept. 11, she said.
In December 2001, Nicholas requested additional marketing dollars for the bureau and urged the state legislature to approve an immediate expansion of the Javits center. During that time NYC & Co. also strived to bring greater focus and support to annual Javits shows, such as the American Intl. Toy Fair, New York Natl. Boat Show and the New York Intl. Auto Show, she said, and introduced a street pole banner campaign for Javits shows to help welcome attendees to the city.
Nicholas said she was hopeful that the Javits expansion groundbreaking would start before the end of the year. "I'm told (it will be) soon," she said. "We're keeping the pressure on."
Last month's request by Bloomberg and U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer to build an additional expansion of the Javits at the same time as the approved Phase I expansion is still under consideration, Nicholas added.
"It would make sense to do Phase II of the expansion as quickly as possible," she said. "But we cannot afford to have any disruption" for shows.
Ken McAvoy, senior vice president of Reed Exhibitions, which next month will hold its Intl. Security Conference East and Infosecurity Conference & Exhibition at the Javits center, said, "Christyne's advocacy and hard work, alongside Jonathan Tisch (NYC & Co. chairman), in achieving the long overdue expansion of the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, will be one of her greatest legacies."
Britton Jones, president and CEO of Business Journals, another regular Javits customer, said he has been impressed with Nicholas' fervent efforts to expand the venue.
"I admire her role in helping to champion that cause," he said. In statements, Bloomberg and Tisch said they were appreciative of Nicholas' service.
"Cristyne Nicholas is owed a debt of gratitude for her exemplary service to the city of New York and for consistently being a strong voice for the city's tourism industry," Bloomberg said, adding that the bureau's achievements led to his administration's decision to invest $15 million annually for new tourism marketing efforts with the goal of welcoming 50 million visitors by 2015. The bureau estimates that the number of total visitors to New York will increase to a record 44.4 million this year, up from 42.6 million last year and 35.3 million in 2002.
Tisch, chairman and CEO of Loews Hotels, called Nicholas "an innovative and creative professional who helped build NYC & Co. into an organization of which our members, board of directors and our city can all be proud."
He added, "Thanks to the foundation she has put in place, NYC & Co. is poised to achieve even greater heights in the future."
Other initiatives Nicholas spearheaded for NYC & Co. include the creation of the city's first-ever consumer television advertising campaign and new citywide seasonal tourism promotions. Since her appointment, she has grown the bureau's membership by 62 percent to a current roster of 1,900 organizations from the five New York boroughs.
Additionally, Nicholas led the city's international tourism efforts, which included opening new sales offices in Italy, France and Ireland and expanding marketing efforts in Asia, Germany, Latin America and the United Kingdom. Through marketing partnerships with national corporations like American Express, the Coca-Cola Co. and Merrill Lynch, Nicholas more than doubled private-sector revenue to the bureau.
The Hospitality Sales and Marketing Assn. Intl.'s Big Apple Chapter this year selected her as Professional of the Year.
Nicholas, a Brooklyn, N.Y., native and Rutgers University graduate, was former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani's director of communications and acting chief of staff before moving to NYC & Co.
As for whether Nicholas will remain in New York, she said, "I hope so."
