GCCVB Names Dan Lincoln President & CEO

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. October 14, 2008

CINCINNATI, OH, March 22, 2006. Daniel M. Lincoln has been named President and Chief Executive Officer of the Greater Cincinnati Convention and Visitors Bureau, following a nationwide search that considered a varied and talented group of candidates. Lincoln succeeds Alan Welch, who will retire following a successful two-year term that saw significant changes and accomplishments. Lincoln's appointment is effective April 17, 2006.

Lincoln, 47, is a national leader with strong hospitality experience and more than two decades of experience in senior management, sales, marketing, communications and strategic planning. He also is a native Cincinnatian who worked with the Greater Cincinnati Convention and Visitors Bureau for eight years in the 1990s before leaving to work for the Baltimore Area Convention and Visitors Association.

Originally from Cincinnati, Lincoln ago founded a consultancy two years ago that provides sales and marketing plan development, competitive analysis, branding and product positioning, community and government relations, and strategic planning to clients in business and hospitality clients in Baltimore and Cincinnati.

Lincoln has served as a consultant for the Greater Cincinnati Convention and Visitors Bureau since September 2005 to develop an 18-month sales and marketing plan to launch the newly expanded and renovated convention center. His plan, now complete, is the working blueprint used by the city's hotels and CVB's sales team as it markets the center. In December, Lincoln was named the bureau's representative to the Cincinnati city manager's RFP committee to select the new convention center management firm, Global Spectrum. The appointment of Global Spectrum heralds a major change in the way the Convention Center is operated and brings about increased efficiencies, greater reliability, and experienced management.

"Dan Lincoln is a high-powered chief executive who has the right combination of industry expertise, vision, passion and the talent necessary to aggressively lead the CVB during this most significant time in our history," said John Taylor, chairman of the Greater Cincinnati Convention and Visitors Bureau Board of Directors and leader of the search committee. "He is the unanimous choice of the selection committee, and he is clearly the right person at the right time to lead the CVB and Cincinnati's convention and hospitality industry to the next level. We couldn't be more excited and we have tremendous confidence in Dan's leadership."

Business experience in Baltimore, Cincinnati and Columbus

Lincoln spent five years with the Baltimore Area Convention and Visitors Association (BACVA), an $8 million organization, serving most recently as Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing. During his five-year tenure, Lincoln oversaw new branding and ad campaigns for Baltimore, which increased bureau-generated visitor spending to more than $231 million annually.

Lincoln led the development of innovative and award-winning programs and partnerships with national corporations such as Amtrak, Southwest Airlines, American Express and the National Aquarium. He began with BACVA in 1998 as Vice President for Tourism and Communications.

For Cincinnati CVB, Lincoln was Vice President for Tourism and Membership from 1990 to 1998. During that time, Lincoln directed marketing, group sales, community relations, publications, and national media efforts, resulting in increased CVB-generated room nights from 35,000 to 189,000. Bureau-generated direct visitor spending was $45 million annually.

Lincoln's professional history includes work as Senior Director of Corporate Communications for Deaconess Hospital in Cincinnati; as Director of Operations and Client Services for Premier Events in Cincinnati; and as Director of Marketing and Public Relations for the Ohio State Fair and Ohio Exposition Center in Columbus, Ohio. He holds a degree in journalism and public relations from The Ohio State University.

"I have a deep respect and appreciation of the historical foundation on which Cincinnati was built, and a vision for the exciting city it will become," Lincoln said. "The success of a fully booked convention center, and the thousands of attendees it will generate, will have a profound impact not only on the vibrancy of our downtown, but on future economic development opportunities. Having lived and worked here, I know the strengths and challenges of this marketplace very well. And having spent time working in competitive cities, I know what it will take to move Cincinnati USA to the top of our competitive set and fill the newly expanded convention center."

The Cinergy Center has undergone a $160 expansion and renovation and will celebrate its official grand opening June 22, 2006. The expanded center gives Cincinnati USA the ability to compete for 75 percent of the nation's existing convention business. Global Spectrum, a professional facilities management firm, was selected last month to oversee operations of the new center. Global Spectrum, the CVB and the City of Cincinnati all agree that the long-term success of the convention center depends on both revenue generation and overall economic impact.