Gretchen Hall is the new president and CEO of the Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau.

President and CEO announced for Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau Local candidate Gretchen Hall selected as new Little Rock tourism leader following final round of interviews May 13, 2011

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Little Rocks’ Advertising and Promotion Commission announced that Gretchen Hall has been selected as the new president and chief executive officer of the Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The commission, with the assistance of a Qualification Committee comprising nine citizen leaders, conducted a four-month national search. The final candidate pool included industry veterans from around the country and a former city director.

“The commission felt we had four outstanding and qualified candidates to choose from,” said Philip Tappan, commission chairman. “After months of working on this entire process and recently interviewing each of the candidates, we as a commission feel that Gretchen possesses the talents, vision and drive that are ideal for moving this bureau forward quickly. She has done an excellent job as co-CEO during this interim period.”

Hall came to the Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau in 2001 and has experience in both the operations and marketing sectors. Formally the director of merchandising and communications, she is a member of Destination Marketing Association International, Southeast Tourism Society, the Arkansas Press Association, North American Travel Journalist Association, Skål International, US Travel’s Communication Committee, Public Relations Society of America and the Lyon College President's Council.

She is the president of the Heart of Arkansas Co-Op Marketing Association and a board member of Downtown Little Rock Partnership, Riverfest Inc. as well as the Arkansas River Cities Sports Commission.

Hall earned a bachelor of arts degree from Lyon College and a master's degree in business administration from the University of Arkansas Little Rock. She is a Certified Meeting Professional and Certified Destination Management Executive.

“First, I would like to express my gratitude to our A&P Commission for this wonderful opportunity and the entire staff at LRCVB for their support and dedication during this interim period,” Hall said in a statement. “I am very excited at the opportunity to lead this bureau. Little Rock’s growth and expansion over the past eight to ten years has been phenomenal; I look forward to building on that momentum and truly feel that our city, as a tourist and meeting destination, is on the verge of our best years.”

The president and CEO of the Convention and Visitors Bureau is directly employed by the Advertising and Promotion Commission and is responsible for direct sales and marketing efforts, the management of daily operations for the Bureau, management of the convention and parking facilities and implementation of the policies and procedures set forth by the commission. 

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