Davenport out, Pigott in at Lee VCB
Fort Myers Beach Chamber of Commerce President John Albion has worked in both the private and public sectors of business. He can understand why Lee County Visitor Convention Bureau Executive Director Suya Davenport chose to resign from her position and return to the private sector. He also believes her successor -interim director Tamara Pigott- will be very suited for the job.
“Suya walked into a situation where there were significant changes taking place in the convention bureau just prior to her getting there,” said Albion. “She had to absorb that and an incredibly weakened economy. I’ve had plenty of times to talk with her either from her coming to a chamber function to speak or my going to tourist development council meetings.”
Albion went on to say he doesn’t remember Suya working in the public sector before the VCB job.
“I knew she came from and did well in the private sector,” he said. “I was in the private sector. Basically, there can be some yearnings to get back into it.”
Davenport, whose resignation is effective Thursday, Dec. 10, joined the VCB in June 2007 with more than 20 years of tourism marketing experience, including work in both the leisure and meetings sectors and some of the world’s most respected service providers such as The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company and LXR Luxury Resorts. At the VCB, she oversaw a budget of $11.7 million and 24 employees, including sales offices in Washington, D.C., Minneapolis, Minn., the United Kingdom and Germany as well as representation in France.
In the last fiscal year of her tenure, which ended Sept. 30, visitation for the destination was up 1.5 percent year-over-year, and visitor expenditures were on par with fiscal year 2007-2008, with a slight dip of 0.2 percent. Available room nights were up 3.2 percent; and occupied room nights were up 4.2 percent, leading to occupancy rates just slightly higher than the same period last year. Average length of stay also increased 4.6 percent.
In a prepared statement, Davenport said: “Thanks to teamwork between the VCB staff and our industry partners, our most recent tourism numbers are stellar in light of the economic times that have taken a toll on the travel industry. Southwest Florida has been my home for more than 25 years, and I have a great passion for this destination and deep ties to the community, so I’m particularly thrilled to have held our numbers in these tough times. It’s time for me to return to my professional roots. I look forward to making similar contributions upon returning to the private sector. I’ve made major contributions to the VCB in the two and a half years I’ve been on board, and I’ve found in this experience that my heart really lies in the private sector.”
Lee County Manager Karen Hawes said a search for Davenport’s successor will commence immediately and that she hopes to have a new director in place by March 1, 2010. In the meantime, Hawes named VCB Deputy Director Tamara Pigott as interim director.
“Suya did a great job in very difficult economic times,” said Hawes. “She is a true professional. Tam has been the Deputy Director for three years and prior in the fiscal area of VCB. She has the knowledge and leadership skills to continue until a new director is found. We will be doing a national search. I’m unsure if Tam is considering applying.”
Albion has worked with Pigott in both private and public sectors mostly with the beach re-nourishment projects throughout the years.
“She is someone that I’ve been very comfortable to be able to rely upon,” he said. “If we had concerns about red tide before sand sculpting, I would call Tamara. If I had questions about some of the nuances or situations on re-nourishment as well as the impact with the Red Sox stadium, I could speak to Tamara about that. I feel very confident about Tamara’s abilities. She will have a different familiarity with the position.
“She is very down to earth and speaks to you straight. On issues she doesn’t know, she will tell you that she doesn’t know. I respect that. If you need information, she can either give it to you or find out the information. What more can you ask for?”
Lee County VCB earned top tourism marketing honors in the nation in September, with a Destiny Award from the U.S. Travel Association in the “Complete Marketing Program/Full Campaign” category. It is the fifth time the VCB has earned recognition in the prestigious awards competition, and the organization is the only one in the country that has won more than two Destiny Awards. The coveted award came on the heels of the VCB’s earning state honors with a Flagler Award from VISIT FLORIDA in August.
“They’ve done a very hard job with a great deal of effort and, what I would say, with about as much success as anyone around the state,” Albion said about the local VCB. “The only area that has done better is Miami because they have more international acceptance and are more of an international destination for travel. They had that to their advantage. Outside of that area, if you look at the numbers, they have done as well as anyone in spite of the economic decline. Both Suya and Tamara deserve their share of the credit.”
Lee VCB announces new tourism education manager
The Lee County Visitor & Convention Bureau welcomes new staff member Christine Davlin as tourism education manager.
Davlin’s primary function will be to develop and implement various hospitality and educational training programs to benefit tourism industry personnel. Other core responsibilities will be to identify and provide training in customer service trends and techniques, tourism professional development programming needs, and destination awareness education. The position will also include the development and implementation of a hospitality certification credentialing program for tourism industry workers, as well as the coordination of the VCB’s customer service recognition program.
Davlin’s most recent professional experience was as owner/training consultant of align, llc, a business focusing on customized employee and management skill education. Among the firm’s high profile successes was a guest service campaign for Dolphin Stadium in Miami and a “compassionate service” initiative for employees of a retirement community in Naples. She worked 20 years in the upscale resort industry, including 12 years in guest service operations. Davlin then entered the human resources arena, ultimately becoming a corporate trainer. Furthermore, she traveled internationally to assist organizations with their staffing needs through the various visa programs. The Baltimore native and 33-year southwest Florida resident has a proven track record in the assessment of organizational needs, resulting in the creation and facilitation of tailored training programs.