Palm Beach CVB on a Mission to Recast Region’s Image

Jorge Pesquera, president and CEO of the Palm Beach County Convention & Visitors Bureau in Florida, has faced several challenges since stepping into his role: a distressed economy, problems created by the prior administration and a need to broaden the county’s vacation-related image from an exclusive getaway for the well-to-do.

Pesquera, who spent several years in tourism positions throughout the Caribbean, assumed his Palm Beach post in November 2007, succeeding Warren “Mac” McLaughlin, who had held the post for 19 years but resigned following a scandal in which the bureau’s former controller embezzled $1.6 million.

The new CEO did not catch a break. The economy was beginning to head south in his first months on the job, accounting for a 4.5% drop in hotel occupancy in the county in 2008.

And 2009 has been no better. “This is a challenging year,” Pesquera said. “Group and corporate meetings business has taken a dive. We’ll be down this year in visitor numbers and spending because travelers are trading down in accommodations, spending less and staying a shorter time.”

Add to that Palm Beach County’s image as a premier resort destination, which “presents an even greater challenge in light of the prevailing backlash against corporate excess,” Pesquera said.

But he’s optimistic for 2010. “We will get over this by next year. What we have already set in play at the CVB will work to our advantage now and when we emerge on the other side,” he said.

Pesquera and his team have launched product analyses, research and consumer surveys; restructured sales departments; strengthened the CVB’s website; launched e-marketing campaigns; and identified niche markets.

The county’s tourism, which annually generates an economic impact of $2.8 billion from 4 million visitors as well as Palm Beach County’s image as a vacation getaway for the wealthy had its origins in Henry Flagler, an American railroad tycoon.