Dan Lincoln is a national leader with strong hospitality experience and more than two decades of experience in senior management, sales, marketing and communications. He is focused on reinvigorating the region's convention and meetings industry by bringing high volume, high impact groups to Cincinnati USA's newly expanded convention center.
Strengthened internal operations are also a goal for Lincoln, who was named President and Chief Executive Officer in March 2006 following a nationwide search. He is building a sales and marketing team and developing internal work processes that will keep the bureau on a strategic path toward quality sales. He also is deepening ties with local corporate partners to work collectively to establish Cincinnati as a world-class meetings destination.
Lincoln is a native Cincinnatian who worked with the Cincinnati USA CVB, formerly known as the Greater Cincinnati CVB, as Vice President for Tourism and Membership for eight years before leaving to join the Baltimore Area Convention and Visitors Association in 1998. He spent five years in Baltimore, first as Vice President for Tourism and Communications then as Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing. He developed and led new branding and advertising campaigns and established award-winning partnerships with corporations including Amtrak, Southwest Airlines, American Express and the National Aquarium.
He and his wife decided to return to Cincinnati with their new baby to be closer to both their families, and in 2005 Lincoln served as a consultant to the Cincinnati USA CVB to develop and implement an 18-month sales and marketing plan to launch the new convention center. He also represented the bureau on the City Manager's RFP committee to review firms to manage the convention center, a decision that marked a significant change in the way the center is operated.
Previously, Lincoln held positions in marketing, communications and operations with Deaconess Hospital in Cincinnati, Premier Events in Cincinnati, and 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.
Barrie M. Perks, an experienced sales and marketing professional who has held management positions with some of the nation's most recognized hotels in major cities around the world, joined the Cincinnati USA CVB as Vice President of Sales and Services in October 2006.
Perks lived and worked in Cincinnati for 10 years while serving as Director of Marketing for the Westin Hotel in downtown Cincinnati from 1992 to 1997 and as proprietor of the American Pie Café in Harper’s Point from 1997 to 2002.
Perks has led the strategic realignment of the CVB sales team to focus on specific vertical industry market segments rather than geographic regions, as had been done in the past. In 2007, Perk's first full year heading the CVB sales efforts, the team exceeded its room night goal by nearly 10 percent.
Perks implements an aggressive strategic sales and marketing plan to promote the city as a vibrant convention and meetings destination. He works closely with area hotels and convention facilities, and serves as a liaison between the CVB's clients and these facilities. He also develops cooperative programs, familiarization visits and sales missions with the local hospitality industry to effectively market the region, as well as oversees the sales managers and sales budget.
A primary focus area for Perks is creating a cohesive community and stronger relationship between the local hotels and the CVB, where the entities work collectively toward the goal of increased hotel room nights and attracting high volume, high value meetings and conventions to Cincinnati USA.
Perks came to the CVB from the Hilton Los Angeles at Universal City, a 482-room hotel with 60,000 square feet of meeting space. He also has held sales, marketing and management positions with hotels including the Westin Bonaventure in Los Angeles; the Renaissance Hotel in Long Beach; the Portofino Resort and Marina in Redondo Beach; the Biltmore in Los Angeles; Omni Hotels in Houston; Hyatt Hotels in Indianapolis and Chicago; Princess Hotels in Bermuda; and Loews Hotels International in London, England.
Vice President, Marketing and Strategic Development
Julie Calvert is the driving force behind the Cincinnati USA Convention & Visitors Bureau's marketing and communications strategies to promote the region as a sought-after destination. She builds and manages the image of Cincinnati USA as it pertains to the local meetings, conventions and travel and tourism industry. Her communications efforts extend across broad audiences to include member organizations, national and local media, elected officials and governmental offices, the hospitality trade and the general public.
Julie is the chief architect and strategist behind the CVB's "Plan for More" campaign, a multi-media, multi-million dollar national marketing campaign designed to put the region back on the map as a top-tier destination and the bureau's first comprehensive campaign in more than seven years. "Plan for More" is conveyed in the messaging and tone of all CVB sales and marketing materials and extends across every sector of the local hospitality industry from hotels and restaurants to events, attractions, meeting venues and facilities.
In 2006, Julie orchestrated the grand re-opening of the Duke Energy Center following a two-year, $135 million expansion and renovation. She led national communications surrounding the construction and opening events, oversaw the development of communications and collateral materials, and served as a primary liaison between the CVB, the City of Cincinnati, Hamilton County and the local and national hospitality industry.
Since joining the CVB in 2001, Julie's efforts have contributed to quantifiable performance improvements. Hotel room night bookings have increased year over year and in 2007, the CVB exceeded its room night goal by nearly 10 percent. She attracted 150 percent more travel writers to the region in the same one-year period. Her marketing and communications outreach, combined with exciting downtown development, the expanded Duke Energy Center and the opening of major new attractions, have helped Cincinnati USA re-emerge from the challenges brought on by 9-11 and civil unrest as a welcoming, energizing and memorable destination.
Julie's strategic insights, solid contacts with constituent groups, and deep expertise contribute to her success. She oversees the CVB's marketing, public relations, membership and organizational development departments, which includes funding and resource development. A recognized communicator and community leader, Julie has worked closely with top civic and elected officials including the Mayor of Cincinnati, the City Manager, City Council and Hamilton County Commissioners. Before joining the CVB, she worked as a public relations counselor at Dan Pinger Public Relations where she directed communications for local corporations including Fortune 500 companies and high-visibility public works projects along the Cincinnati riverfront, and is a former associate editor for the Greater Cincinnati Business Record, the predecessor to the Cincinnati Business Courier. She also worked as a journalist in Boston and Cleveland.
Julie was named one of the Business Courier's Greater Cincinnati Forty Under 40 and is a former board member of Cincinnati Works, a Cincinnati welfare-to-work initiative. She also volunteers her expertise to local non-profit organizations by providing communications and media relations counsel and media training. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Miami University.
Cindi Flick might be considered the steward of the ship, setting the Cincinnati USA Convention and Visitors Bureau's direction, plotting its course and charting its progress. Or she could be considered a guardian angel, keeping a watchful eye and a steady hand on business matters as she steers the organization. However you look at it, there's no denying Cindi plays an essential role directing the CVB's strategic planning, finance and administration.
Cindi, who joined the bureau in 1999, works closely with President and Chief Executive Officer Dan Lincoln to manage the finances and determine new initiatives going forward. Cindi analyzes the challenges, changes and opportunities facing the industry and the region, and in response makes recommendations and develops long-term strategies for boosting meetings and tourism for the region.
Her professional experience makes her a natural for this role. She draws upon her background in finance to ensure the CVB operates on a sound fiscal basis. One of the aspects Cindi likes most about her job is that it affords her the opportunity to interface with just about every department and every staff member. Her range of responsibilities requires that she stay informed of a variety of issues that have the potential to impact the CVB. She vigilantly stays abreast of industry developments, trends and legislation, and taps into her knowledge base as she makes decisions.
Her administrative duties include taking steps to ensure the CVB's internal office environment is conducive to an efficient workplace. Cindi's team oversees and provides the physical equipment everyone at the CVB needs to do their jobs well the workstations, the computers, the tools, the resources. Her oversight extends beyond providing just the equipment. She also works to help cultivate a healthy, invigorated environment where she and her colleagues can do the best job they can. Cindi takes particular care to see that employees are satisfied and their workplace needs are being met.
Regardless of which area of the business she's focusing on, Cindi keeps an objective oversight on the situation. She listens closely, plans carefully, and makes recommendations. She brings a great volume of energy to the table, but it's a low-key energy not readily evident to those who haven't met her. She has a great deal of resolve, focus and fortitude, and derives satisfaction from getting things done.
Like many of her colleagues at the CVB, Cindi is a lifelong resident of Cincinnati with a love of her hometown and a solid understanding of what makes it tick.
