The Monterey County Convention & Visitors Bureau has named John McMahon to the permanent post of President and CEO for the countywide destination marketing organization. McMahon, who had been serving as interim director since July, was awarded the position by a unanimous vote at the organization's September board meeting.

"We're very excited to have someone of John's caliber join our organization," stated Robert DeVoe, general manager of the Doubletree Hotel and current MCCVB Board chairman. "His tourism experience is going to be of great assistance to the entire community."

In just a few months, McMahon has taken the reigns to reengineer the MCCVB into a stronger, more effective marketing organization serving all members and tourism-related businesses throughout the county. His plans include focusing on building a strong brand presence, increasing market share, forming strategic alliances with corporate entities, and developing new revenue streams to help better fund the bureau.

With the travel industry still recovering from a series of setbacks in the past two years, McMahon acknowledges that the task ahead is not an easy one. But, he is already working on developing a research-based and strategically-focused marketing plan to help rebuild tourism business throughout the county.

"Given the competitive environment of tourism in the U.S. today, there is a tremendous need for the MCCVB to build a more impactful, yet cost efficient countywide marketing effort." said McMahon. "Our primary objective is to grow market share and increase tourism-related revenue to the community. To accomplish this, the bureau will become more entrepreneurial in its approach and build better bridges to our stakeholders."

Already, McMahon has been spearheading several county-initiated "Competitive Cluster" meetings focused on tourism, bringing together individuals representing various aspects of the hospitality industry. One committee member, Gill Campbell, General Manager of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca comments, "We at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca are anticipating great things to come out of the Monterey County Convention and Visitor Center with a leader possessing the background and enthusiasm of John McMahon. I believe that there will be an enhanced partnership with the industry as a whole."

Principal Administrative Analyst of Monterey County's Office of Economic Development, Mary Claypool, states "John is a great fit for the MCCVB because of his experience and knowledge of tourism promotion, and his experience developing co-op programs that involve both the public and private sectors." Monterey County, along with the cities of Monterey, Seaside and Marina and a broad base of hospitality members, help provide the funds that drive the $2.3 million marketing organization.

Tourism is the second largest industry in the county (and the largest on the Monterey Peninsula), generating approximately $2.9 billion into the local economy and sustaining 24,000 jobs for local residents with annual earnings of $600 million.

Raised in Aspen, Colorado, McMahon brings nearly 20 years of experience in destination marketing and hospitality. McMahon was the Chief of Marketing and a Deputy Director for California State Parks. Additionally, he headed up Corporate and Brand Marketing positions at Vail, Breckenridge, Keystone, Beaver Creek, and Loveland Ski Resorts. He also co-founded Z-Sport with former Coca-Cola marketing icon Sergio Zyman to spearhead the development of the umbrella marketing strategy for the U.S. Ski Industry. McMahon currently serves as a marketing committee member for the California Travel and Tourism Commission, and is involved with several other tourism associations.

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Media Contact: Julie Armstrong +1 831-657-6405 julie@mccvb.org