Santa Fe, N.M.
The new director of the Santa Fe Convention and Visitors Bureau knows he's not an expert on all that the city has to offer. As he jumps from meeting to meeting in his second week on the job, Jim Luttjohann faces a steep learning curve. He's greeting hotel owners, museum and gallery directors, and event planners while also trying to get a handle on big topics like the city's international presence.
But Luttjohann—pronounced Lute-yo-han—isn't a Santa Fe novice. He and his partner have had a second home in the city since 2001, and he has visited the city and the region frequently since childhood, he said in an interview.
Luttjohann calls himself a "destination marketer." He believes that helped set him apart from other candidates for the job. His experiences as the tourism director in Ventura, Calif., and his lifetime of visiting Santa Fe, he said, make him a good fit. Luttjohann is taking over the job from interim director Jim Bradbury, who was appointed to the post in April 2011 after Keith Toler resigned. And one measure of success will be in bookings at the Santa Fe Community Convention Center.
The facility that functioned as the convention center for Ventura was operated by state fairgrounds managers rather than the city's tourism division, so administering the 262,000-square-foot convention center in downtown Santa Fe will be a new challenge for Luttjohann. The facility was completed in 2008 but has been underutilized, according to some measures.
Courtesy of The Santa Fe New Mexican
