HOUSTON
Mike Waterman, a hospitality veteran with more than 26 years in the industry, has been named the new president of the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau and executive vice president of Houston First Corp.
Waterman joins the GHCVB/HFC from Marriott International, where he currently serves as vice president of sales for the Southwest region overseeing 100 properties, including a grouping of Marriott hotels in Los Angeles’ convention district known as L.A. Live. He has held a series of executive positions with Marriott International over the last 14 years and has been promoted five times during that period. Prior to that, he held director positions with Marriott affiliated properties from Chicago to Baltimore since 1993. He officially joins the GHCVB/HFC on May 11.
In his new role, a major focus of Waterman’s responsibility will be to promote the Houston region to the local, state, regional, national and international meetings and leisure markets via effective marketing and sales strategies.
In June 2014, the boards of both HFC and the GHCVB approved a strategic alignment between the two organizations to create a more efficient approach to marketing and selling Houston to tourists and conventions. As part of that agreement, GHCVB employees became employees of HFC while the GHCVB maintained its own board of directors and gained seats on the HFC board.
“We continue to build a strong team to enhance the brand. With his experience as a leader at one of the nation’s premier hospitality companies, Mike brings profound knowledge and talent to that effort,” says Dawn Ullrich, CEO of Houston First.
Waterman earned a BS in hospitality management from the University of New Hampshire. He will be relocating from Southern California with his wife Bridget and 3 boys, age 16, 13 and 11.
Houston First Corporation operates the city’s finest convention and arts facilities to position Houston as a world-class destination. In 2014, Houston First and the Greater Houston Convention & Visitors Bureau aligned their operations to provide a single clear voice for Houston. Houston First owns the Hilton Americas-Houston hotel and manages more than 10 city-owned buildings, plazas and parking facilities. Properties include the George R. Brown Convention Center, Miller Outdoor Theatre, Wortham Center and Jones Hall for the Performing Arts. For more information, visit HoustonFirst.com and VisitHouston.com.
