Mission Statement
The Tri-Cities Visitor and Convention Bureau serves as the community's catalyst for developing marketing and enhancing tourism and conventions thereby creating positive economic growth for the region. 

The Bureau's goal is economic development through tourism - which is the recruitment of new visitor dollars into our community.  We work year-round as the convention, leisure and recreational promotion organization for the Tri-Cities area.  We recruit new customers for existing business, and we assist tourism businesses with development or expansion into our community.  We work with trade and travel writers to create favorable media coverage of the community and to educate consumers that the Tri-Cities is a great place to live, work play and visit.  And our Rivershore Enhancement Program is working to ensure that new opportunities for economic development exist through shoreline enhancement. 

Executive Administration
Kris Watkins, President and CEO
Kim Shugart, Vice President of Operations
Responsible for executive oversight and administration of all bureau programs including budgeting, funding, finance, personnel, internal operations, governmental affairs, board management and business and public policy implementation.

Marketing & Public Affairs 
Jordan Youngs, Director of Marketing & Public Relations
The Marketing and Public Affairs department uses a broad range of integrated programs designed to support and sustain the local economy through tourism development activities. These include leisure and recreational travel promotion, group tour marketing, media outreach, market research, grant writing, familiarization tours, advertising, promotional campaigns and publicity. This department helps prepare and provide marketing & collateral materials and resource information to media, business members, government agencies, and others who contact the Bureau. This department coordinates publicity for special program and event activities of the Bureau.

Convention & Sports Sales and Services
Gretchen Strother-Guerrero, Director of Sales
Hector Cruz, Sports Development Manager
Allie Moore, Sales Manager
Alex Hedges, Sales Manager
Cathy Adkisson, Sales Administrative Assistant
The Convention Sales & Services Department uses a variety of strategies and programs to "market" the Tri-Cities as an appealing convention destination; working in cooperation with area hotels and facilities to identify and secure prospective conferences and meetings. Department staff conduct sales trips, meeting and sales/industry training, research, and direct-promotion campaigns showcasing Tri-Cities' area facilities and attractions. The Convention Department offers FREE services to assist meeting and convention organizers such as group and individual site inspections, community "FAM" (familiarization) tours, media assistance, and business liaison services. Fluor is the Bureau's corporate partner for Convention Marketing and Development.

Tri-Cities Sports Council
Hector Cruz, Sports Development Manager
The Bureau manages and coordinates the Tri-Cities Sports Council whose mission is to expand existing sports events and solicit new tournaments, and to promote our area as an active, healthy community through recreational endeavors.
 
Group Housing & Services
Katie Trotter, Group Housing & Services Manager
The group housing and services department provides meeting, convention and tournament planners with a variety of services. The department commits its best efforts to ensure a memorable and successful event. To help the planner achieve this endeavor, the department offers free services such as promotional materials, informational literature, local publicity contacts, tour suggestions, calendar of events brochures, and table-top displays. The department works with area lodging facilities to assist visitors in locating guest room availability, provides post-convention reports, and manages the Bureau's online reservation system.

Membership
Michelle Chunn, Community Relations Director
The Bureau's Membership Department produces and distributes the annual Tri-Cities Visitor Guide--a full-color, glossy-stock magazine-style publication which details area attractions and visitor services. The Visitor Guide is distributed through statewide and regional visitor centers, chambers of commerce, hotels, motels, conventions, events, tournaments, and via direct-mail in response to visitor center inquiries. The Membership staff works to maintain and increase community awareness of Bureau objectives, programs and services to foster a broad base of local support for the promotion of conventions and tourism. Our cities, community, members and visitors are kept informed about tourism-related issues through news releases, newsletters, brochures, publications, monthly staff reports and interviews.

Tri-Cities Rivershore Enhancement Council
Kim Shugart, Vice President of Operations
The Bureau manages and coordinates The Tri-Cities Rivershore Enhancement Council (TREC) whose mission is to act as a community catalyst for shoreline enhancement to achieve economic diversification and to improve quality of life. TREC pursues an integrated approach which incorporates land conveyance, master-planning and review, research, pursuit of funding sources and development of marketing materials for linking parks and pathways. Bechtel National, Inc. is the Bureau's corporate partner for Rivershore Enhancement.

The Bureau acts as the community leader for comprehensive planning, promotion and coordination of heritage tourism development activities. Battelle is the Bureau's corporate partner for Heritage Tourism.

Administrative Operations
Heather Kuykendall, Office Manager
Summers Mohondro, Receptionist/Information Specialist
Julie Moore, Office Assistant
The operations staff is responsible for day-to-day administrative functioning of the bureau including: bookkeeping, budgeting and human resource management. Additional responsibilities include staffing, training and maintaining the Visitor Center and airport information kiosks, as well as providing visitor fulfillment services. Updates Calendar of Events listings.