Nevada State Tourism Official Named 'Top 25 Extraordinary Mind' in Marketing

Claudia Vecchio, director of the Nevada Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, has been named one of the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association Internationals Top 25 Extraordinary Minds.


CARSON CITY, N.V. — In a January press release to members of The Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI), Claudia Vecchio, director of the Nevada Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, was named one of the organization’s Top 25 Extraordinary Minds in Hospitality Sales, Marketing and Revenue Optimization.

HSMAI is an international, professional organization for more than 7,000 members working in hospitality and tourism, and serves as the industry’s leading advocate for sustainable hotel revenue growth. Now in its 12th year, the “Top 25” list is annually compiled to highlight those who have made a sizeable contribution to the hospitality and tourism industries, honoring some of the world’s most influential leaders. Recipients were selected by a panel of senior industry executives based on recent work meeting the following criteria: creativity and innovation; cutting-edge sales or marketing campaigns; triumph in challenging situations; and sales efforts that resulted in dramatic gains.

Vecchio’s experience in the destination marketing industry, including her launch of Travel Nevada’s Don’t Fence Me In campaign and year-over-year increase in return on marketing investment for the Silver State, contributed to her achieving this recognition.

“This award is yet another testament to the steady growth and leadership Claudia has brought to Nevada’s tourism industry,” Lt. Gov. Mark Hutchison, chairman of the Nevada Commission on Tourism, said.

This is the second destination marketing award Vecchio has received this year. She was also recently awarded Travel and Tourism Research Association’s 2015 J. Desmond Slattery Professional Marketing Award.

Vecchio and the other Top 25 Extraordinary Minds will be recognized on Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2016, in New York City at HSMAI’s Adrian Awards Gala. For more information on Nevada marketing efforts, visit TravelNevada.com.

EDITORS: For a photo of Claudia Vecchio, click here.

-end-

The Nevada Division of Tourism (Travel Nevada) is part of the Nevada Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs. It promotes and markets Nevada as a tourism destination for domestic and international leisure and business travelers through its marketing and advertising programs and by coordinating partnerships between public and private entities. Travel Nevada also administers grant programs for local entities to market travel and tourism offerings and publishes Nevada Magazine.