Jay Burress (pictured right), president and CEO, Visit Anaheim has been selected as Orange County Business Journal’s 2018 Business Person of the Year in Hospitality. The OCBJ Business People of the Year list honored eight esteemed members of the community in the following areas: real estate, finance, technology, healthcare, retail, marketing and hospitality. Honorees include top executives as real estate mogul Donald Bren and the chief marketing officer at Taco Bell, Marisa Thalberg.
Jay Buress is heading into his fifth year at the helm of Visit Anaheim, the largest destination organization in the county. Since joining Visit Anaheim, the destination has reaped four record-breaking visitation years in a row. A champion for tourism progression for the city, Burress has also been instrumental in helping to push key tourism initiatives forward. From four-diamond hotel development incentives and the construction of the Anaheim Convention Center’s seventh expansion to forming Sports Anaheim, the amateur sporting event arm of the organization and Synchronicities, a three-city partnership where conventions rotate between Anaheim, Baltimore and San Antonio.
Beginning his career in 1988, Burress has dedicated his career to travel and tourism. He enjoys his seat serving on industry boards including CalTravel, Visit California, Destination International, Anaheim Transportation Network and serves as Orange County Visitor Association’s chairman. Burress was also hailed as Orange County Business Journal’s 2017 Hospitality Person to Watch.
For more info, visit www.visitanaheim.org
