The San Francisco Travel Association has announced the addition of Nicole Rogers as executive vice president/chief sales officer, effective March 1.
In her new position, Rogers will oversee all convention division activities including the development and implementation of sales strategies, citywide group business optimization, long-range sales and marketing of the City and County of San Francisco’s major convention facilities including the Moscone Center.
Rogers is starting in her new role at a pivotal point in time, as the industry is expected to start recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. After a record 1.2 million definite convention room nights booked in 2019, the year 2020 closed on a mere 124,931 convention nights. Cancellations of citywide conventions alone represent an estimated loss in direct spending of more than $922.0 million. Moving forward, the goal is to bring the industry back to pre-pandemic levels by 2024. San Francisco’s Moscone Center, a world class, state-of -the-art convention center, will be a major competitive advantage for the city on the road to recovery.
“The meetings and conventions industry has always been a powerful engine for tourism in San Francisco. As we need to start rebuilding this important segment in 2021, this position is absolutely critical to the success of San Francisco’s tourism industry—and to San Francisco’s economy as a whole,” says San Francisco Travel President and CEO Joe D’Alessandro. “With an extensive background in the area of citywide conventions, Nicole is the perfect fit for this position. She will be a tremendous asset for our team in rebuilding, and growing, our meetings and convention bookings in 2021 and beyond,” he adds.
Rogers has worked with the Marriott organization for the past 20 years. Positions included on-property director of sales & marketing (Marriott Union Square, Marriott Marquis, Marriott Fisherman’s Wharf), area sales leader, market account leader, and account sales leader/regional director – U.S. and Canada.
Rogers moved to the Bay Area in 1988. She started her 30+ years in the hospitality industry with Pier 39’s Blue & Gold Fleet in San Francisco. Other positions included director of sales & marketing for the Cartwright Hotel with the Kimpton group, as well as several years with Embassy Suites/Hilton. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communications from California State University East Bay.
“I’ve been a part of this community for over 30 years and have worked in conjunction with this team to bring business to San Francisco,” says Rogers. “While we are struggling through a difficult time as a nation, I am truly excited by the opportunity to help San Francisco continue to lead the way back and show the world how to safely meet again. And we will do it in a way that is uniquely San Francisco!”
The San Francisco Travel Association is the official destination marketing organization for the City and County of San Francisco. Tourism is San Francisco’s largest industry. More than 25.8 million people visited the destination in 2019, spending in excess of $10 billion. More than 82,500 jobs are supported by tourism in San Francisco. For more info, visit www.sftravel.com
San Francisco is one of the metropolitan areas in the U.S. that has consistently kept COVID-19 largely under control. The COVID-19 Prevention & Enhanced Cleaning Guidelines put forth by the Hotel Council of San Francisco, ensure that their hospitality businesses are adhering to the most elaborate cleaning and safety protocols. San Francisco Travel invites all visitors who are planning to come in 2020 to contribute their part to a safe and enjoyable experience by taking their Safe Travel Pledge. For more info about San Francisco, follow on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter hashtags #sftravel and #AlwaysSF.
