SAN ANTONIO – Visit San Antonio announced today updates to its leadership team as it continues to bolster the city’s convention group sales to increase the positive impact on the local economy. Following a nationwide search, Mario Bass has been selected to return to San Antonio in a newly formed position of Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Office, after serving as Chief Operating Officer at Visit Orlando since January 2023. Additionally, proven strategic sales leader Tyler Orwig has been promoted to Senior Vice President of Group Sales, reporting to Bass upon his arrival on July 1, 2024.
“These strategic placements and decisions will assist us in driving more group sales to our city, increase revenues and programming and continue to elevate our River Walk events and all events for San Antonio,” said Marc Anderson, Visit San Antonio’s President & CEO. “I’m excited to revitalize our leadership team to make a positive impact for our community as we continue tourism and convention growth and evolution.”
“I am thrilled to return to San Antonio and be a part of its incredible growth as a tourism and convention destination,” said Mario Bass, Visit San Antonio’s Executive Vice President & Chief Strategy Officer beginning July 1, 2024. “My decades of experience including my most recent time in Orlando will be instrumental in working with our teams to produce innovative strategies that will grow the billions of dollars of economic impact our tourism industry provides to the San Antonio community.”
Mario Bass – Executive Vice President & Chief Strategy Officer
Bass returns to Visit San Antonio where he had previously served over five years, most recently serving as Chief Sales Officer. In the newly created Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer role, Bass is the second-in-command executive of Visit San Antonio after President and CEO Marc Anderson. Bass will be the management leader for five departments – Destination Sales, Destination Experience, Events, Membership and River Walk Operations – and a major contributor to the overall success of the San Antonio hospitality industry.
Throughout Bass’ more than 25-year career, he has focused on creatively driving results in various leadership roles in markets across Texas, Florida and New York. While at Visit Orlando as Chief Operating Officer, Bass was responsible for oversight of internal operations, leading and implementing Visit Orlando’s strategic initiatives and annual business plans while supporting the company’s mission. When he was previously with Visit San Antonio, Bass achieved the highest annual room night production in the organization’s history; transformed the Destination Services department from a reactive marketplace resource to proactive industry thought leader; and capitalized on post-pandemic emerging business segments with the introduction of a recovery deployment and engagement plan; among many other successes.
Tyler Orwig – Senior Vice President of Sales
Tyler Orwig has been promoted to Senior Vice President of Group Sales. In this evolved role, he will continue directly overseeing a large part of the Visit San Antonio sales team, including the association, for-profit tradeshow and sports markets, as well as help manage the entirety of the Destination Sales department including the corporate market.
Orwig has been a part of the hospitality industry for over 25 years, spending 15 years working with Hyatt Hotels in various properties across the country, as well as been an integral part of Visit San Antonio for more than 10 years. In his tenure with Visit San Antonio, he has been involved in the organizational transition from a City of San Antonio department to a 501c6 entity, helped in the process of creating the San Antonio Tourism Public Improvement District (SATPID), and has been a key leader for the convention sales team over the years.
About Visit San Antonio
Visit San Antonio is a 501(c)6 and serves as the sales and marketing arm of San Antonio as a leading leisure and meetings destination. In 2022, San Antonio welcomed approximately 34.8 million visitors. Hospitality is one of the top five industries in the city, contributing $19 billion to the local economy annually and employing more than 140,000. More information about Visit San Antonio and the city’s vast offerings can be found at VisitSanAntonio.com.
