VisitPITTSBURGH, the official tourism promotion agency for Pittsburgh and Allegheny County, has promoted Derek Dawson to the position of senior director, partnership development.
Dawson joined VisitPITTSBURGH in 2012 as sports & group tour sales manager in the convention sales department. In 2013, he was promoted to sports & group tour sales director and, since 2015, he’s been the development director for SportsPITTSBURGH, the sports development division of VisitPITTSBURGH.
“The engagement we have with our industry and community partners is vital to our efforts of expanding the tourism industry in Allegheny County,” says Jerad Bachar, executive vice president at VisitPITTSBURGH. “Derek brings to the team a well-established network of contacts throughout the tourism industry and a fresh perspective on delivering value to partners. He will be instrumental to the strategic evolution of the partnership division.”
Dawson is responsible for the daily activities of the development team, implementation of the department’s strategy and structure, creation of new and innovative partnership programs and enhancing the department’s contribution to VisitPITTSBURGH’s overall objectives.
Dawson is a graduate of Penn State University with a bachelor’s degree in business management: recreation, park and tourism management. He currently serves on the board of directors for the EQT Three Rivers Regatta and was a 30 under 30 award winner with Destinations International. Dawson is the past president of PA Sports, and currently serves on its executive committee.
VisitPITTSBURGH is the official tourism marketing and promotion agency for Allegheny County. It is dedicated to generating convention, tradeshow, sports events and leisure travel business for the Pittsburgh region. For more info, visit www.visitpittsburgh.com
