Messages from the President & Board Chair

Message from the President & CEO

First, a heartfelt thank you to the dedicated and committed members of the Visit Jackson Board of Directors; their support and direction during the past year has been the foundation of your destination leadership organization’s (DLOs) growth. I would also like to thank members of our Advisory Committees and those stakeholders that participated in focus groups and surveys. Your involvement has helped us execute and complete a true strategic planning process that will lead us into the future. Collective ambition will undergird our united successes.

Typically, annual reports are documents submitted to government agencies to help keep records of corporate activity and agency modifications. You will note that our FY2019 Annual Report varies from previous Visit Jackson annual reports. This report will focus on highlights from last year’s goals, our activities, key performance indicators, and value propositions.

Fiscal 2019 was a year steeped in adjusting our practices to embrace industry best-practices better, solidify our positioning, and value to stakeholders. As we move forward, you will note a higher focus on research analytics and a formal introduction of our community shared value strategy and tourism lexicon work. I believe that what gets measured, gets done. With that in mind, we were proud to have implemented the industry standard Event Impact Calculator (EIC) this past year.

This report represents significant growth. Our Board and strategic plan have established our goals for the next five-years. While the impact of environmental conditions will influence some sense of fluidity, our sights are set on supporting a Tourism Industry that is destined for evolution.

Rickey L. Thigpen, MSL President & CEO Visit Jackson

Message from the Board Chair

Fiscal 2019 was a record year for Tourism Economic Vitality in Jackson, Mississippi.

The Visit Jackson Board spent the better part of FY2018 developing a new strategic direction for Jackson’s destination leadership organization. This retrospective preparation has established a launchpad for FY2019 that welcomed new agency leadership coupled with an opportunity for me to serve as Board Chair. This practically new Board encompasses new talent, new goals, new strategies, a new culture, and attitude.

I am proud of the accomplishments that our collective resources have realized in such a short timeframe. While ever-changing external environmental forces will require our Board’s lens to be insightful and fluid, the commitment of this governing authority provides a broad bandwidth that will prepare us for future challenges.

As you examine the pages of this report, I hope that you join me in the pride associated with being a Jacksonian and a new realization of the potential of the tourism product of “MY CITY.” On behalf of the entire Visit Jackson Board of Directors, thank you for your engagement and support of our hospitality industry.

Carol Burger Board Chair Visit Jackson