USA – Paul Frentsos has been appointed to the newly-created position of Executive VP and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the San Francisco Convention and Visitors Bureau (SFCVB). Frentsos spent the past nine years working for Joie de Vivre Hotels.
Effective from 29 November, Frentsos will report to the SFCVB’s President and CEO, Joe D ' Alessandro. The creation of the new position was developed from the SFCVB's ‘Centennial Plan’, a strategic planning process designed to evaluate the first 100 years of the bureau's work.
In related news, the SFCVB, the City and County of San Francisco, and the San Francisco Tourism Improvement District (SFTID) have begun work on a two-year, US$55m upgrade and renovation of The Moscone Center, with an expected completion date of July 2012.
"Moscone Center has served San Francisco and our meeting customers well for nearly 30 years and we are very excited to give this venerable facility a fairly extensive make-over," said D 'Alessandro. "I'm confident these changes will help us not only maintain our current market share but attract new convention business as well."
The upgrade and renovation work includes new carpet, paint, lighting and ceilings; upgraded lobbies nd kitchen and digital displays and telecom/data cabling upgrades. The centre hopes this upgrade will position it to achieve LEED Silver Certification.
Chairman of the SFTID, Dan Kelleher, said: "A major part of this renovation is incorporating recognisable colors like the Golden Gate Bridge's 'international orange' and integrating the city's iconic images into the buildings' public spaces and meeting rooms."
