The Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau (CCTB) has hired Michael Tarr, an 11-year veteran of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) — Chicago's No. 1 competitor — as its new vice president of convention sales, it announced this month.
Tarr, who most recently served as a Chicago-based senior manager in charge of LVCVA's Midwest sales — specializing in the corporate market, with an emphasis on the insurance and financial services verticals — will lead a 19-member team of convention sales reps.
A lifelong Chicagoan, Tarr previously managed the Chicago office of the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau, and has held sales positions with Westin and Hilton Worldwide.
"Mike is an integral part of a new leadership team," said CCTB President Don Welsh, who took the reins of Chicago's tourism organization in February and immediately began assembling his own team of executives. "I've worked with him, and I know he is incredibly talented and results-driven."