Today, the meetings industry is mourning a longtime friend and advocate: Gary Sain, president and CEO of Visit Orlando, died "suddenly and unexpectedly" on Friday evening at the age of 61, according to Visit Orlando, which announced Sain's passing over the weekend. The cause of death has not yet been reported.
"Gary was a loving son, husband and father. Our thoughts go out to the people he most cherished, Gary's mother Elizabeth Sain, wife Pam and daughters Vanessa Sain-Dieguez (Luis) and Olivia," Visit Orlando Chairman Paul Tang said in an email. "As the leader of Visit Orlando, Gary served as our community's brand ambassador working tirelessly on behalf of Orlando and the entire travel and tourism industry. He spent his entire career working in hospitality and was honored numerous times for his contributions. The Visit Orlando team, our destination partners and our community have lost a wonderful leader and friend. He will truly be missed by all that knew him."
Visit Orlando's executive committee reportedly met late Saturday to discuss interim management of the organization, although the outcomes of that meeting have not yet been announced.
"This is a great personal loss and I extend my sympathy to Gary's family, friends and the entire community," Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs said in a statement. "Gary's leadership leaves Visit Orlando in a strong position to carry on his vision to promote Orlando/Orange County as the world's top tourist destination and a wonderful place to meet and conduct business. Thanks to the solid team Gary put in place, I have total confidence that Visit Orlando will continue to fulfill that mission."
Sain, who joined Visit Orlando in 2007, is credited with Orlando reaching a record of 51.5 million visitors in 2010 — making it the first U.S. destination to surpass the 50-million-visitor milestone. His career spanned more than 30 years. Prior to joining Visit Orlando he spent eight years as executive vice president, chief marketing officer and partner of travel marketing firm Yesawich, Pepperdine, Brown & Russell, which later became Y Partnership and is now known as MMGY Global. Before that, he served at various points as executive vice president of sales and marketing for GES Exposition Services; senior vice president of sales, marketing and passenger services for Premier Cruise Line, a.k.a. The Big Red Boat; and assistant vice president of sales for Hyatt Hotels Corp.
Sain was a regular and trusted resource for Successful Meetings magazine, who most recently interviewed him for its April 2012 issue. During his conversation with Successful Meetings Senior Editor Leo Jakobson, his love for Orlando was present in full force.
"We had a very good year last year — probably the top year we have had as far as attendance — close to 1.2 million attendees," Sain said. "And we think this year has the potential to do more."