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Recognizing and acknowledging Jack Ferguson for his leadership and accomplishments as President & CEO of the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau, and for his exemplary contribution to Philadelphia’s hospitality & tourism industry.
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WHEREAS, Since his appointment as President and CEO in 2011, Jack Ferguson has led the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau (PHLCVB), the sales and marketing arm for the Pennsylvania Convention Center, which is responsible for booking meetings and conventions into member hotels and the expanded Pennsylvania Convention Center, which is the 14th largest in the U.S., and serves as the global marketing arm for the City of Philadelphia, which generated $578 million for Philadelphia’s economy from overseas visitors in 2014 alone; and
WHEREAS, Ferguson joined the PHLCVB as senior vice president, serving in that position from 2003 to 2009 before being promoted to executive vice president, a position in which he oversaw the PHLCVB’s convention sales and services divisions, promoted Philadelphia as a world-class city of choice, worked closely with business development efforts in life sciences, sports and multicultural markets, and focused on emerging opportunities to raise the ranking of Philadelphia as an international visitor destination; and
WHEREAS, In his tenure at the PHLCVB, Ferguson has overseen $13.7 billion of economic impact from conventions booked, growth in overseas visitation, including 620,000 visitors in 2014 alone, and was instrumental in the expansion of the Convention Center, which allows the PHLCVB to book large citywide conventions, multiple conventions simultaneously and prestigious global trade shows. His work supports the 242,000 hospitality jobs in the region; and
WHEREAS, Currently, Ferguson also serves on the boards of U.S. Travel, Destination Marketing Association International, Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, Jefferson School of Nursing, Mayor’s Philadelphia International Airport Advisory Board, the Mayor’s Hospitality Advisory Board and International Committee, Temple University’s School of Tourism & Hospitality Management, Widener University’s School of Hospitality, and the African American Museum in Philadelphia, in addition to the Brand USA Business Development Advisory Committee; and
WHEREAS, Prior to joining the PHLCVB, Ferguson’s career included heading national and international sales staffs of 2,200 sales people for such companies as Promus Hotel Corp., Doubletree Hotels and Guest Quarters Suite Hotels; serving as senior vice president and partner of LearnSystem, which gave hundreds of thousands employed in the hospitality industry the ability to improve job performance and customer service skills via web-based training and evaluation; and holding key executive sales and operational management positions with Westin Hotels & Resorts and Adam’s Mark Hotels & Resorts; and
WHEREAS, Philadelphia native Ferguson began work at his family’s funeral home in Fairmount, before working as a busboy for the summer at a restaurant down the shore with Jo, who became his wife and with whom he has three adult children and three grandchildren; and
WHEREAS, After 46 years in the hospitality and tourism industry, Ferguson’s energy, determination, and vision of enhancing the customer experience, maximizing global marketing communications through technology and educating the Philadelphia region’s workforce will continue to inspire the work of the PHLCVB as it promotes the Pennsylvania Convention Center and the City of Philadelphia as world class attractions; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That we recognize and acknowledge Jack Ferguson for his leadership and accomplishments as President & CEO of the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau, and for his exemplary contribution to Philadelphia’s hospitality & tourism industry.
FURTHER RESOLVED, That an Engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to Jack Ferguson, as an expression of the sincere sentiments of this legislative body.
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