Visit Seattle has announced that Tammy Blount-Canavan, FCDME (Fellow Certified Destination Marketing Executive), will serve as its president and CEO, starting May 9. She will be the organization’s first female CEO and will replace longtime leader Tom Norwalk, who retired earlier this spring.
Blount-Canavan’s leadership history spans three decades, first in the hotel industry in her hometown of Vancouver, BC, to a previous role as president and CEO of the Monterey County Convention and Visitors Bureau. She has strong ties to the Puget Sound area, having served as president and CEO of the Tacoma Regional Convention & Visitors Bureau from 2008 to 2012.
Most recently, Blount-Canavan was EVP, principal at Fired-Up! Culture, a business management consulting firm focused on leadership and culture development. She is a past-chair of Destinations International, the trade association for destination marketing organizations.
Blount-Canavan says her vision for Visit Seattle is to build on its strong foundation as a dynamic, bold, innovative organization, strengthening relationships and partnerships to elevate Seattle as the nation’s best city to visit, live and conduct business in.
Blount-Canavan’s experience in the meetings and conventions space will be in high demand following the rebrand of the Washington State Convention Center to the Seattle Convention Center, starting the week of April 18. The $1.9 billion addition, Summit, is under construction and slated to open in January 2023, doubling its capacity.
For more information, go to visitseattle.org.
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