Your colleagues are on the move, find out who is going where.
Mario Bass and Tyler Orwig
Visit San Antonio has announced updates to its leadership team. Mario Bass has been selected to return to San Antonio in a newly created position, executive vice president and chief strategy officer. Bass previously worked at Visit San Antonio for more than five years, most recently serving as chief sales officer. In his new role, Bass will serve as management leader for five departments — destination sales, destination experience, events, membership, and River Walk operations. Bass, whose career spans more than 25 years, rejoins Visit San Antonio from Visit Orlando, where he has served as chief operating officer since early 2023.
Tyler Orwig has been promoted to senior vice president of group sales from his previous role, vice president of association and tradeshow sales. In his new role, he will continue directly overseeing a large part of the Visit San Antonio sales team, including the association, for-profit tradeshow, and sports markets, as well as help manage the entirety of the destination sales department, including the corporate market. Orwig has worked in hospitality for more than 25 years, 15 of which were spent with Hyatt Hotels in various properties across the country, as well as with Visit San Antonio for a decade.
Al Mercuro
Genesis Exhibits has announced the appointment of Al Mercuro to the newly established role of strategic marketing & client engagement advisor. In his new role, Mercuro will serve as a key strategic business development resource, focusing on existing and emerging technologies, their application, and their benefit to Genesis Exhibits’ clients around the world. His responsibilities will include all activities related to expanding Genesis Exhibits’ reach and influence in this area through face-to-face appearances, digital networking, and social media. Mercuro also will expand his participation in blogging, podcasts, webinars, and training programs within the events industry to share his expertise. Mercuro will advise on niche marketing strategies related to trade shows, meetings, mobile marketing tours, global activations, and other branded corporate environments, as well as explore artificial intelligence within the event marketing world to boost revenue for Genesis Exhibits’ customers and agencies within their own marketing programs. Mercuro has more than 28 years of experience in trade show marketing, and previously served as senior account director for Genesis Exhibits.
Stephan Fitz
The Adolphus, a Dallas hotel, has appointed Stephan Fitz as director of food and beverage. Fitz will oversee the hotel’s five distinct dining experiences as well as its banquets and catering program. This includes The French Room; The French Room Bar; City Hall Bistro; Rodeo Bar; and Otto’s Coffee & Fine Foods. Prior to joining The Adolphus, Fitz served as director of food and beverage for hotels throughout the Southeast, including The Boca Raton in Florida, Kalahari Resorts & Conventions in Texas, and The Capital Hilton in Washington, D.C. He also has held management roles with renowned hotel brands, including InterContinental, Sheraton, Omni, and Hilton.