Visit St. Pete Clearwater
Andrea Gabel, MBA, serves as the Senior Sales Manager for Visit St. Pete Clearwater since January 2015, specializing in promoting the destination to the International Brazil market and attending trade shows in Brazil. Prior experience includes roles as Catering Sales Manager at Loews Don CeSar Hotel, where Andrea achieved monthly sales goals and managed events, and at Westin Indianapolis, where Andrea surpassed sales targets and ranked as the ninth top Catering Sales Manager among Starwood hotels in 2012. Additional experience includes planning and servicing large catering functions at Duke Energy Convention Center and serving as Catering Convention Services Manager at Hyatt Regency Lexington, where Andrea received an award for Manager of the Year. Educational qualifications include an MBA in Hotel Administration Management from Universidade Federal de Pernambuco and a Bachelor's degree in Tourism and Travel Services Management from Universidade Católica de Pernambuco.
Visit St. Pete Clearwater
The Tourist Development Council (TDC) and staff of the Visit St. Petersburg/Clearwater (VSPC) Area Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) are responsible for making recommendations to the Board of County Commissioners (BCC) on matters relating to the Tourist Development Tax. This tax is used to strengthen the local economy and increase employment through the ongoing promotion and development of tourism, Pinellas County's major industry. VSPC Area Convention & Visitors Bureau is a department of Pinellas County Government and is the official tourism marketing and management organization for the St. Petersburg/Clearwater Area. The CVB is charged with enhancing the county's economy by increasing direct visitor expenditures and job development, training and retention in the tourism industry. The organization works domestically and internationally to develop and enhance sustainable tourism for the St. Petersburg/Clearwater area in both the leisure and meetings markets and targets consumers, travel media, the travel industry, meeting and conference planners, sports promoters and film producers with research driven marketing programs touting beaches, sports, arts and culture and nature-based opportunities. The CVB also leads a community-based team to market the benefits of tourism to local residents while working with varied interests to assist in the development of new attractions and the redevelopment of others.