Stacy Ritter has been appointed as the new president and CEO of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention and Visitors Bureau as of June 5.
In her new role, Ritter will lead a 45-person organization with a $24 million operating budget, providing sales and marketing development that spans leisure, international, sports and convention and group sales, multi-cultural and LGBTQ development, film and entertainment as well as national and international advertising and public relations. Ritter's mandate is to improve the appeal of the destination’s diverse travel and tourism industry, advocate on the local, national and international tourism scene, and provide leadership in guiding the Broward County Convention Center master plan expansion.
Greater Fort Lauderdale recently set a tourism record, with 15.4 million tourists spending $14.2 billion annually. Additionally, affluent visitors have driven over $1 billion in new hotel and condo investment in the destination, the Greater Fort Lauderdale CVB said.
Ritter has served as the Broward County Commissioner, a position to which she was elected in November 2006. She was elected Mayor in 2008, and she has also served as a member of the Florida House of Representatives from 1996 to 2004, representing the 96th District, until the end of mandated term limits. She has also served on the Broward County Tourism Development Council.
As Mayor, Ritter was instrumental in pushing for improvements at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, including the expansion of the south runway, which in turn is attracting new airline service and stimulating record-breaking passenger traffic, the Greater Fort Lauderdale CVB said.
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