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CVB hires new executive director
Tyson Compton speaks during a press conference after he was announced as the new director CVB Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2009, at Heritage Station in Huntington.
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HUNTINGTON -- The Cabell Huntington Convention and Visitors Bureau on Tuesday took the first step toward reinventing itself.
The bureau announced during a news conference that it has hired Tyson Compton as its executive director. Compton, who said he likes to "dream big," most recently served as marketing director of the Paramount Arts Center in Ashland, Ky.
Bureau officials also indicated they are in negotiations with the Greater Huntington Park and Recreation District to move the bureau's office to Heritage Village, a collection of shops and businesses at the old B&O railroad depot on the corner of Veterans Memorial Boulevard and 11th Street. The agency's current office is across from the Big Sandy Superstore Arena in the 700 block of 3rd Avenue.
The search for a new executive director began after Gerry Krueger retired in October 2007. About 45 people from across the country applied for the position, said Audy Perry, chairman of the CVB Board of Directors.
The search coincided with a comprehensive market study commissioned by the CVB Board of Directors and conducted by Randall Travel Marketing, Inc., a national company that focuses on market research, strategic planning, consulting and trend analysis for the travel and tourism industry.
Compton's background in marketing was attractive to the Board of Directors because Randall Travel Marketing's study stressed that the CVB needed to promote itself more, Perry said. But it was Compton's assertiveness during the interview process that convinced board members he was the right fit.
A few days after he was interviewed, Compton mailed packets to each board member containing multiple pages of ideas he had about how to market the CVB and region. Accompanying his ideas was a brochure about Cabell County that he had made on his home computer.
"That's what we've been missing for so long," Perry said. "This is a guy who is passionate about making Cabell County a better place and obviously knows what it takes to do that."
Compton, 49, is a native of Louisa, Ky. Prior to working for the Paramount Arts Center for 14 years, he spent 10 years in California. He worked for a publishing company while there and for two years was executive editor of Where Los Angeles, a travel magazine for tourists.
Efforts to revitalize Huntington, such as Downtown Live and Create Huntington, were a primary reason for taking the executive director's position, Compton said.
"I've always believed in being involved," he said. "You can't call for change without being an active participant. I want to be part of a team that helps create what we have to offer and share that with the rest of the world."
Compton will begin his new job Feb. 2. His first task is to go over the comprehensive market study with Randall Travel Marketing and develop a three- to five-year strategic plan.
"I see my main duty as marketing and promoting Cabell County, but also making our community aware of what the CVB does and what it is," he said. "Moving to Heritage Village will help."
Perry said he envisions the CVB office occupying the second floor of the former Boston Beanery restaurant and the first floor serving as a welcome center for visitors.
"The visitors center should be more of a destination in itself. It should be an exciting place where visitors and bus tours can stop by to learn about our history and a place where we can showcase our culture and the arts," Compton said. "I dream big. Sometimes you have to pull me in, but I dream big."
