For Immediate Release
Monday, April 9, 2007
Contact: Russ Smith, 919-459-1500

Denny Edwards Named New President & CEO of Greater Raleigh CVB;
25-Year Industry Veteran Comes from Greater Fort Lauderdale CVB

Raleigh, N.C. (April 9, 2007) - Denny Edwards has been named the new President and Chief Executive Officer of the Greater Raleigh Convention & Visitors Bureau (GRCVB) and will assume his new duties on April 19, 2007. Edwards succeeds Dave Heinl, who started the GRCVB in February 1987 and announced his retirement last August.

"Following an extensive national search that involved many community and business leaders, Denny Edwards clearly emerged as the type leader who will engage various stakeholders in further transforming Greater Raleigh into a more viable visitors and meetings destination," said Russ Smith, Chairman of the GRCVB Board of Directors and General Manager of the Embassy Suites Raleigh-Durham/Research Triangle Hotel who led the CEO search process.

"Certainly Denny's strong meetings background and impeccable industry reputation will bode well for ensuring the new convention center is an economic engine for the entire region, and his quarter century of tourism marketing experience will help enhance the Raleigh area's destination appeal along many fronts."

"I am extremely honored and excited about this tremendous opportunity," Edwards said. "Raleigh is an incredible destination for all types of visitors and is going through a renaissance that will position itself as a major player in the meetings and conventions market. With the opening of the new convention center and the attached Marriott hotel, it now has all the ingredients for conventions that are looking for a destination that is convenient, affordable, accessible and has an abundance of activities and dining options."

Edwards served as the Senior Vice President for the Greater Fort Lauderdale CVB the past 10 years. A 25-year CVB veteran, Edwards also served as Director of Sales for the Greater Houston CVB and prior to that as Director of Sales for the Palm Springs Desert Resorts CVB.

Edwards is currently an APEX Commissioner (Accepted Practices Exchange Initiative), serves on the Destination Marketing Association International Foundation Board of Trustees, where he is also a past Board member. He is the incoming chair for American Society of Association Executives Industry Partners Alliance Committee, serves on the Advertising and Marketing Committee for Visit Florida and the Meeting Professionals International Multi-Cultural Initiative Committee.

Edwards also served on the International Association of Exhibitions and Events Exhibitor Advisory Council and is past President for the Florida Chapter. He was the Communications Committee Chair for the Professional Convention Management Association and past Board Member for the Florida Association of CVBs.

An Iowa native, Edwards is a graduate from the University of Northern Iowa, where he received a Bachelor of Arts with a major in Public Relations and minors in Business and Marketing. He and his wife Cindy have two sons, Bryce who is 15 and Drake who is 12.

The Greater Raleigh Convention & Visitors Bureau, as the official destination marketing organization of Raleigh and Wake County, accelerates sustainable economic growth and development by increasing visitor and convention business.