The Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau (PCVB) Announces Jack Ferguson To Replace Tom Muldoon As President & CEO In 2011

 PHILADELPHIA...October 16, 2009...The Executive Committee of the Board of Directors of the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau (PCVB) announced today that Jack Ferguson, executive vice president of the PCVB, will succeed Tom Muldoon when he steps down on Dec. 31, 2010.

Ferguson will continue in his current role heading the PCVB’s sales and services efforts and will begin transitional responsibilities of overseeing all of the organization’s departments and operational duties over the next year.

“Tom Muldoon has been an important part of the fabric of Philadelphia for so many years. One of his biggest legacies is his role in the Pennsylvania Convention Center; Tom helped initially to get it built and now he is helping to improve it, so it can enhance the lives of so many in this region,” said Mayor Michael A. Nutter. “Jack Ferguson is equally passionate about Philadelphia and the Pennsylvania Convention Center, and a great choice to lead the award-winning team at the PCVB. I have had the pleasure of working with Jack Ferguson for several years, and his enthusiasm for this City, the convention center, and the people who work in the hospitality industry is contagious.”
During his 25 years of leadership in the City’s convention and tourism efforts, Muldoon created the Multicultural Affairs Congress, the Philadelphia Sports Congress, and the Greater Philadelphia Life Sciences Congress, all divisions of the PCVB. Muldoon was also instrumental in increasing international visitation to the City by launching Philadelphia’s first international consumer marketing campaign; as a result, Philadelphia moved from the 21st to the 11th most visited U.S. city under his tenure. He has played a key role in securing Philadelphia as the main home for the Army/Navy Game and further raised Philadelphia’s visibility as a destination by hosting the 2000 Republican National Convention.

In connection with the Pennsylvania Convention Center Authority (PCCA), Muldoon was among the advocates to build the Pennsylvania Convention Center, which opened in 1993. Working in continued partnership with the PCCA, Muldoon has remained a visionary in Philadelphia’s hospitality industry by further enhancing the landscape with the expansion of the Convention Center, scheduled to open in early 2011.

 “Tom’s contributions to the hospitality industry in Philadelphia are unprecedented. He has steered the PCVB into a first-class organization, recognized as the best in the nation, that is a significant business contributor in the Philadelphia region,” said Nick DeBenedictis, PCVB chairman.  “Now he will begin transitioning to another trusted, experienced, and well respected professional, Jack Ferguson, who will push the organization and industry to new heights.”

A native of Philadelphia, Ferguson joined the PCVB in 2003 and has 40 years experience in the hospitality industry. Under Ferguson’s direction, the PCVB booked nearly $1 billion in convention business annually. He was instrumental in partnerships with Select Greater Philadelphia and the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce to connect conventions with local business opportunities. Ferguson has also worked to maximize international attendee participation.

An entrepreneur, Ferguson’s career has seen him head national and international sales staffs of 2,200 sales people for such companies as Promus Hotel Corp., Doubletree Hotels, and Guest Quarters Suite Hotels. He previously served as senior vice president and partner of LearnSystem with the ability to aid hundreds of thousands in the hospitality industry by improving job performance and customer service skills via web-based training and evaluation.

“As I watch the dream of an expanded Pennsylvania Convention Center become a reality, I feel more comfortable knowing 2010 is the right year for the leadership transition to happen,” said Muldoon. “I am most proud of the partnerships we have built together. I can say hands down this is the smartest CVB team in the nation. Jack will be able to take this award-winning organization to even greater heights in terms of meetings and conventions, tourism, life sciences, multicultural, sports, and international visitors.”

A national search, led by a professional search firm, to replace Ferguson as the head of the sales and services division will begin in March 2010 and is expected to be filled by next summer.

“There will be a seamless transition in the levels of services that people have come to expect from the PCVB,” said Ferguson. “Tom has built a culture of award-winning services here that will grow even stronger. Our customers, members, and stakeholders will continue to receive this same level of commitment from the PCVB and Philadelphia. I have learned a great deal from Tom Muldoon and Nick DeBenedictis, and I thank them for the opportunity to represent the PCVB and my hometown of Philadelphia.”



EDITORS NOTE: Photo of Muldoon and Ferguson is available. Call 215-636-3412.

Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau (PCVB), www.PhiladelphiaUSA.travel, a private non-profit membership corporation, is the official Tourism Promotion Agency for the City of Philadelphia, and the primary sales and marketing agency for the Pennsylvania Convention Center. The PCVB competes with its counterparts worldwide for convention and tourism business. The organization has departments dedicated to the multicultural, sports, and life sciences markets.