Visit KC Announces Resignation of Ronnie Burt
January 11, 2018Ronnie Burt, President and CEO of Visit KC, today announced his resignation, effective Jan. 31, 2018. Over the next few weeks, Burt will assist the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors with a smooth, seamless transition process to ensure the important work of Visit KC continues.
Burt has served as President and CEO since 2014 when he joined the organization from Washington, D.C., where he served as Vice President of Sales and Services for Destination DC, the convention and tourism organization for the nation’s capital.
Below is a summary of key successes generated under Burt’s leadership, which helped the organization achieve many important milestones:
- Adopted the organization’s new name (Visit KC) and marketing platform focused on the call to action: “Visit”.
- Re-opened the KC Film Office to the region, which has generated $29 million in direct spending and secured “American Ninja Warrior” twice in the last three years.
- Implemented key changes to selling the city, focusing on performance accountability and high performing culture. Convention sales performance has exceeded goals every year from 2014 to 2017.
- Built a sports acquisition strategy with the KC Sports Commission to secure the 2017 U.S. Figure Skating Championships and renewal of the Big 12 Men’s Basketball Championship through 2020.
- Executed a sales and marketing strategy that assisted in leading occupancy and average daily rate in 2017 to a 10-year high, as well as increasing visitation in 2016 to more than 25 million visitors and $5.5 billion in economic impact.
The Board of Directors of Visit KC would like to thank Mr. Burt for his leadership and commitment to enhance the hospitality industry in the Greater Kansas City region. 2018 Board Chair CiCi Rojas said, “Ronnie has set Kansas City and Visit KC on a path to success for years to come.”
Visit KC will appoint an interim President and CEO in the very near term to allow for a smooth transition and a search committee will be appointed to identify a permanent replacement.