Every month, ITN profiles a tourism industry leader whose success can be used as examples of how to develop fresh ideas to promote Illinois. This month, we introduce David Preece, president and CEO of the Rockford Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.

This month’s Success Story profile features the Rockford Area Convention and Visitors Bureau’s new president and CEO, David Preece. Preece’s career has included work in several key sectors of the travel and tourism industry. Most recently he served as vice president of travel trade marketing for Classic Vacations, the luxury travel division of Expedia, Inc. Prior experience includes serving as the president and CEO of the Travel Institute and vice president, North America for the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau.

"Tourism is everybody's business. It's a major economic engine for the Rockford area with lots of growth potential, and I look forward to collaborating with the community as we set goals and plan strategies,” Preece commented after accepting his new position in July. “The Rockford area offers a tremendous range of visitor experiences, and it's encouraging to see the momentum for new investment. I'm eager to get on board and work with the staff to leverage these products in new tourism marketing initiatives that will help build the Rockford destination brand."

Preece cites his experience at the Hawaii CVB and their success at generating tourism growth. “It was largely due to brand-driven marketing and strengthened relationships with the travel trade: wholesalers, tour operators and travel agents. I thoroughly enjoyed my professional experience in Hawaii at the CVB and wanted to return to the world of destination marketing after working in a few other travel industry segments.”

Preece continued: “Rockford had several key factors that appealed to me: 1) it’s a mid-sized market where you can really see the impact of your efforts; 2) it is easier to develop all-important working relationships with government, business and community leaders than in a much larger city; 3) Rockford has a remarkable array of visitor 'products' for a community its size, including parks, golf, the Rock River, botanical gardens, performing and visual arts, and a downtown on the verge of a dynamic revitalization.”

Preece believes in the crucial need for CVB leaders to develop a wide range of collaborative partners in the public and private sectors. He has quickly become involved in a couple of key statewide travel industry organization—Visit Illinois and ICCVB—which have helped him create links with colleagues around the state.

Preece has a M.S. in integrated marketing communications/advertising from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and a B.A. in communications with an advertising emphasis from Brigham Young University. He lives with his wife, Laurie, and has a daughter and two sons: Jessica, a Ph.D. candidate in political science at UCLA, Robbie, a senior at BYU in recreation management and Evan, who attends eighth grade in Rockford.

An avid traveler, Preece has explored numerous destinations including China, Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, Mexico, Jamaica, Aruba, Curacao, Canada, Spain, Wales and England. He’s even lived in Korea for two years during his early 20s. He and his family enjoy snow skiing, golf, landscaping, home improvement projects and being outdoors.