Don Welsh

Taking Chicago tourism to an Epic level

A seasoned tourism executive with more than 30 years of experience in the industry, Don Welsh serves as the President and CEO of Choose Chicago, the official destination marketing organization for Chicago. In this role Welsh is responsible for marketing Chicago to business and leisure travelers throughout regional, national and international markets. Since joining the organization in January 2011, Welsh has developed and implemented initiatives that have contributed to stellar results for Chicago’s visitor industry. Most recently, Welsh and his team reported a record-breaking and results driven 2014, including an all-time record of 50.2 million visitors to Chicago resulting in record tourism spending, record hotel tax revenue and jobs; 10 months of record demand for hotel rooms and 13% growth in hotel room night production by the Choose Chicago convention sales team. Currently, Welsh and his team are making plans to take Chicago tourism to an epic level. For the first time since 1963 Chicago will host the NFL Draft (April 30-May 2). Just days following the Draft, Chicago will host two equally prestigious events for the first time -- the James Beard Awards, the “Oscars” of the food industry, and Microsoft Ignite, a new technology conference. To further reinforce Chicago as a premier visitor destination, Choose Chicago will launch a new campaign that best exemplifies the spirit of our city. “EPIC Chicago” is a culmination of years of research and evolution that have helped Chicago’s visitor industry grow at an exponential pace, beginning with the formation of Choose Chicago in 2012. Beyond new creative, EPIC is Chicago’s first advertising campaign highlighting the city as a visitor destination outside of the Midwest, and marks a new chapter in the way this team is promoting the city to potential visitors.