(Cincinnati, OH – January 23, 2017) - The Cincinnati USA Convention & Visitors Bureau expanded its sales department with the recent hire of National Sales Manager, Tamara Whiting.

A veteran of the industry since 2000, Whiting comes to Cincinnati USA from VisitPittsburgh where she held the role of National Sales Director and engaged with social, military, educational, religious and fraternal groups as well as government and national association markets in the US Southeast. Her experience and expertise in these markets will be used to bring new conventions to Cincinnati, maintaining the region’s reputation as a top national meetings destination.

Whiting is an active member in several meeting and hospitality organizations, including Connect Diversity, Connect Faith, National Coalition of Black Meeting Planners and RCMA.

“Tamara is a tremendous addition to our strong sales team,” said Dan Lincoln, president and CEO of the Cincinnati USA Convention & Visitors Bureau. “She brings deep relationships and will be a great advocate to bring conventions and meetings to Cincinnati USA. We know she will be a great success here.”

Whiting’s experience in the hospitality industry began with Westin Hotels. Later, Whiting assumed the role of a field marketing manager for Starwood Hotels and Resorts, where she led hotel marketing initiatives for properties throughout the Midwest.

Whiting is also the founder of SisterFriend, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing homeless and underprivileged women and girls with feminine care products.

“Cincinnati is hot right now,” Whiting said. “This is such an exciting time to show off the city to meeting planners, and I’m thrilled to join this team and to be part of the excitement.”

Whiting joins Kariuki Epps as sales contacts for Cincinnati USA for religious, fraternal and ethnic organizations. They often work in conjunction with Jason Dunn, Vice President of Multicultural and Community Development, to bring meetings for large, diverse organizations to the region.

About the Cincinnati USA Convention & Visitors Bureau
The Cincinnati USA Convention & Visitors Bureau is an aggressive sales, marketing and service organization whose primary responsibility is to positively impact Hamilton County's and the City of Cincinnati's economy through convention, trade show and visitor expenditures. The travel and tourism industry traditionally has been a $4.4 billion industry in Cincinnati USA, employing 74,000 people in a variety of fields and bringing 24.1 million visitors to the region annually. Visit www.cincyusa.com for more.