Tourism Ambassador
As Tourism Ambassador at Hunden Partners, Jay Burress focuses on connecting destinations with the firm to advance placemaking plans and related destination development initiatives, including major tourism-inducing assets such as entertainment, sports, and convention facilities, as well as events.
A seasoned leader in the DMO world, Mr. Burress led two destinations through years of placemaking and tourism efforts, in addition to furthering quality-of-life assets for residents. In the destinations that Jay has led, he has worked closely on development projects with elected officials, Chambers of Commerce, Economic Development departments, and local stakeholders from ideation to research, fundraising, and operations.
For ten years, Jay’s role as President & CEO at Visit Anaheim centered on the goal of bringing the DMO into the future. He accomplished this through new market sales and marketing initiatives, new product development and placemaking, and community engagement. Jay managed seven direct reports and reported to a Board of Directors. Through the Anaheim Convention Center expansion, Jay was able to grow citywide convention business from 35 bookings each year to 52 bookings each year. Jay grew the organization’s budget from $12M to $22M and staff from 50 employees to a peak of 72 in 2020. He also created a regional Sports Commission, a community foundation (Visit Anaheim Cares), and an LLC to own and hold their own events and conventions (Enterprise Anaheim).