Visit Plano’s Mark Thompson Appointed TACVB Board Chair

Mark W. Thompson, Director of Visit Plano and a DMA West Board Director, has become the new Board Chair for the Texas Association of Convention and Visitor Bureaus (TACVB). His tenure began August 12, 2020, at the organization’s virtually held annual conference. Thompson has been Director of Visit Plano since 1988 and also served as the TACVB’s Board Chair in 2006-2007. In 2019, he received the organization’s prestigious Marion Szurek Legacy Award. Most recently, Thompson was also honored with the Texas Department of Transportation’s 2020 Gene Phillips Hospitality Award, in recognition of his lifetime accomplishments in Texas travel and tourism. He began his Texas tourism career at the Tyler CVB in the mid-80s, continuing at the South Padre Island CVB in the 90s before joining Visit Plano. He has also been an instrumental player in organizing activities for Team Texas, particularly for the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta. Thompson has been a tourism leader not only in Texas but also nationally. He is past chair of the Dallas Fort Worth Area Tourism Council and a past board member for the Texas Travel Industry Association. He has served on the Destination & Travel Foundation Board of Trustees, co-chaired the CDME Task Force, and served on the Destinations International Education Committee and the Business Intelligence Task Force. His peers have recognized him with both Texas Travel Industry Association awards Tall in Texas Award and the Mark of Distinction Award for his lasting impact on the industry.