Please join the Chicago Southland Convention & Visitors Bureau as we highlight our recent achievements, discuss our future plans and award deserving members of the Chicago Southland hospitality industry. 

Keynote speaker Jen Hoelzle of the Illinois Office of Tourism will discuss what the state tourism office is working on next to help promote the State to domestic and international visitors.

The Chicago Southland CVB is using the momentum gained over the past year to advance not only the CVB, but the hospitality industry in the Chicago Southland as a whole.

About Keynote Speaker Jen Hoelzle

As deputy director of the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, Office of Tourism (IOT), Jen Hoelzle leads the state’s tourism industry marketing and development efforts. Tourism contributes to significant economic growth for the state and quality-of-life benefits for Illinois residents. Hoelzle works in collaboration with tourism industry professionals to promote visitor travel both domestically and internationally, and to help grow the tourism industry throughout the state.

Prior to joining IOT in October 2012, Hoelzle served as the director of external engagement for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, where she focused on issues impacting state and local governments. She has also served in several capacities for the State of Illinois, including as the director of the Washington, DC office, where she served as a liaison to the Congressional delegation, and as director of planning and protocol for the Governor’s Office. Hoelzle joined state government in 2006 as a writer for then-Lt. Governor Pat Quinn.

Before joining the state, Hoelzle was a freelance associate producer at Towers Productions, working on documentaries that include National Geographic’s “Inside Hurricane Katrina” among other programs.

Hoelzle holds a master’s degree in broadcast journalism from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and a bachelor’s degree in English from Western Washington University. She resides in Chicago.

Cost:

$35 Before / $40 After September 18, 2013 

$300 Table of Ten