Looks like there’s another fight brewing between San Diego Mayor Bob Filner and the hotel industry over marketing duties.
Filner is calling on the San Diego Convention Center to take back control of its longterm sales and marketing operations. Last year, the publicly funded Convention Center board voted to transfer those operations to the privately run San Diego Tourism Authority, formerly known as ConVis. The City Council approved the transfer.
Now, Filner has written a letter demanding the Convention Center board terminate the contract. Filner said the transfer was a “politically initiated demand made by local hoteliers as part of the center's expansion financing agreement.”
In an email to local hoteliers, San Diego Tourism Authority CEO Joe Terzi said this is a critical issue that needs to be addressed right away. In a statement, Convention Center Board Chair Phil Blair said former Mayor Jerry Sanders requested the sales and marketing services be transferred as part of the financing deal for the Convention Center expansion. Blair said the board will likely take up the issue immediately. The Convention Center board will meet Tuesday at 4 p.m.
