John Whisenant, CDME, CTTP is the founder and president of The Crossroads Company, and has over 26 years of experience in the tourism and destination managment and marketing industry.
From 1996--2006, he served as the Executive Director of the Williamson County Convention and Visitors Bureau in Franklin, Tennessee. During his 10-year tenure at the Bureau, travel-related expenditures in Williamson County grew from $100 million annually to $212 million, travel-related employment in the community grew from 1,280 persons to 2,050, and travel-generated sales tax collections grew from $8.31 million to $15.76 million. He developed and launched several new programs of work for the Bureau during this time, including comprehensive marketing, branding, and visitor profile research programs; a meetings and conventions marketing and sales function; a tour and travel marketing program; a sports marketing program; and a heritage tourism division.
Whisenant’s travel industry experience also includes marketing the entire State of Tennessee as a Tourism Development Consultant in the Marketing Division of The Tennessee Department of Tourist Development. While with the Department, he worked with destinations, attractions, hoteliers and other travel-related interests from across the state in both domestic and international marketing, advertising, promotion and sales. Prior to his service at the Department, Whisenant was on the professional staff at Opryland Theme Park for several years in the Park Operations and Human Resources Departments.
Whisenant is known for his ability to build consensus among divergent constituencies and to help build teams and partnerships where none existed before. He believes strongly in and highly values the principles of honesty and integrity in the workplace and in life, and attempts to practice those principles in all of his business relationships.
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Holds the Certified Destination Management Executive (CDME) designation from the Destination Marketing Association International (formally the International Association of Convention and Visitors Bureaus)
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Hold the Certified Tennessee Tourism Professional (CTTP) designation from the Tennessee Tourism Roundtable and the University of Tennessee Tourism Institute
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Member, Destination Marketing Association International
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Chair, Vice-Chair, and Board Member of the Tennessee Association of Convention and Visitors Bureaus
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Board of Directors and Officer, Tennessee Tourism Roundtable
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Founding Partner, Circle Nashville Marketing Partnership
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Chair, Middle Tennessee Tourism Council
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Tourism Committee, International Assoc. of Convention & Visitors Bureaus
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Member, American Society of Association Executives
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Member, Tennessee Society of Association Executives
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Board of Directors, Tennessee Senior Olympics
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