GREENVILLE, NC- The Greenville-Pitt County Convention & Visitors Bureau (Visit Greenville, NC) is pleased to announce that Andrew Schmidt, President & CEO, has recently earned his Certified Destination Management Executive (CDME) credential from Destinations International.
The Certified Destination Management Executive (CDME) credential is the tourism industry’s highest educational achievement and the program prepares senior executives, who want to advance their careers to blend theory with experience and application of knowledge to help industry leaders thrive in a constantly changing environment. The program focus is on vision, leadership, productivity and implementing business strategies. Following the program destination organization leaders should be able to approach challenges from a multi-disciplinary perspective.
“I am thankful to have been able to participate in and graduate from Destination International’s CDME program,” stated Andrew Schmidt, President & CEO of Visit Greenville, NC. “I look forward to leveraging the many relationships I formed and applying the data and strategies learned throughout the program to continue to move Greenville-Pitt County forward as a competitive tourism destination.”
The CDME program requires four two-day core courses with written papers, two one and a half day elective courses, and a final exam. During the program, Schmidt took courses on Destination Leadership, Strategic Issues in Destination Management, Destination Advocacy and Community Relations, Economic Development and the Role of Destination Marketing Organizations, and others. His capstone papers included The Evolving Role of Destination Marketing Organizations and Tying the Importance of Travel & Tourism with Economic Development.
Schmidt is a twenty-seven year veteran of the tourism and hospitality industry with a mix of hotel, destination marketing, and academic background, serving as the President & CEO of Visit Greenville, NC since 2014, and prior to that as Sales Manager for 21 years, as well a professor in East Carolina University’s School of Hospitality for 15 years. He is also currently serving as the President of the North Carolina Travel Industry Association.
About Destinations International: Destinations International strives to make our members and their destinations successful. As the world's largest and most reliable resource for destination organizations, we inform, connect, inspire and educate our members with the goal to drive destination economic impact, job creation, community sustainability and quality of life through travel. For more information about Destinations International, please visit: destinationsinternational.org
