The City Council activated its new Brookhaven Convention and Visitors Bureau with the appointment of seven trustees at the Jan. 23 City Council meeting.
The bureau was created under the city’s charter and authorizes the city to contract with other governmental, agencies or nonprofit organizations to promote tourism, conventions and trade shows.
The new trustees are:
- Discover DeKalb Executive Director & CEO James Tsismanakis
- Brookhaven Chamber of Commerce Chairman of the Board of Directors Jay Groundwater
- Oglethorpe University Director of Special Events Sharon Moskowitz
- Atlanta Hawks Senior Director Eric Platte
- Al Parnell, member of the Brookhaven Restaurant Association
- Susan Oh, member of We Luv BuHi board of directors
- Peter Dunn, hotel representative
All appointees are to serve two-year terms. They join City Manager Christian Sigman, City Clerk Susan Hiott and Communications Director Burke Brennan, who were appointed in December 2017.
The city’s 2018 budget sets aside $1 million for the creation of the Convention and Visitors Bureau. Funding for the city’s own CVB comes from the new revenue stream created last year by increasing hotel-motel taxes to 8 percent from 5 percent. The tax increase also will fund the Peachtree Creek Greenway.
I look forward to a new high-end sushi restaurant in one of the proposed new hotels to celebrate Buford Highway’s diversity.