Don Welsh: new CEO of the Indianapolis Convention and Visitors Association.

• Author: Hromadka, Erik
• Position: CEO PROFILE

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DON WELSH GREW UP loving his hometown NFL team--the Colts. Now he's 52 and still cheering on that team, while overseeing their brand new stadium and gearing up to welcome to 2012 Super Bowl to their city.

The only part of the story that may be surprising to Welsh is that he's in Indiana.

That's because Welsh grew up in Baltimore, well before professional football came to Indianapolis. And he worked all over the country before being recruited to serve as the new president and CEO of the Indianapolis Convention and Visitors Association.

Welsh held that same title in Seattle before his wife and daughters packed up and moved to Indianapolis this summer. Prior to that, he worked for major hotel chains such as Westin, Ritz-Carlton, Wyndham International and the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. He also served as president of the Continental Basketball Association, where he worked with former Pacers Coach Isiah Thomas.

Therefore, it should be no surprise that Welsh is excited about the possibilities for sports and tourism in Indianapolis, which he calls "a marketer's dream come true."

The brand new Lucas Oil Stadium, an expanding downtown convention center, construction of a 1,600-room Marriott hotel complex and the nation's newest international airport terminal are among the city attractions that Welsh plans to promote across the United States.

"We've got a very focused two to three years from a marketing standpoint," Welsh says. "I think, other than Las Vegas, we probably have more changes than any other city in the country."

Welsh already is reaching out to area hospitality leaders and says he has been impressed by the level of cooperation in the city. He plans to hold monthly meetings with key partners to map out a successful strategy for filling the growing number of...