The Incline Village Crystal Bay Visitors and Convention Bureau has a new leader.

Bill Hoffman, who’s served as executive director/CEO the last 16 years, is retiring. Andy Chapman, who currently serves as the chief marketing officer of the North Lake Tahoe Resort Association, will replace him, officials announced last week.

Hoffman’s retirement ends a 35-year career in the hospitality industry. He started his career in Hawaii after he retired from military service as an officer in the U.S. Navy.

---

---

He then served as director of convention center sales for the San Diego Convention and Visitors Bureau, as national sales manager for the Reno Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority, and the executive director of the National Association of Golf Tournament Directors, before taking the job in Incline Village in 1999.

Among his accomplishments, Hoffman led the effort to form the North Tahoe Marketing Cooperative, which unified marketing efforts for North Tahoe that had previously been divided between two states and multiple counties.

---

---

“The establishment of the North Lake Tahoe Marketing Coperative, allowed us to consolidate marketing funds behind one brand — North Lake Tahoe — instead of maintaining dual brands that competed with each other,” Hoffman said in a statement.

Hoffman points to the hiring of Chapman, an executive with a long tenure with the North Lake Tahoe Marketing Cooperative, as an example of the talent the organization has fostered and the maturity of the tourism professionals marketing North Lake Tahoe.

“I think any time you can recruit and have available talent from within, it gives you a head start because they understand the mission, the vendors and they understand the staff,” Hoffman said.

Chapman has been marketing Lake Tahoe for more than 20 years, most recently with NLTRA the past 12 years. In his CMO role, Chapman directed the efforts of six departments — advertising, conferences sales, special events, leisure sales, public relations, social communication and visitor information services.

He has also served as chair of the California Travel and Tourism Commission’s Rural Tourism Advisory Council; sits on the Visit California Advertising and Rural committees; is a current member and past chair of the Regional Air Service Committee; is a member and past chair of the High Sierra Visitor Council; and is a member of the Sierra Ski Marketing Council.

“Andy’s extensive knowledge and experience in the tourism industry and in our market in particular are invaluable assets that he brings to our community,” said Lee Weber Koch, chair of the Incline Village Crystal Bay Visitors and Convention Bureau. “In addition, he has a keen understanding of the very complex cooperative marketing programs and committees that work together to keep our brand ‘top of mind’ within the markets that mean so much to us today, and for our future. We are honored to have him on our side.”

The Incline visitors bureau is located at 969 Tahoe Blvd. (Highway 28) in Incline Village. Visit gotahoenorth.com to learn more.