Mark Calitri

 If you want to know whether a community is moving in the right direction, don't listen to opinions. Look at the results. This past year, Owensboro celebrated record hotel occupancy, welcomed more visitors than ever, and saw events like Burger Week, Barbecue & Barrels, and Illuminate continue to grow. Every one of those successes brought new people to our community and supported local hotels, restaurants, retailers, and small businesses. Tourism isn't just about attracting visitors. It's about creating jobs, generating new revenue, and improving the quality of life for the people who call Owensboro home. None of this happened by accident. It happened because community leaders, volunteers, local businesses, elected officials, and organizations across Owensboro worked together with one goal in mind—to make our community stronger. I'm proud of what we've accomplished, but records aren't the finish line. They're a reminder of what's possible when a commu...

  If you haven't been to Owensboro lately, you're missing one of the most exciting transformations happening in Kentucky. A new downtown hotel is attracting more conventions and visitors. The Bluegrass Fieldhouse is preparing to open its doors. Churchill Downs Owensboro Racing & Gaming has added another major attraction, and Maui's Indoor Theme Park is bringing even more families to our community. At the same time, events like Burger Week, Barbecue & Barrels, and Illuminate continue to set records and introduce new visitors to everything Owensboro has to offer. None of this happened overnight. It's the result of years of planning, investment, and people who believed Owensboro and Daviess County could compete with anyone. Every visitor who stays in our hotels, eats in our restaurants, shops in our local businesses, or attends one of our events helps strengthen our economy and our community. I'm proud of how far we've come, but I'm even more excited ab...

  Welcome to the New MarkCalitri.com I'm excited to announce the launch of MarkCalitri.com , my new home for leadership insights, tourism, destination marketing, economic development, and community growth. This site brings together my latest blogs, videos, and ideas in one place. Whether I'm sharing lessons from leadership, highlighting the power of tourism, or discussing the future of Owensboro and communities across the country, you'll find it here. My goal is simple: share practical ideas that help leaders think differently, solve problems, and build stronger organizations and communities. If you've followed my work on Blogger, thank you. Going forward, you'll find all new content at MarkCalitri.com . Thanks for visiting, and I hope you'll check back often as new articles and videos are added. Mark Calitri President & CEO, Visit Owensboro Leadership • Tourism • Destination Marketing • Economic Development

Owensboro is changing. New attractions. National sporting events. More visitors. More investment. More momentum. That's why I recently wrote a Letter to the Editor for the Messenger-Inquirer . I believe Owensboro's best days are still ahead—not because of one project, but because of everything happening across our community. We're attracting World Championships and national sporting events that fill our hotels, restaurants, and local businesses. The Bluegrass Fieldhouse and the Ben Hawes Pickleball Complex will create even more opportunities to welcome visitors from across Kentucky and the nation. Every event brings new economic impact and introduces more people to everything Owensboro has to offer. Tourism is much more than vacations. It's economic development. For many visitors, their first trip to Owensboro becomes the beginning of something bigger—a return visit, a new business investment, or even a place to call home. None of this happens by accident. It happe...

 When a national organization wants to bring more events back, that's a sign you're doing something right. The American Cornhole Organization announced it hopes to make Owensboro an every-other-year home for its World Championships while adding another major event in January. That's more visitors, more hotel rooms filled, and more dollars spent in our local businesses. "The Bluegrass Fieldhouse will be a game changer for our community," said Visit Owensboro President Mark Calitri. "While construction delays impacted some bookings this year, demand remains strong, and the facility is already about 65% booked for 2027." With the Ben Hawes Pickleball Complex opening this fall and more tournaments on the way, Owensboro continues to strengthen its position as one of Kentucky's leading sports tourism destinations. Read the full Messenger-Inquirer story: https://www.messenger-inquirer.com/news/local/cornhole-tournament-wants-more-events-in-city/article_ea25...

  Mark Calitri: Workforce Development Starts with Opportunity Everyone wants employees with experience. The challenge is someone has to give them that first opportunity. That's why programs like GRADD matter. At Visit Owensboro, our interns don't sit in the corner and watch. They go to work on day one. They attend meetings, solve problems and help deliver projects that make a difference in our community. This year, Nicole helped support a record-breaking Owensboro Burger Week that included 57 restaurants and more than 78,000 burgers sold. Lucas has played an important role in helping prepare Kentucky's newest indoor sports facility, the Bluegrass Fieldhouse, while also helping launch the Bluegrass Clash, an event that brought thousands of athletes, families and visitors to Owensboro. That's real experience. You can't learn that sitting in a classroom. Programs like GRADD help open the door. Young professionals gain practical experience, employers develop future tale...