From the President
By Mohammad Jenatian

I’d like to thank the nearly 700 people who attended our annual dinner February 11. This was the best attended dinner in our 16-year history, a testament to the remarkable support and involvement of our great and growing membership.

Here is an outline of HTA's priorities for 2010:

I. Continuous building and enhancing of relationships with the decision makers whose support and active engagement are critical to growing our region’s hospitality and tourism industry.

II. Active involvement in major economic recovery initiatives addressing current economic and development challenges in our region for 2010 and beyond.

III. Leading efforts and working in partnership with the county, city, small towns, adjacent counties and private developers to implement the development of the following facilities. These are necessary for our region to attract and accommodate major regional, statewide and national amateur sporting events. These facilities will make our region the ‘Amateur Sports Capital of the South.’

1 A premier sports complex and regional park in Matthews.
2. A premier indoor amateur sports complex on the site of the Metrolina Expo.
3. A premier tournament quality tennis complex for major amateur, pro and senior tennis tournaments.
4. A premier baseball complex.
5. A premier softball complex.
6. A premier aquatic center (either new or an expansion of existing center).

IV. Continuously working with the CRVA to provide it with the required tools to attract more visitors to the Charlotte area and to meet the industry’s overall expectations.

V. Leading initiatives and being pro-active involved in needed efforts to make our community a safer, more desirable and more affordable place to live, work, and visit.

VI. Pro-active involvement in the following initiatives and developments:
• Airport development and improvement
• Taxi and passenger vehicle for-hire initiatives
• ABC- related issues • Development of a major aviation museum
• NASCAR Hall of Fame and NASCAR
• Family fun, entertainment, and nightlife development initiatives
• Public safety initiatives • Public transportation/CATS initiatives
• Charlotte Knights’ Stadium
• Football at UNC Charlotte
• Major community-wide issues and economic development initiatives
• Tourism development initiatives in Mecklenburg County’s towns and adjacent counties.
• New arts and cultural facilities

VII. Continuously working on increasing HTA’s membership value and making the organization a stronger resource, advocate, and partner for members.

We are honored and grateful for your HTA membership. Please let me know if we can do anything to better serve you and your business.

The Greater Charlotte Hospitality & Tourism Alliance Mission Statement

The Greater Charlotte Hospitality & Tourism Alliance (HTA) is a full time association representing more than 800 businesses in the greater Charlotte area. The organization was established in October 1994 by the leaders of different segments of the hospitality industry. This combined organization was created to respond to the need for a full time and privately funded organization which was required to represent this growing industry with a commitment to proactively influence decisions, eliminating industry related challenges and maximizing opportunities for our remarkable industry.

The industry currently generates nearly $3 billion in annual revenues and employs more than 60,000 people in Mecklenburg County. As a membership organization, our main objective is to accommodate various needs of our diverse membership. With that in mind, our primary focus is centered on efforts which will increase the bottom lines of our members’ businesses.

The Board of Directors of the HTA invites you to join us and become part of a winning team dedicated to pursuing excellence for our businesses and our community.