大罗利会议及旅游局总裁兼CEO丹尼·爱德华兹将于年底退休

After nearly 20 years as president and CEO of the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau (Visit Raleigh), Denny Edwards has announced his retirement effective December 31, 2026.

A 44-year veteran in the hospitality industry and presently a board member for U.S. Travel Association, Edwards has led Visit Raleigh since April 2007. Prior to that, he held leadership roles with convention and visitor bureaus in Fort Lauderdale, Houston, Palm Springs and Sioux City, Iowa.

During Edwards’ tenure, Wake County has seen hotel occupancy tax collections jump from $14 million to over $41 million and prepared F&B tax revenues increase from $16 million to nearly $49 million. Visitation surged from 10.4 million in 2007 to 19.1 million in 2025, while visitor spending went from $1.7 billion to over $3.4 billion. 

Edwards helped Wake County land major events, including the NHL All-Star Game, NHL Stadium Series, NCAA Men’s basketball tournaments, NCAA Men’s and Women’s College Cups, The Soccer Tournament, IBMA World of Bluegrass, Dreamville and GalaxyCon.

Further, Edwards oversaw the creation of the 10-year Wake County Destination Strategic Plan 2028, which provided a foundation for approval and development of group-friendly hospitality projects now complete or soon to be completed. These include the new Red Hat Amphitheater, the expansion at Atlantic Union Bank Convention Center (formerly Raleigh Convention Center), the 600-room Omni Hotel and enhancements taking place at the Lenovo Center.  

“It’s been an absolute privilege to work for such a dynamic destination with an incredibly talented staff at GRCVB,” Edwards said. "Wake County has experienced unprecedented growth in tourism, and the future is extremely bright for our entire hospitality community.”

“Denny is a true veteran and pioneer who dedicated himself to strategizing, advocating for and advancing tourism in Wake County,” said Melissa Chunn, general manager at Renaissance Raleigh North Hills Hotel and chair of the GRCVB Board of Directors. “Through his passion, vision and relentless drive, Wake County has become a destination of choice for so many. Although Denny will be deeply missed, his greatest legacy is the pathway he created and the strong foundation he established under his leadership. His impact will continue to guide Wake County tourism forward, inspiring others to build upon his vision.” 

The GRCVB Board of Directors has a succession plan in place, and anticipates making an announcement on Edwards’ replacement soon.

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About the author

Rob Carey serves as content manager, news and features for Meetings Today, where he leads coverage of the latest trends, issues, data and insights related to corporate meetings and incentives as well as association conventions and exhibitions.

Carey has been covering the business-events industry since 1992, when he was hired as an intern at Successful Meetings magazine in New York while still a student at Columbia University. During his 15 years at SM’s parent company Nielsen, Carey moved steadily through the ranks to become editorial director for Successful Meetings, Meeting News and the Meeting World conference and exhibition. SM and MN won several FOLIO: Eddie Awards for editorial coverage during his tenure.  

Carey then spent 11 years as principal of Meetings & Hospitality Insight, covering not just the MICE market for various industry publications but also writing about business disciplines such as hotel management, golf-facility management, small-business operations, middle-market leadership and others. And for several years he wrote the annual trends white paper for the International Association of Conference Centers.  

In 2018, Carey became a senior content producer for MeetingsNet, an Informa media brand, and a panel moderator for Informa’s Pharma Forum annual event. 

Come September 2025, he moved to Meetings Today.  

A native of New York,  Carey now resides in the Phoenix/Scottsdale metro area with his wife Kelley and their dog Ziggy.