COLUMBUS, Ohio—Experience Columbus, the destination marketing organization (DMO) for the Columbus region, is pleased to announce that William Adams will serve as the organization’s new Chief Sales Officer. Adams will report directly to President and CEO Brian Ross and provide visionary leadership that drives the overall sales strategy and further propels Columbus' reputation as a premiere destination for hosting conventions and trade shows.  

“William has a proven record of success in convention sales having worked with DMOs of all sizes,” said Ross. “His leadership and experience implementing community-wide sales strategies will be invaluable to Experience Columbus. We look forward to continuing to build upon the positive momentum we have worked hard to create and to welcome even more national and international conventions and tradeshows to Columbus in the future.” 

Adams brings more than 20 years of experience in tourism and hospitality sales, team leadership and strategic planning to Experience Columbus. Most recently he served as Director of Convention Sales at Destination DC, the official DMO for the nation’s capital, where he led a team of 12 sales professionals from a 700,000-room night production goal in FY22 to a 1.1-million-night room goal in FY24, a 57% increase in convention sales productivity. Prior to his time at Destination DC, he served in numerous sales leadership roles at DMOs, including the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, Visit Norfolk, Visit Syracuse and Visit Annapolis & Anne Arundel County.   

“What excites me most about this role with Experience Columbus is that I have the opportunity to put myself in the path of progress,” said Adams. “If you see the trajectory that Columbus is on, and the excitement and enthusiasm that those who work and live in Columbus have, you can’t help but to be excited as well. The thought that I have the opportunity to engage this community and do my part to help Columbus realize its full potential is why I am so excited for this opportunity. I’m not someone who will watch this progress from afar, I will live in this city and immerse myself in its culture. What an amazing opportunity.” 

Adams is an active member of several industry associations, including Meeting Professionals International (MPI), American Society of Association Executives (ASAE), Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) and the Association of Meeting Professionals (AMPs). He holds a bachelor's degree in marketing and management from Fairmont State University in Fairmont, W.Va., and is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Adams will begin in his role at Experience Columbus on Sept. 8, 2025.   

About Experience Columbus 
Experience Columbus is the destination marketing organization for the Columbus region, dedicated to growing visitor spending and enhancing the visitor experience. Annually, visitors make more than 53 million trips to Greater Columbus annually, spending $8.2 billion and supporting more than 82,500 jobs. For more information, visit ExperienceColumbus.com. 
 

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Media Contacts:  
Leah Berger, APR, ECI: lberger@experiencecolumbus.com | 614-222-6145 
Cameron Walker, ECI: cwalker@experiencecolumbus.com | 610-389-6833