Julie Kirkpatrick has been named President and Chief Executive Officer of meetNKY|Northern Kentucky Convention and Visitors Bureau. Kirkpatrick, who joined meetNKY in 2014, has been holding both roles on an interim basis since the retirement in June of Eric Summe.
Julie Kirkpatrick
“This year has been tremendously challenging for the tourism and hospitality industries,” said meetNKY Board Chairman John Ellison, the general manager of the Hofbrauhaus in Newport. “The meetNKY Board is confident that Julie is the right person to lead the organization through this difficult time and into the future.”
“She has the strategic leadership experience, she knows the industry and the challenges it is facing, she knows the community, and she’s been doing an exceptional job. The Board could not have made a better choice.”
Kirkpatrick previously served as the organization’s Vice President, Sales & Marketing. She has guided meetNKY’s brand position and revenue generation efforts, including the development and launch of Northern Kentucky’s bourbon tourism brand, The B-Line. Under her leadership, meetNKY boasted record-breaking years in hotel occupancy and overall economic impact in the destination. Prior to joining meetNKY, Kirkpatrick had a successful more than 20-year career with several hotel brands.
“I am honored to be chosen to lead this organization and am humbled by the trust of our board, Judge Executives, cities leadership and our partners,” said Kirkpatrick, a resident of Taylor Mill. “While this year has been incredibly hard for our industry, I have strong faith that we will recover. We’ve rolled up our sleeves and are working hard to make it happen.”
“I especially want to thank the staff of meetNKY for their guts and grit in getting this industry restarted,” she said. “They are passionate people who love NKY and can’t wait to see it thrive again.”
The mission of meetNKY is to serve as an aggressive destination sales, marketing, and service organization whose primary responsibility is to positively impact the Northern Kentucky economy through conventions, meetings, and visitor expenditures. The tourism industry in NKY is a vibrant part of the economy in the Cincinnati region that generates more than $5 billion of economic impact and supports over 77,000 jobs.
