San Antonio's New Tourism Chief Faces Early Test Amid High-Stakes Conference Setback
As San Antonio welcomes its new tourism chief and prepares to showcase the city to 3,000 event professionals, the sudden postponement of a major cybersecurity conference signals broader industry challenges.
Mario J. Bass, a San Antonio native, took the helm as Visit San Antonio's president and CEO on Monday. He had been serving as interim leader since April.
Bass started his 30-year tourism career in hotel sales and marketing with Marriott International. He worked for the hotel giant across multiple markets before joining Visit San Antonio as chief sales officer. Bass had a brief stint as chief operating officer of Visit Orlando before returning to promote San Antonio in 2024 as executive vice president and chief strategy officer.
'Mario's extensive experience in the tourism industry, coupled with his deep understanding of our community and culture, make him uniquely qualified to lead San Antonio's tourism and hospitality through the current uncertain times,' said Hope Andrade, outgoing chair of the Visit San Antonio Board.
Bass steps into his permanent role as San Antonio faces both immediate opportunities and challenges. The city will welcome approximately 3,000 event professionals for Cvent Connect on June 9-12. The conference is projected to generate $6.8 million in economic impact, up from $6.3 million last year, according to Visit San Antonio. The city will be eager to convince the many planners attending to bring their events to Texas.
Cvent Connect is returning to San Antonio, following several years in Las Vegas. However, Cvent has already announced the event will be heading to Nashville for the 2026 edition.
Last week, San Antonio suffered a significant setback with the postponement of the InCyber Forum. The international cybersecurity conference expected to draw 5,000 attendees June 17-18. Organizers cited unpredictable political and economic conditions in the U.S. as the reason for the delay. The event would have included a trade show and expert panels, and marked the first U.S. edition of the conference.
Visit San Antonio spent more than a year securing the event. The city promotes itself as Cyber City USA due to its strong cybersecurity operations in defense, commercial, and municipal sectors.
"We understand there are variables beyond our control, but are hopeful that economic and geopolitical uncertainty is short-lived so economies, ours and everyone's, can continue to thrive through the engine that is meetings and conventions,' said Bass.
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