San Antonio native Mario J. Bass took the helm of San Antonio’s president and CEO Monday. He has served as interim leader since April.
Bass started his 30-year tourism industry in hotel sales and marketing at Marriott International. Prior to joining the City of San Antonio, he worked for hotel giants in multiple markets. Bass served as Chief Operating Officer for a visit to Orlando as Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer before returning to San Antonio in 2024.
“Mario’s extensive experience in tourism, coupled with his deep understanding of our community and culture, qualifies him to lead San Antonio’s tourism and hospitality in current uncertain times,” said Hope Andrade, chairman of the visiting San Antonio board.
Bass plays his permanent role as San Antonio faces immediate opportunities and challenges. The city will welcome approximately 3,000 Cvent Connect event professionals from June 9-12. According to data from visiting San Antonio, the conference is expected to have an economic impact of $6.8 million, up from $6.3 million last year. The city will be eager to convince many planners to bring the event to Texas.
After working in Las Vegas for a few years, Cvent Connect will return to San Antonio. However, Cvent has announced that the event will be heading to Nashville for the 2026 edition.
Last week, San Antonio’s postponement suffered a major setback amid the postponement of the Incyber forum. The International Cybersecurity Conference is expected to attract 5,000 attendees from June 17 to 18. Organizers viewed the unpredictable political and economic situation in the United States as the cause of delays. The event will include trade shows and panels of experts and mark the first edition of the U.S. conference.
Visiting San Antonio took over a year to secure the event. The city has promoted itself as a U.S. cyber city thanks to its cybersecurity operations in defense, business and municipal departments.
“We know there are variables beyond our control, but hope that economic and geopolitical uncertainty is short-lived, so the economy, our and everyone’s economy can continue to flourish in the engines of conferences and conferences,” Bass said.
