Jorge Franz is Senior Vice President of Tourism and Industry Relations for Houston First Corporation. He is a 20+ year veteran at the company and oversees three departments including, the Tourism department, the Houston Film Commission and the Event Services department.
The Tourism Department is tasked with promotion and sales of Houston as a leisure destination to the travel trade industry in both domestic and international markets. The department oversees various initiatives designed to help promote Houston to potential visitors like the Houston Marketplace, the Houston Insider Program and Around Houston, a partnership with 15 destination marketing organizations near Houston. They also plan and execute the largest educational event for Houston’s hospitality sector.
The Houston Film Commission is responsible for marketing and promoting the greater Houston area to producers, production executives, and independent filmmakers as a film/TV/media production destination. This includes maintaining and providing industry resources such as a location database, crew directory, job board, and acting as a liaison to facilitate any production's local filming experience.
Lastly, he oversees the Events Services Department which is tasked with the management of internal events for the company.
Mr. Franz most recently served as President of the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau, where he oversaw operations of the organization as well as interaction and value delivery for their 820 members. During his tenure, he oversaw the transition and re-brand of the organization to the Houston Hospitality Alliance, the largest association of hospitality professionals in Houston.
Mr. Franz is very active in the Tourism sector. He currently serves on Expedia’s Media Solutions Select Board, is the Vice Chair of the Texas Travel Alliance and is on the board of the Texas Association of Convention and Visitor Bureaus. He is also a Past Chair of the Governor of Texas’ Tourism Advisory Committee.
Mr. Franz was born in Santiago, Chile and has lived in Chile, Venezuela, Spain and the United States. He has also represented Houston personally all around the world, working closely with multiple Houston mayors to attract visitors to Houston. He is married to Holly and they have a beautiful nine-year old boy named Ethan.