Dave Lorenz to Lead State Tourism Promotion Efforts

LANSING, Mich. – The Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) today announced Dave Lorenz will serve as Vice President of Travel Michigan, effective immediately. Lorenz has been serving as Acting Vice President since June.

“Our statewide tourism efforts are helping to grow the economy, while also highlighting the vibrant communities that make Michigan such an attractive place to both live and travel,” said Steve Arwood, Chief Executive Officer of the MEDC. “Dave has been a champion of the tourism industry and under his steady leadership the Pure Michigan campaign will continue to build on its success and find innovative ways to increase tourism throughout Michigan.”

As Vice President of Travel Michigan, Lorenz will be responsible for leading the state’s tourism branding, advertising and public relations efforts; overseeing the award-winning Pure Michigan tourism campaign; and, coordinating overall efforts of the Travel Michigan organization.

Lorenz, who has been with Travel Michigan for more than a decade, most recently served as Industry Relations and International Marketing Manager for Travel Michigan. In that position he was responsible for managing marketing efforts in the United Kingdom, Germany and China as well as efforts in packaged travel, conventions and meetings, industry relations and sports-event promotion.

Prior to joining Travel Michigan in October 2002, Lorenz served as Manager of Partnerships and Promotions, for Meijer, Inc. where he was responsible for facilitating collaborative marketing programs with key consumer goods manufacturers such as Nabisco, Kraft, Kellogg’s, General Mills, Coca-Cola, Disney and Mattel. Lorenz attended Western Michigan University. He lives in Norton Shores with his wife, Roberta.

“This is such an exciting time for Michigan’s tourism industry and I am looking forward to working closely with stakeholders across the state to keep our momentum moving forward,” Lorenz said.

In 2014 – a record breaking year for Michigan tourism – the Pure Michigan tourism campaign was responsible for motivating more than 2.2 million visitors from the Great Lakes region and 1.9 million visitors from across the nation to travel to Michigan. Those visitors spent $1.2 billion at Michigan businesses and paid $85.4 million in Michigan sales tax. Last year, 214,333 jobs were directly supported by tourism activity in Michigan, according to Tourism Economics.

Pure Michigan is a brand representing business, talent and tourism initiatives across Michigan. These efforts are driven by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, which serves as the state’s marketing arm and lead advocate for business growth, jobs and opportunity with a focus on helping grow Michigan’s economy. 

For more on the MEDC and its initiatives, visit: michiganbusiness.org. For Michigan travel news, updates and information, visit michigan.org.