Steve Dieterichs, executive director of the Abilene Chamber of Commerce Downtown Initiative, was presented his credentials as a Certified Tourism Executive (CTE) at the conclusion of the 2018 session of Travel & Tourism College, a program of the Texas Travel Industry Association (TTIA).

In addition to completing the coursework, Mr. Dieterichs also completed a capstone project required for the certification designation. The project detailed his contributions to culinary tourism in the Granbury area, as a founding principal of Acton Local Market.

“Entering into alumni status is bittersweet,” Dieterichs said. “I’ll miss the intensity of the training, but at the same time, I’m excited to apply the skills in my new leadership role in downtown Abilene. As downtown becomes a better place for visitors, destination marketing will become more and more important.”

Travel & Tourism College (TTC) provides participants with an intensive professional education full of marketing, leadership and management courses taught by college professors and seasoned travel and tourism professionals from around the country.

“I am amazed by the amount of innovative solutions and ideas that I was able to add to my skill set over these past three years,” Dieterichs said. “The Granbury CVB’s 2015 TAMI and Marcom Award-winning advertising campaign was a direct result of a session I attended my freshman year.”

Over the past three years, Mr. Dieterichs attended TTC courses that covered such topics as the emotional IQ of today’s marketing campaigns, hands-on strategies for handling any crisis situation, how to create eco-friendly, sustainable tourism products, management excellence, positively outrageous customer service, essential strategies for tourism marketing success, and how relationships affect advocacy and engagement.

“With this CTE designation, Steve has taken his career a step further, increasing his knowledge and expertise in all aspects of travel & tourism marketing and management,” said David Teel, President/CEO, Texas Travel Industry Association. “He has increased his knowledge on current trends in the travel industry, social media and research, and is prepared to take on new and larger responsibilities within the travel industry.”