John Oros has been selected to succeed Jim Smither as president of the Greater Birmingham Convention & Visitors Bureau. Oros, who assumes his new position August 3, is currently chief operating officer and executive vice president of the Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau, overseeing a staff of 24 convention sales, convention services, sports sales and tourism professionals. Smither is retiring after more than 21 years as head of the Birmingham CVB and after more than 50 years in the hospitality industry. Oros said he will challenge the staff to create new ways to market Birmingham in the changing landscape of convention and tourism sales. “I am excited and honored to be given the opportunity to lead the veteran team at the Birmingham CVB,” Oros said. “I have competed against these professionals constantly over the years, and they have earned my respect as well as the respect of other destination marketing organizations around the country.”
