Q&A with CVB President Zac Craig: 'We've put so many fantastic assets in place'

By Nate Fisher / Economy / April 7, 2021

Editor's note: VeloCity recently sat down with the CVB's new president to hear his thoughts on selling OKC, the assets we have invested in and their ability to lead our visitor economy into recovery and more. A version of this story also recently appeared in the April edition of The Point.

VeloCityOKC: Tells us a little bit about yourself, your background and your career prior to this position.

Zac Craig: I was born and raised in Shawnee, and Seminole, just east of the city, so I call this area home. For the last 20-plus years, I've worked in the hotel and resort business in a variety of markets. Most recently I was the area director of sales and marketing for Omni hotels and resorts, based in Atlanta. And I had sales and marketing oversight for a territory that spanned across the Southeast. So that went from New Orleans to Northern Florida up through the Carolinas.

What made OKC and this position attractive to you?

I have always been a big cheerleader for this destination. The fabric of this city has been, and will always be, a part of me. As I look back in time from all the successes that we've had -- from the original MAPS projects, to the Thunder relocating here, to most recently the passage of MAPS 4 -- I've always been cheerleading for the destination. So, when this opportunity came up, to me, it was really a dream to be able to take on the lead role in the sales and marketing efforts to grow our visitor economy.

What are your main goals for OKC’s visitor economy as you take the helm of the CVB?

I think the overall goal is to extend our reach to a national audience. You know, we call ourselves “The Modern Frontier,” and we call ourselves that because of not only the rich heritage of the destination, but also the progression of our city. As we look back over the last 30 years, we’ve put so many fantastic assets in place. Oklahoma City is really the only destination that you can go to and start your morning at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum and relive the tales of the American West, but then, later in the same day, if you dare, go down to the northern bank of the Oklahoma River and take on Class III or Class IV rapids at the Boathouse District and enjoy that experience. And so, such diverse assets and the potential experiences they bring throughout the city is what's really appealing, and what we need to continue to push to not only a regional audience, but also to a national audience.

"You can spend an evening and enjoy wonderful, authentic Vietnamese cuisine in our Asian District, and on the same weekend, take the whole family to the Adventure District and enjoy all the wonderful assets that we have to offer a family in that area. There are so many of those opportunities that I personally can't wait to enjoy and explore and rediscover with my family, but also take those to the market."
-Zac Craig

What do you think is most unique and exciting about OKC as a destination for tourist groups, conventioneers, and clubs and organizations alike?

"Oklahoma City is really the only destination that you can go to and start your morning at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum and relive the tales of the American West, but then, later in the same day, if you dare, go down to the northern bank of the Oklahoma River and take on Class III or Class IV rapids at the Boathouse District and enjoy that experience. And so, such diverse assets and the potential experiences they bring throughout the city is what's really appealing, and what we need to continue to push to not only a regional audience, but also to a national audience."
-Zac Craig

I think every one of those segments really has its individual answer, but to create a macro perspective that’s maybe geared more toward the conventioneer, we've got such a unique footprint for conventions where folks don't need to get on buses and travel to hotel rooms that look the same as every other destination that you go to. In Oklahoma City, you find a variety of hotel offerings that include wonderful historic hotels that we have throughout the city. In addition to that, we have such a strong and entrepreneurial business community. One of the advantages of bringing a convention to Oklahoma City is that you get to learn from our local thought leaders. And with some of the things that the Chamber is involved in like the Innovation District, folks will be able to get firsthand knowledge from the most experienced experts in different fields, whether it be energy, or aviation or bioscience, they can come and have dialogue and sidebar conversations with as they're enjoying a convention in our wonderful destination. I think that's something noteworthy and it needs to be pointed out.

What are some of the tourism and convention assets we have to sell to potential visitors and visiting groups that locals may not be aware of?

I think first is the diversity of our neighborhood districts -- and I think that's for our visitors, but also for our residents – the experiences you can have are great. You can spend an evening and enjoy wonderful, authentic Vietnamese cuisine in our Asian District, and on the same weekend, take the whole family to the Adventure District and enjoy all the wonderful assets that we have to offer a family in that area. There are so many of those opportunities that I personally can't wait to enjoy and explore and rediscover with my family, but also take those to the market.

I’m also currently living on the south side of the city, and I’ve enjoyed several authentic Mexican restaurants throughout the area, and I'm excited about the synergies that are going on in the Capitol Hill District, as well as the restaurant community on the south side of Oklahoma City in general. And I look forward to exploring that more as well.

Photo: Lori Duckworth

And I’ll share this with you -- I'm really excited about this. A couple weeks ago, I got a chance to go behind the scenes and get a first look at the First Americans Museum, and it's going to be amazing. And it really is going to take you on the journey of the trials and tribulations of the 39 distinct tribal groups that call Oklahoma home today. I can't wait for the opening of that attraction later in the fall, and I look forward to taking that to market as well.

What are you most excited about when it comes to OKC’s future when it comes to our visitor economy?

First, we are laser focused on the entire Oklahoma City metro area, but certainly we have to underscore the importance of our beautiful brand new convention center and the ability to open new doors with that asset. The combination of the Convention Center, along with what I like to call our “front yard” with Scissortail Park, and the streetcar with access to all of our downtown Oklahoma City neighborhoods really creates an unparalleled experience for our conventioneers. And we're really looking forward to taking that back to market as well as we recover from the pandemic.

Tell us a little about “The Modern Frontier Beer” and what you are looking forward to doing with that project.

It’s exciting. This was a unique opportunity for us to partner with Homeland grocery stores and for them to assist us statewide in this partnership, in creating our own individualized beer called The Modern Frontier to highlight all the great progressive offerings that Oklahoma City has to offer, as well as the emerging craft brewery scene right here in Oklahoma City. And this is such a value add for visitors, especially with the summertime approaching, to come in, enjoy all the great attractions that we have. and then also go down to one of these craft breweries and get a refreshing lager after a job well done exploring the town. And the launch edition spring lager brewed by Anthem Brewing is great, and there will be more to come as we help feature different OKC breweries.

Anything else exciting coming down the line you’d like our readers to know?

There’s one thing that I'm just finding out about, and I'm very intrigued by it, and I think our readers would be interested in it if they don't already know, and that’s the new shrine dedicated to Blessed Stanley Rother. If you aren’t aware of it, it's a very intriguing story. The shrine was just topped out, and the first phase of that wonderful building is going to open up next summer. And it's really a dedication to a life of good deeds by a priest that was from this area -- originally from Okarche -- that really served the country and the people of Guatemala and unfortunately perished due to his convictions. And so in honor of all he did, that shrine will open up next summer and we look forward to continued exposure of not only the shrine in itself, but also the fact that he is the first U.S.-born martyr to be beatified. It is really interesting and intriguing, and I just want to be sure our audience knows about that.

A version of this story originally appeared in the April edition of The Point.

Q&A with CVB President Zac Craig: 'We've put so many fantastic assets in place'

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