My name is Roberto Luis Vigoreaux and I was accepted into Destinations International’s 30 Under 30 2019 program. This program has had a huge impact on my career, and I’m sure I’ve yet to see the full impact of being a part of the 2019 class.

For starters, I attended the Destinations International’s Annual Conference in St. Louis, Missouri, where both the conference and the visit to this city were first-time experiences for me. It’s such a great city with wonderful landmarks – like the Busch Stadium and the Gateway Arch, which I was able to go up and enjoy the fantastic views.

The conference itself was a real eye-opener for me. I learned so much about other DMOs, from how they operate to the different amount of people in each team. Regardless of the organization’s size, every team member I spoke with was friendly, approachable and more than happy to share their work experiences with me. 

As a 30 Under 30 inductee, I had the chance to not only spend time with my fellow classmates, but other industry leaders throughout the different scheduled activities like Q&A and Meet & Greets, gaining firsthand valuable knowledge that I wouldn’t be able to obtain otherwise.

As if all these experiences weren’t enough, I had the privilege of being chosen to attend the Destination Business Events 2019 Conference in Melbourne, Australia. My attendance was sponsored by the Destinations International Foundation and the Association of Australian Convention Bureaux (AACB). There, I was able to make even more connections and acquire a wealth of information from Australian CVB professionals.

This is only the beginning of all the development opportunities to come as a part of the 30 Under 30 class of 2019. This recognition will forever be a milestone in my career and I’ll always recommend the program as an invaluable career growth experience to any young professional who aims to become an industry leader.