Kristen Adamo
President/CEO
Providence Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau
AWARD PROFILE
Courageous Thinking and Actions
Kristen Adamo has long been a champion of the hospitality industry and the cities of Providence and Warwick. In her role as President & Chief Executive Officer of the Providence Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau (PWCVB), Kristen professes to have one of the best jobs she could imagine, as she gets to promote Providence as a top leisure destination, encourage meeting and convention planners to host their events in Providence and Warwick, work with countless small businesses, and converse with the region’s many creative characters.
Working at the PWCVB since 2005, Kristen assumed her current role as president and CEO less than a year before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the entire tourism and hospitality industry. Working closely with local and legislative leaders, the PWCVB Board of Directors, and community businesses and stakeholders, she has successfully led the organization through the pandemic and become a passionate advocate for the support of the Providence area’s tourism community and the city’s downtown.
Vision and Innovation
During Kristen’s tenure with the PWCVB, the organization developed a cohesive destination brand, launched such successful marketing initiatives as Providence Restaurant Weeks, has seen Providence named “America’s Favorite City” in Travel + Leisure magazine, and won an Outstanding Sports Marketing award from the National Association of Sports Commissions.
Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kristen has led marketing efforts to attract visitors to Providence’s downtown and encourage Rhode Island residents and professionals to serve as ambassadors, and recommend Rhode Island as a destination for meetings, conventions, conferences or sporting events.
Inspiring Leadership
Kristen leads a staff of dedicated destination sales and marketing professionals responsible for promoting the cities of Providence and Warwick as premier meeting and convention destinations, as well as the city of Providence as a top leisure destination. She has been named one of Providence Business News’ “10 Most Influential People” for 2022 and is an alumna of its “40 Under 40” list of Rhode Island’s most successful young businesspeople. GoLocalProv also named her one of its “21 People to Watch in 2021.” She was honored as Hospitality Ambassador of the Year by the RI Hospitality Association in 2014 and received the Producer’s Golden Circle Award from the RI International Film Festival.
Community Mindedness
Showcasing Providence’s collection of unique and exciting neighborhoods is key to offering an authentic experience to visitors and residents alike. Kristen has overseen the development of historic walking tours throughout many of these neighborhoods and continues to work with neighborhood associations and community leaders to respectfully highlight more underrepresented corners of the city.
Additionally, she currently serves on the boards of the State House Visitor Center, the State Planning Commission, the Roger Williams Park Zoo, the Rhode Island International Film Festival, and StyleWeek Northeast.
JA Mission Moment
“I’m grateful for the opportunity to interact with local students at a time in their lives where messages about collaboration, creativity, and entrepreneurship have a chance to foster new ways of thinking and be acted upon for a successful professional future. Through shadowing and JA Leaders Day, I’ve had the pleasure of speaking with students about how there are no “small jobs” in the hospitality industry because you’re all part of a team with the same goal in minds — to deliver the best experience possible to each and every guest. It’s great to see it really hit home when I can share story after story of real people that have worked their way up from a part-time role to a managerial or leadership position.”