Henry Brings National Perspective In Leading Island’s CVB

By R. Daniel Cavazos

Blake Henry is a veteran of the hospitality industry and brings national experience to the job as director of the SPI Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Blake Henry's career in hospitality has taken him to both coasts and now south to the tip of Texas.

The Rochester, N.Y., native is an industry vet who began his career at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, working for the LA Kings of the National Hockey League. Henry was also the general manager of the Nokia Theater and the Best Buy Theatre in New York City. His most recent job before coming to South Padre Island was serving as general manager of the Kentucky International Convention Center in Louisville.

Henry is currently a few weeks into his newest job as the director of the South Padre Island Convention & Visitors Bureau. The planned renovation of the CVB's venue is among the factors that attracted him to South Padre. He views the facility's planned upgrade as a springboard to bring new opportunities to the Island.

"I see this Island as set for tremendous growth," Henry said. "I'm looking forward to building partnerships so that we're all on the same page as we go about attracting business and raising national awareness for the Island."

Setting Priorities

In Louisville, Henry took charge of the convention center in the recent aftermath of the venue receiving a $200 million-plus renovation.

His experience in leveraging the Louisville improvements into new opportunities should serve him well at South Padre. The convention center's improvements are still in the planning stages as Henry begins work with his board and the community to refresh and reset the facility. In his CVB office, Henry enthusiastically listed some of his top priorities for convention center improvements.

He wants more space for the performing arts in seeing cultural events as a focal point in drawing more visitors to the Island during off-season months. 

The City of South Padre Island is currently engaged in a study to renovate and expand the CVB's Convention Centre.

The same can be said for sports events and Henry specifically mentioned working closely with the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley on opportunities relating to college basketball. He would also like to increase the number of cheer and dance events. Another area he mentioned was tapping into the Valley's growing health care industry in attracting hospital groups to the Island for company meetings and conferences.

"The late August to mid-January (time) area would be a great fit to bring more of these cultural and sports events here as well as medical (meetings)," Henry said. "There are things we can do in those off-season months that would benefit everyone on the Island."

The CVB is a focal point in bringing visitors and business-related tourists to South Padre Island.

Building Partnerships

A splash of good news greeted Henry in taking his new job on the Island.

The Texas Travel Awards named South Padre Island as its Destination of The Year. Henry wants to build off the Island’s strong brand in Texas in making investments and marketing effectively in gaining better national awareness of what South Padre has to offer.

"You get more bang for your buck here than, say, going to Florida," he said. "We offer an itinerary beyond the beach experience. We have great fishing, ecotourism with birding, to go with our history and arts here."

The city of South Padre Island's most recent annual report states that the CVB booked 17,261 group room nights in 2021. 

The report also noted that the city is engaged in a Convention Centre Expansion Feasibility Study and Business Plan. The study projects that an expansion of the Convention Centre could bring an 82 percent increase in direct and indirect revenues within five years, the report said.

In the midst of the planning, Henry is looking forward to partnering with hotel and restaurant owners and rental business interests to boost the quality of hospitality across the board on the Island.

"What we can do collectively matters," he said. "We all know customer service is key. We'll work together to improve our game when it comes to hospitality."

New CVB Director Blake Henry hopes to bring more sports and cultural and performing arts events to the Convention Centre. 

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