You Belong in Every Room: Leadership Lessons from Birmingham’s Dan Williams

What does it take to lead a destination in today’s tourism landscape?

In this episode of Business Class, Stephen sits down with Dan Williams, President & CEO of the Greater Birmingham Convention & Visitors Bureau, for a conversation that goes far beyond marketing and metrics.

Dan shares his journey from Cleveland to Columbus to Birmingham—and how a shift in perspective during COVID transformed his leadership style from performance-driven to people-centered. Today, he leads with empathy, prioritizing trust, communication, and his team's well-being.

They explore:

• Why trust is the most important word for community alignment
• How Birmingham is redefining itself beyond outdated perceptions
• What empathetic leadership looks like in practice
• Why tourism should be fun, human, and deeply connected to community
• And the advice Dan would give his younger self: “You belong in every room.”

This is a conversation about leadership, culture, and the power of seeing people—not just performance.

Business Class is brought to you by Learn Tourism, the nonprofit academy - harnessing the power of science, business psychology and adult education to advance the tourism industry and build sustainable economies. Learn how to engage your community, win over stakeholders and get more visitors at learntourism.org.

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