Richard Scharf
President & CEO - VISIT DENVER, The Convention & Visitors Bureau
For more than a quarter century, Richard W. Scharf Jr. has been instrumental in growing all aspects of convention and tourism business in Denver. He has been President & CEO of VISIT DENVER, The Convention & Visitors Bureau, since March 2004, managing a staff of 65 associates, which includes regional offices in Chicago and Washington D.C. With 1,200 private business members and an annual budget of $42 million, VISIT DENVER is a nonprofit association responsible for marketing Denver as a convention and leisure destination. Under Scharf’s leadership, Denver has consistently set new tourism records and welcomed a record 36.3 million visitors in 2022. Travel spending by all visitors to Denver in reached $9.4 billion, beating the previous record of a $7 billion spent in 2019.
Scharf is responsible for greatly enhancing VISIT DENVER’s marketing resources, leading a public vote campaign in 2005 that successfully increased the organization’s marketing dollars. Voters approved the measure by a margin of two to one, resulting in a marketing budget increase for VISIT DENVER of nearly 50 percent. In 2017, he worked with the Colorado Hotel & Lodging Association to create a new Tourism Improvement District, which generates tax revenue that will help pay for a second, $233-million expansion of the Colorado Convention Center and provide incremental marketing dollars.
Scharf has been instrumental in several tourism and convention infrastructure projects for the city, serving as a chief consultant on the $650-million expansion of the Colorado Convention Center in 2004 and playing a major role in the development of Denver’s adjacent 1,100-room Hyatt Regency Convention Center Hotel. As a result of this public investment in the convention complex, more than $1 billion of private new development has occurred in the area, including 4,000 hotel rooms along neighboring 14th Street. Scharf also served on Mayor Wellington Webb’s Convention Center Expansion Task Force, Design Team and Public Art Selection Committee from 1997 to 2003 and on several committees for Mayor John Hickenlooper during his term from 2003-2011.
In 2015, Scharf worked closely with the National Western Association to lead a successful ballot initiative, gaining nearly 70 percent of the public vote to support the complete redevelopment of the National Western complex and the expansion of the Colorado Convention Center. He is currently serving on Mayor Michael B. Hancock’s Center Expansion Advisory Team for the second Convention Center expansion scheduled for a 2023 completion date. In addition, Scharf has consistently provided expertise and support for Denver International Airport’s air service development efforts.
A graduate of Purdue University, Scharf began his career at Hilton Hotels in Chicago. From 1988-1993, he owned a publishing and consulting company representing more than 400 colleges and universities as conference and meeting sites. He joined VISIT DENVER in 1993 and led the sales and marketing team as executive vice president until 2004, before taking on the role of president. Under his supervision, VISIT DENVER has won all of the meeting industry’s top convention service awards for the past 29 years.
In 1999, Scharf was the second person to be inducted into the Colorado Hotel Sales & Marketing Association’s Hall of Fame. Since then he has received numerous awards and recognition for his leadership, including the 2000 Executive Excellence Award, given by the Association of Convention Operations and Management; the 2002 Governor’s Tourism Award; the 2007 Rocky Mountain News’ Business Person of the Year; the 2007 Leadership Award from the Meetings Industry Council of Colorado; an honorary degree for Doctor of Business Administration in Travel-Tourism-Hospitality Management from Johnson & Wales University in 2009; the 2021 Chairman’s Award from the Colorado Hotel & Lodging Association; and the 2022 Chairman’s Award from the Colorado Tourism Office.
Scharf is an active member in a wide array of travel industry associations and community organizations. He served two terms as chairman of the board of the Governor’s Colorado Tourism Office and is a past president of the Tourism Industry Association of Colorado, where he played a significant role in restoring funding for state tourism marketing. Additional board experience includes the Colorado Business Committee for the Arts, Colorado Sports Hall of Fame, Destination Colorado, Metro Denver Sports Commission and the Destination International Foundation. Scharf also served on the Mayor’s and Governor’s Olympic Exploratory Committee as chairman of the Operations Committee and on the 2026 World Cup Bid Committee. In 2023, Scharf served on Mayor Johnston’s DEN transition committee.
Currently, Scharf serves on the board of directors for the U.S. Travel Association, Destination International, Colorado Hotel & Lodging Association, Colorado State University’s Master of Tourism Management, Metro State University’s Hospitality Leadership Council, Von’s Vision, the Downtown Denver Partnership and the Denver Police Foundation. He is also a member of Colorado Concern, which is a nonpartisan association of CEOs who work toward solutions to mutual statewide business challenges.
Scharf is sincerely passionate about his city and state, whether at work, or at play. He is ever ready to hike, bike and explore Colorado, while also enjoying time with his two daughters Madison and Graelyn.
