Jeff Guaracino led VISIT PHILADELPHIA for three years, until his passing in December 2021. Throughout his tenure, Jeff forged innovative and creative partnerships with organizations like the James Beard Foundation, Live Nation, Comcast/NBCUniversal and the City of Philadelphia. He also brought with him significant crisis-management experience, which guided his work with a cross-functional team of municipal, regional, and state leaders to rebuild the hospitality and tourism sector in the wake of the COVID- 19 pandemic.

Under Jeff’s leadership, VISIT PHILADELPHIA continued driving leisure tourism throughout the pandemic through omni-channel marketing efforts, including Philly Live Weekends, a collaboration with NBC Philadelphia; Love + Grit, a Philly podcast focused on diverse Philadelphia stories; a Black- and Brown-owned business initiative; and marketing campaigns ranging from “Our Turn to Tourist,” which drove regional spending at the height of the lockdown, to : “Pack Light. Plan Big. For Philly.,” which promoted visitation as the city and region reopened.

Jeff was part of the team that created two of VISIT PHILADELPHIA’s best known marketing campaigns including “Philly’s More Fun When You Sleep Over” campaign and the ground breaking “Get Your History Straight and Your Nightlife Gay” campaign.

Jeff was a founding member of and vice-president of the dmhFund.