By JAMES FINK
jfink@bizjournals.com | 716-541-1611

It's somehow appropriate that Dottie Gallagher-Cohen sits in a second-story office of a building constructed in 1892.

You see, her office in Market Arcade defines both the immediate and long-term future for the Buffalo Niagara Convention & Visitors Bureau, which she heads.

History and architecture are key factors that she is using to chart its future. It will hit a short-term crescendo this fall when the bureau hosts the annual convention of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The five-day event will help put Western New York on the radar screen of lucrative markets for architecture, preservation, history and cultural tourism.

The city will highlight a long list of assets, including the Darwin Martin House, the H.H. Richardson Towers and the Guaranty Building. But shepherding the effort along with a pool of convention volunteers will be Gallagher-Cohen, who for many years has been one of the region's biggest advocates.

It made perfect sense when, in late 2009, she was recruited from The Buffalo News to lead the CVB as president and CEO. She oversees a staff of 70 full- and part-time workers at the bureau and Buffalo Niagara Convention Center and a $5 million annual budget, of which $3.6 million is directly allocated for the bureau.

This year, it was responsible for booking the equivalent of 150,000 hotel room nights, which translates to an $85 million economic impact. Gallagher-Cohen is looking to increase that number by 10 percent in 2011 and at least 10 percent annually going forward.

Visitor spending in Erie County will likely top $1.2 billion this year. The tourism industry employs 20,000 people in Erie County and 77,000 regionwide. Without the economic impact of tourism dollars, the average Erie County household would pay an additional $450 each year in property taxes.

"Dottie is and was, without a doubt, the best choice and the right choice," said Drew Cerza, founder of the National Buffalo Wing Festival. He also served as interim CVB president until she took over. "When Dottie's name came up, it was almost universal that she was the ideal candidate."

She arrived at the CVB with an impressive resume of regional promotional efforts, including stints at Buffalo Place Inc., Jim Kelly Enterprises and The News.

"There was a lot of pressure put on Dottie from her first day, but she came through with flying colors," Cerza said.

Within six weeks of taking the helm of the CVB and the convention center, Gallagher-Cohen had to help the bureau host the NCAA's men's basketball tournament. That was followed by the Empire State Games and working with the Buffalo Sabres on the World Juniors. She and Paul Murphy, convention center general manager, oversaw a $7 million face-lift of the downtown Buffalo building in the summer, as well.

That's on top of traditional CVB functions such as courting groups and working on a re-branding of Buffalo that the bureau will use to promote the region.

"The one thing I've learned is that everyone wants tourism to be successful," she said.

The savvy and streetwise Gallagher-Cohen did something during her first few months on the job that none of the previous CVB presidents did: She met one-on-one with each of the 15 Erie County legislators and toured their respective districts to see what tourism opportunities were available. Selling the Darwin Martin House is one thing, but what about the Lancaster Opera House or the well-known Earl's diner in Chaffee with its blue-jean table legs?

"I learned quickly there are a lot of places just in the county that the CVB never had on its radar screen," she said. "I'm going to change that."

The mission may sound simple, but executing it is not. The CVB is trying to attract a broad range of groups, but one area where it does need to increase its presence is cultural tourism. The National Trust convention could be a major boost in that effort.

Cultural tourism is an economic driver. According to travel industry statistics, the average cultural tourist will spend $994 per day, while the more traditional tourist spends abut $611.

"What we've got to sell is this fantastic architectural, historical and cultural cluster," Gallagher-Cohen said. "I thought I knew a lot before; I was wrong. This is our opportunity to ‘move the needle.' I think it is up to us (the CVB) to stop talking about ‘talking proud' and convince people they should be proud of what's here."