# Louisville Tourism CEO Cleo Battle wins prestigious MPI Industry Leader Award **Published:** 2026-06-16T16:30:47.000Z **Source:** [Lane Report (KY Business)](https://www.lanereport.com/188143/2026/06/louisville-tourisms-ceo-wins-prestigious-industry-leader-award/) **AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) **Canonical:** https://feeds.lexingtonky.news/article/louisville-tourism-ceo-cleo-battle-wins-prestigious-mpi-industry-leader-award LOUISVILLE, Ky. — [Cleo Battle, president and CEO of Louisville Tourism, has been named the 2026 recipient of Meeting Professionals International's Industry Leader Award](https://www.lanereport.com/188143/2026/06/louisville-tourisms-ceo-wins-prestigious-industry-leader-award/), an honor recognizing his decades of service to the hospitality and tourism industry. The award was presented during MPI's World Education Congress this month in San Antonio. [The MPI Industry Leader Award, established in 2015, recognizes individuals who have made a significant impact on MPI and the meeting and events community](https://www.mpi.org/about/awards-and-recognition). Battle was selected for his lifelong contributions to hospitality, his focus on expanding tourism's impact beyond visitor numbers to broader economic and community benefit, and his championing of diversity and representation in the industry. Battle has spent nearly 35 years in hospitality. [He started as a bellman at an Embassy Suites before rising through the ranks at Holiday Inn and Sheraton Hotels, eventually transitioning to destination marketing](https://www.lanereport.com/188143/2026/06/louisville-tourisms-ceo-wins-prestigious-industry-leader-award/). He spent 12 years with the Richmond Convention & Visitors Bureau before joining Louisville Tourism in 2013 as executive vice president. [Battle assumed the CEO role in July 2021](https://www.lanereport.com/143895/2021/07/cleo-battle-steps-into-ceo-role-at-louisville-tourism/). Since Battle arrived at Louisville Tourism, [the number of downtown bourbon attractions has grown dramatically, positioning the city as a walkable and immersive destination for visitors](https://www.lanereport.com/188143/2026/06/louisville-tourisms-ceo-wins-prestigious-industry-leader-award/). [Downtown Louisville now features multiple bourbon distilleries, bars and attractions, including the Evan Williams Bourbon Experience, Old Forester Distillery, Michter's Fort Nelson Distillery and others in the Bourbon District](https://www.gotolouisville.com/downtown-bourbon-experiences/). Battle has been deeply involved in Meeting Professionals International for more than two decades. [He is the Immediate Past Chair of the Board for MPI and serves on the organization's Professional Credential Program Committee](https://www.gotolouisville.com/about-us/speakers-bureau/cleo-battle/). He has also championed workforce development in Louisville's tourism sector, helping to [spearhead the creation of the University of Louisville's first-ever hospitality management program](https://www.lanereport.com/188143/2026/06/louisville-tourisms-ceo-wins-prestigious-industry-leader-award/). As one of the oldest official Destination Marketing Organizations in the country, Louisville Tourism works to raise awareness of the city's attractions globally. [Tourism is the third largest industry in Louisville, supporting 72,000 jobs and contributing an estimated $4.4 billion to the economy, while generating $247 million in state and local tax revenue](https://www.lanereport.com/188143/2026/06/louisville-tourisms-ceo-wins-prestigious-industry-leader-award/). ## Sources - [Lane Report (KY Business)](https://www.lanereport.com/188143/2026/06/louisville-tourisms-ceo-wins-prestigious-industry-leader-award/) - [MPI Awards and Recognition page](https://www.mpi.org/about/awards-and-recognition) - [Lane Report article on Battle becoming CEO](https://www.lanereport.com/143895/2021/07/cleo-battle-steps-into-ceo-role-at-louisville-tourism/) - [Louisville Tourism official speaker information](https://www.gotolouisville.com/about-us/speakers-bureau/cleo-battle/) - [Downtown Louisville bourbon experiences](https://www.gotolouisville.com/downtown-bourbon-experiences/) --- This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from Lane Report (KY Business), enriched with 3 web searches. The original source is available at https://www.lanereport.com/188143/2026/06/louisville-tourisms-ceo-wins-prestigious-industry-leader-award/.