A 'force of nature': Cape Codder honored for lifetime of service in state tourism industry

Patti Lloyd is known in the tourism industry as an energizer bunny, a woman with boundless enthusiasm — and love — for Cape Cod. Lloyd is senior vice president of sales for the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce.

On Tuesday Lloyd received the Larry D. Meehan Award for Lifetime Achievement from Gov. Maura Healey and the Massachusetts Office of Tourism Executive Director Kate Fox at the Governor's Conference on Travel and Tourism.

The award is given in honor of the late Larry Meehan, vice president of media relations and tourism for the Greater Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau. Meehan died in 2012 after a 30-year career promoting Boston around the world. The award recognizes those who have made major contributions to the expansion and vitality of the state’s tourism industry.

"Patti is a shoo-in for this award," Fox said in a telephone call on Monday. "It was not a hard decision to make. She has worked on behalf of Cape Cod and the Islands for 24 years. She has been an amazing advocate for the tourism industry of the region and the whole state."

Lloyd has traveled across the country, as well as Canada, and relayed messages to overseas counterparts that Cape Cod is the place to go for a vacation, wedding, conference, or a place to hold a family, sporting or business event.

Lloyd was hired at the Chamber in 2000 by former CEO Wendy Northcross as an on-the-road salesperson, selling the Cape's restaurants, accommodations and attractions.

"She was keenly important to selling Cape destinations," Northcross said. "She understood the group business, what kind of services they want, what was appropriate to host motor coach tours. Her life's work was Cape Cod."

Peter Pantuso, CEO for the American Bus Association, called Lloyd an amazing ambassador for Cape Cod. Lloyd has been a member and fixture at the association's annual conferences for 28 years, a volunteer and member of the board of directors, he said. This year Lloyd was recognized for her volunteer efforts with the association. That volunteer award is now going to be named after Lloyd, Pantuso said.

"In my estimation there is no finer person than Patti Lloyd," he said.

The association's conference attracted about 3,000 tourism industry partners, including tour and motor coach companies, hotel and restaurant chains, and destination marketing organizations. Whether registering participants or steering people in the right direction, Lloyd was always selling the Cape, Pantuso said. On one day, scheduled seven-minute appointments allowed Lloyd and her colleagues to give their sales pitches to interested clients. Pantuso likened it to a "speed dating environment."

"Every seven minutes Patti would have an appointment to talk with someone about Cape Cod and try to get them to bring their business to the Cape," Pantuso said.

In her remarks yesterday before 450 industry leaders, Healey called the travel and tourism industry a huge economic engine for the state. It generated $25 billion in visitor spending and supported 130,000 jobs statewide in 2022.

On the Cape and Islands, four out of five top industries are tourism-related. Last year the industry brought in $1.3 billion, supported 12,000 jobs and generated more than $89 million in state and local tax receipts, according to the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce website.

The Chamber's CEO Paul Niedzwiecki called Lloyd "an unstoppable force of nature."

"I admire and respect her dedication to everything that makes Cape Cod special and the enthusiasm with which she shares that with the rest of the world.”

Lynne Poyant couldn't agree more. The director of communications for the town of Barnstable said she and Lloyd go back decades.

When Poyant ran the Hyannis Chamber of Commerce in the late '90s, she and Lloyd would "double team" participants at trade shows. The two women got information out to members about accommodations, attractions, and Cape businesses that could handle groups large and small.

"When she gets involved, she's all in," Poyant said. "I'm honored to call her a friend."

Gary Thulander, managing director of the Chatham Bars Inn, echoed that sentiment. He called her a team player who exudes positive energy in every endeavor she undertakes. What sets her apart is the genuine conversations and engagement she has with clients, he said.

"She does whatever it takes," Thulander said in a phone call on Thursday. "She's not really a salesperson. She's just passionate about Cape Cod."

For Lloyd, the most important things are establishing trust and developing relationships with people. She said it was surreal to be chosen for the award because Meehan was her mentor when she first came to the Cape, showing her the ropes and giving her stepping stones in the business.

"Larry Meehan was Mr. Boston," she said. "To get the award was just unbelievable."

It's the latest in a long list of awards LLoyd has earned, including the Massachusetts Hospitality Tourism Award, the Ontario Motor Coach Association Supplier of Distinction, the New England Bus Association Award of Distinction, and Hyannis Main Street Business Improvement District's Citizen of the Year award.

Denise Coffey writes about business, tourism and issues impacting the Cape’s residents and visitors. Contact her at dcoffey@capecodonline.com . 

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Patti Lloyd recognized with Larry Meehan Lifetime Achievement Award