Visit Sarasota County has recognized Mary Bensel, Executive Director of the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, with the first Legacy Star Award at the annual Haley Hall of Fame Awards, celebrating excellence in hospitality and tourism leadership. Presented annually by Visit Sarasota County, the Haley Hall of Fame Awards honor individuals and organizations that demonstrate outstanding contributions to hospitality, tourism, and community excellence. The Legacy Star Award recognizes an individual whose longstanding contributions have profoundly shaped Sarasota’s tourism landscape and elevated the region’s cultural impact. Bensel, who is in her eighteenth season leading the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, has done exactly that — transforming the Hall into one of Sarasota County’s most vital cultural and economic drivers. Since joining the Van Wezel in 2007, Bensel has transformed the theatre into one of Sarasota’s most celebrated cultural landmarks. Under her leadership, the Hall shifted from a projected City of Sarasota subsidy of $1.8 million to generating a surplus and income to sustain programming.

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