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| John McMahon, vice president and group publisher of the Travel + Hospitality Group, welcomes attendees of the Luxury Travel Expo Advisory Board in New York. |
On May 2, we welcomed more than 60 travel industry leaders during the annual Luxury Travel Expo Advisory Board meeting at Trump SoHo in New York. Attendees met with the goal to guide the programming for the 13th annual Luxury Travel Expo being held December 6-8, 2011, at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.
The day kicked off with a welcome note from David Chase, general manager of Trump SoHo, who spoke about the importance of the group for luxury hotels and the luxury travel industry overall. Inputs from past show attendees and readers were discussed. Advisory Board members reviewed survey responses while suggesting speakers for both the general and breakout sessions.
Based on the feedback from the travel advisors coupled with the contribution from the attending travel executives, this year’s programming will deliver content that will empower attendees to implement what they’ve learned and increase their revenue from this profitable niche. Stay tuned as we reveal the 2011 program in the coming weeks!
Thank you to the 2011 Luxury Travel Expo Advisory Board for lending their expertise to this year’s educational program. You will find below that the ideas for our show truly come from the industry’s best.
Luxury Travel Expo Advisory Board Members
Advisory Board participants included: Diana Adamson Arias, director of sales, Corporate and Travel Industry, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts; Priscilla Alexander, president and founder, Protravel International; Jody Bear, principal, Bear & Bear Travel; Cheryl Bennett, vice president of travel industry sales, Viceory Hotel Group; Greg Bernd, co-president, Classic Vacations; Ellen Bettridge, vice president, retail travel network, American Express; Marilyn Conroy, executive vice president, David Morris International; Isaac Cymrot, director of sales and industry relations, Travel Insured International; Donnie Dawson, deputy director of tourism, sales/USA and Latin America, Jamaica Tourism Board; Greg DeClemente, managing director, Courtyard Travel; Nathan Devore, vice president, Protravel International; Christine Duffy, President, Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA); Stacy Fischer-Rosenthal, president, Fischer Travel Enterprises; Donald Foste, director of sales and marketing, the Americas, Harlequin Hotels and Resorts/Buccament Bay Resort; Gina Gabbard, vice president of leisure sales, Tzell Travel Group; Barbara Gallay, president, New York, FROSCH; Fay Georgousis, director, Greek National Tourist Office; Suzanne Hall, senior director, marketing and development land programs, Ensemble Travel Group; Paula Hayes, vice president of trade sales, Globus Family of Brands; Gerilyn Horan, director of global sales, North America, Langham Hotel Group; Jeff Lanzarotta, account director, global retail leisure and luxury Sales, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide; Lara Leibman, executive vice president, FROSCH; Sean Lynch, director of sales, Trump SoHo New York; Jon Makhmaltchi, vice president of worldwide sales, Small Luxury Hotels of the World; Jack Mannix, founder and principal, Jack E. Mannix & Associates; Kier Matthews, vice president of travel industry sales, Europe Express & Brian Moore International Tours; Ignacio Maza, executive vice president, Signature Travel Network; John McMahon, vice president/Group Publisher, The Travel + Hospitality Group; April Murena, regional director of national accounts, Loews Hotels; Joan Novack, owner, Majesty Travel; Laurie Palumbo, chief operating officer, Island Destinations; Dennis Pinto, president, Micato Safaris; Becky Powell, vice president, member sales and service, USA and Canada, Virtuoso; Martin Rapp, senior vice president of leisure sales, Altour; Pilar Rios, area director, sales and marketing, Banyan Tree México; Alexis Romer, vice president of travel industry, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, LLC; Colleen Schmitz, director of luxury sales, MGM Resorts International; Ryan Sieroty, director global accounts, consortia, retail leisure and luxury sales, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts/Raffles Hotels & Resorts/Swissôtel Hotels & Resorts; Kenan Simmons, vice president of sales, The Leading Hotels of the World; Gary Stevens, vice president of leisure sales and marketing, Leaders in Travel; Kathy Sudeikis, vice president of corporate relations, All About Travel; Ruthanne Terrero, vice president/editorial director, The Travel + Hospitality Group; Roy Twiste, managing director sales, Tzell Park Avenue; Ken Watson, chief operating offi, Silversea Cruises; Valerie Wilson, chairman and CEO, Valerie Wilson Travel; Jennifer Wilson-Buttigieg, co-president, Valerie Wilson Travel; Julie Zadeh, managing director of travel trade marketing, Hawaii Visitors & Convention Bureau; and Scott Wiseman, president, Abercrombie & Kent.
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| Kathy Sudeikis of All About Travel was among the nearly 50 Luxury Travel Expo Advisory Board members in attendance. |
Other advisory board members include: Ralph Aruzza, vice president sales and marketing, Rosewood Hotels & Resorts; Chris Austin, vice president of global customer partnerships, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide; Joshua Bush, vice president, Park Avenue Travel; Peter S. Carideo, president, CRC Travel; Tom Civitano, vice president of sales and marketing, Jumeirah Group; Roselyn Cosentino, chief marketing officer, Luxe Worldwide Hotels; Terry Dale, president and chief executive officer, United States Tour Operator Association (USTOA); Larry Dessler, executive director, Niche Cruise Marketing Alliance; Jeff Drew, senior vice president of sales, Oceania Cruises; Kathy Falkensammer, president, Prestige Travel; Ed Fioravante, sales executive, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority; Richard Harper, executive vice president of sales and marketing, MGM Resorts International; Malaka Hilton, president and CEO, Admiral Travel; Maureen Jones, president, All Horizons Travel; Don Jones, vice president corporate and travel industry sales, Americas, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts; Stephen McGillivray, chief marketing officer, Travel Leaders Group; Rick Meadows, executive vice president, Holland America and president, Yachts of Seabourn; Anne Morgan Scully, president, McCabe World Travel; Terry Morrison, vice president of sales and marketing, MLT Vacations; Mary Ann Ramsey, president and owner, Betty Maclean Travel; Andrew Rein, sales manager, Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts; Lee Robinson, vice president of field sales, Princess Cruises and Cunard Line; Bob Romano, partner, Fugazi Travel Agency; Leslie Rotkel, travel consultant, Leaders in Travel; Navin Sawhney, senior vice president of sales and marketing, Tauck World Discovery; Nancy Strong, CEO, Strong Travel Services; Andy Stuart, executive vice president of global sales and passenger services, Norwegian Cruise Line; and Ian Swain, president, Swain Tours.
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| Martin Rapp, senior vice president of leisure sales, Altour, introduces himself to the group. |