CTC-29 to Address 'Caribbean Brand'
OCTOBER 10, 2006. The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) has amassed an impressive line-up of knowledgeable and experienced speakers to deliver insight on timely travel industry issues as part of the programme for the 29th Annual Caribbean Tourism Conference (CTC-29) taking place Oct. 22-25, 2006 on Grand Bahama Island.
The roster of speakers complements the comprehensive programme relating to the conference theme, "Cooperation, Innovation, Rejuvenation: Creating a Brand New Caribbean." "Year after year, our goal is to present an information-rich programme with expert speakers delving into the many topics that are vital to the travel agent and the travel industry community as a whole," said Hugh Riley, CTO's director of marketing for the Americas.
"Our speakers, as well as the content of each MasterClass, session and workshop, are what distinguish the CTC and make it a must-attend event among travel professionals looking to increase their knowledge and impact their bottom line," he added.
The tone for the conference will be set by two powerful speakers, Prime Minister Perry Christie of the Bahamas, who will be at the opening ceremony on Sunday 22 October, and Tracey Weber, the chief operating officer (COO) in North America for Travelocity, who will deliver the keynote address on Monday 23 October.
The conference's first MasterClass, Delivering the Brand Promise, will be moderated by Gary Sain, chief marketing officer and a partner of Yesawich, Pepperdine, Brown and Russell, a marketing, advertising and public relations agency. The other presenters are Gregg Anderson, vice president of Southwest Intrawest; Leon Corbett, advertising and direct marketing officer at VISIT FLORIDA; Susanna Mander, director of brand management of Paradisus Resorts; and Fred Laundsberry, chief executive officer of the Paradise Island Promotion Board.
Conference delegates will also be exposed to "The Changing Channels of Travel Distribution," a MasterClass to be moderated by Joel Chusid, chairman of the Association of Travel Marketing Executives, with Jamie McNair, president of Sabre, Canada; Douglas Kostwoski, a travel agent and president of the CTO South Florida Chapter; Michael Hering, president of SkyAuction and Laura Veglia, Expedia's regional director for the Caribbean serving as presenters.
The final MasterClass of the conference will deal with "Crisis Preparedness, Communications, Recovery" and will be led by Richard Kahn, president of Kahn Travel Communications. The other presenters are Lincoln Marshall; Professor Jill Wykes, vice president of customer service at MyTravel.com; and Esther Buschbaum, principal at Mecca Communications.
Delegates attending the conference will also have a number of workshops from which to benefit, including one on the challenges faced by the airline industry and the technological changes being introduced to simplify the airline business. It will be led by Humberto Rivero, IATA's regional director for the Americas. A workshop entitled Creating Tomorrow's Leaders Today will be conducted by Gregg Anderson and Rodcliffe Robertson, the regional group manager for Sandals. Gerry McGovern, president of Gerry McGovern CO will deal with "Is Your Website Delivering Real Value? and Managing Your Internet Responsibilities. The motivational speaker, Marc Mancini, will address travel agents on Sell for Tomorrow: The Secrets of Non-Manipulative Sales, while Ty Christian of TRC Consulting Group will address Niche Markets - Cultural Heritage View.
Other speakers scheduled to address CTC-29 include Dr. Myles Munroe, president of Bahamas Ministries International; Joachim de Posada, a motivational speaker; Patrick Cozier, secretary general of the Caribbean Broadcasting Union and Peter Davies, chief executive officer of BWIA West Indies Airways Ltd.
CTC-29 takes place Oct. 22-25, 2006 at the Westin and Sheraton Grand Bahama Island Our Lucaya Resort on Grand Bahama Island, in The Bahamas. CTC-29 will provide the opportunity for delegates to participate in the evolution and development of the new "Caribbean" brand, and will also demonstrate how they can benefit from it in ways, which up until now never seemed possible.
The conference will be preceded by meetings of the ministers and commissioners of tourism, the Board of Directors and various CTO committees.
CTC-29 sponsors and supporters include: American Express Company, the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, British Virgin Islands, Cond'e Nast Bridal Group, Cond'e Nast Traveler Magazine, CTO Allied Members, Curacao, Gourmet Magazine, National Geographic Traveler Magazine, The New Yorker, Royal Caribbean International, Travel + Leisure, Turks and Caicos Islands, Visa International and the Westin and Sheraton Grand Bahama Island Our Lucaya Resort.
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