Speaking Engagements
RECENT SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS:
Keynote speaker, “What Today’s Affluent Travelers Want and How to Reach Them via Social Media,” Stash Hotel Rewards Summit, Atlanta, March 2011
Keynote speaker, “What Consumers Want from Travel Specialists in 2011,” and panel moderator, “Top Ten Rules for Harnessing the Power of Social Media,” Condé Nast Traveler Travel Specialists Summit, Las Vegas, January 2011
Speaker, “How to Blog Your Way to New Customers,” Luxury Travel Expo, Las Vegas, December 2010
Speaker, “How to Use Social Media to Influence Travelers,” executive meeting of Kerzner International, Atlantis, The Bahamas, November 2010
Panel moderator, “Good Economics: Spreading the Wealth,” Condé Nast Traveler World Savers Congress, Singapore, October 2010 (panelists: Amy Carter-James, founder, Nema Foundation; Claire Chiang, SVP, Banyan Tree Holdings; Nick Downing, Director of Operations, Ativa Hospitality; Dennis Pinto, Managing Director, Micato Safaris)
Panelist on “Best Practices for Using Social Media,” Annual Meeting of Ritz-Carlton Owners and General Managers, Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne, Key Biscayne, FL, September 2010
Keynote speaker, “What Today’s Travelers Want … and How to Reach Them,” Charleston Travel Council Annual Luncheon, Charleston, S.C., June 2010
Panelist, “International Travel Blogging,” Canada-e-Connect Canadian Tourism Online Strategy Conference, Montreal, January 2010
Keynote speaker and panel moderator, Conde Nast Traveler‘s Travel Specialists Awards Lunch, NYC, October 2009 (panelists: Pamela Conover, CEO, Seabourn Cruise Line; David Cush, CEO, Virgin America; Mariano Salvador, Vice-Minister of Tourism, Ecuador; Victoria Treyger, CMO, Travelocity)
Panelist, “Changing Media Trends,” Society of American Travel Writers‘ International Conference, Guadalajara, Mexico, October 2009
Panel Moderator, “The Committed Consumer: Engaging Your Guests Now,” Conde Nast Traveler‘s World Savers Congress, NYC, September 2009 (panelists: Carmen Baker, VP of Responsible Travel, Carlson Hotels; Richard Edelman, CEO, Edelman PR; Niki Leondakis, COO, Kimpton Hotels; Gregg Michael, CEO, Crystal Cruises; Bruce Poon Tip, CEO, Gap Adventures)
Onstage Interview, “A Day in the Life of a Multimedia Travel Journalist,” and Panelist, “How to Use Social Media,” Book Passage Travel Writers’ Conference, Corte Madera, CA., August 2009
Panelist, “Travel Journalism vs. Blogging,” Travel Blog Exchange Conference, Chicago, July 2009
Speaker, “Smart Ways to Use Social Media,” Ritz-Carlton executive team, Bethesda, MD., June 2009
Keynote Speaker, “How to Balance Print and New Media and Create an Audience with Social Media,” Society of American Travel Writers’ Editors Council Meeting, Washington, D.C., March 2009
PAST SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS INCLUDE:
“Secret Travel Tips,” Yankee Dental Congress, Boston, MA., February 2008
Guest lecturer on travel trends, aboard Silversea Cruises in the Mediterranean, June 2007
Keynote speaker on travel trends, Virtuoso Overseas Symposium, Hong Kong, February 2003
Guest lecturer on “Secret Travel Tips,” aboard Regent Seven Seas Cruises from Lima to Ushuaia, January 2002
Guest lecturer on “Secret Travel Tips,” aboard Windstar Cruises from Athens to Monte Carlo, October 2000
“Travel and the Experience Economy,” International Council of Shopping Centers Conference, Orlando, July 2000
Guest lecturer on travel trends, aboard Crystal Cruises from Sorrento to Barcelona, June 1999
Keynote speaker on travel trends, Virtuoso Overseas Symposium, Cape Town, January 1999
“Secret Travel Tips,” Harvard Club of New York, NYC, April 1998
“Secrets Every Smart Traveler Should Know,” Barnes & Noble at Broadway & 66th St., NYC, February 1997