Loren Christie is the Director of Sales, Canada & International Congress for Business Events Toronto. In this role he oversees a team of account directors who sell to Canadian and International Congress clients. Prior to joining the team he worked with Starwood Hotels & Resorts for 17 years where for the last three years he led the International Congress and Leisure teams as well as the Business Transient teams for the Starwood Toronto Metro market, a group of hotels representing more than 3,000 room nights in the Toronto market. Loren is also a freelance travel journalist and is a recognized expert on travel related issues in the Canadian media.
As Manager of Trade Development at Bannikin Travel & Tourism, a tourism development and PR/marketing firm based in Toronto, Iris Serbanescu is an expert in bringing awareness to under-the-radar destinations, lodges, and DMCs as their representative in the travel trade market. She is passionate about forging sought-after partnerships for her clients, and takes a consultative role in helping them see success in the North American outbound market, through strategic product development and unique positioning campaigns aimed at niche-focused Travel Advisors and tour operators. Iris is most excited about representing IGLTA in Canada and internationally, as co-Ambassador, to support the presence of LGBTQ++ niche through all aspects of the tourism industry. She'd like the industry to view it not just as an afterthought or a separate entity, but as a niche that's integrated into 'mainstream' travel experiences. She's also striving to bring more visibility, both in marketing and in everyday life, to the 'L' in LGBTQ++. Iris holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Wilfrid Laurier University in Canada, as well as a Tourism Management Diploma from Humber College. She is also a founding board member of the Toronto chapter of Young Travel Professionals, a global volunteer-based organization aimed at creating a networking and mentorship space for the next generation of young industry professionals.
Johanne is a multiple-award-winning business leader, international speaker, tireless volunteer and mentor who joined Tourism Toronto in September 2015 as President & CEO. Previously, she enjoyed a 10-year tenure as President of Freeman Audio Visual Canada where she received numerous industry accolades, including the 2014 International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE) Outstanding Achievement in Industry Leadership Award and an induction into Meetings + Incentive Travel’s (M+IT) 2014 Hall of Fame. Before joining Freeman Audio Visual, she spent 18 years in a variety of roles, including finance, operations, purchasing, sales and marketing. Close to Johanne’s heart is a passion for supporting and mentoring women in business. Johanne cofounded Freeman Women’s Development, a program established to advance women as leaders at Freeman and contribute to an environment where the best talent goes to succeed. Most recently, after joining the tourism and hospitality Industry, she co-founded a networking group called WITH IT! Women in Tourism & Hospitality in Toronto.
Maria Cuba is a Massachusetts native who was raised in Puerto Rico with a multicultural background. She is one of Airbnb’s earliest employees and the founder of their Latino Employee Group “Juntos”. Her multiple passions have taken her from Law School to Interior Design School where she cultivated her love for words and the arts.
Maria works as a Global Diversity Lead for Airbnb’s Experiences platform, focused on creating a diverse marketplace and bringing equitable opportunities and representation to all communities. Always a champion of Inclusion, she is committed to nurturing new pipelines for minorities in Tech and believes that Tech is key to social equality.
General Session Presentation - LGBTQ+ Tourism Trends for 2018 and Beyond
Drew Cumpson is owner/consultant of H&D Consulting where he focuses on the inclusion of people living with disabilities in the hospitality and tourism industry. He lives in Kingston Ontario and started his business after suffering a spinal cord injury in Lima Peru in 2011. He is an avid traveler and does not let his disability stop him, after setting a goal to visit all seven wonders at the Summit of Machu Picchu prior to his accident he has since checked off Chichen Itza. He is directing his first documentary this year to document accessible travel as he visits the Coliseum in Rome.
General Session Presentation - Making Travel More Accessible: Addressing Stigma Within Our Community
Kevin is Chief Executive Officer of the Bermuda Tourism Authority, the independent public organisation charged with destination marketing, visitor experience management and enabling investment in the tourism sector out here. Prior to returning to Bermuda in 2016 Kevin was Global Chief Product and Marketing Officer for Worldpay plc, a FTSE 100 financial technology company specialising in global ecommerce across the airline, travel, retail and digital sectors. Before that, Kevin spent 14 years in management consulting first at Monitor Group (now part of Deloitte), and then at Bain & Company where he was a Partner in the Customer Strategy & Marketing practice and a member of the founding team of the South Africa practice. Kevin was the co-founder of the LGBTQ+ networks at both Monitor & Worldpay, the EMEA region head for BGLAD at Bain, is a former board member at Out 4 Undergrad, and has been a speaker on diversity and inclusion at events including EurOUT, Reaching Out MBA and Out Leadership. Kevin and his partner Sean live in Pembroke Bermuda with their much loved and over-indulged dog Charlie.
General Session Presentation - The Intersection of Human Rights and Tourism
Randy Durband is the Chief Executive Officer of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), the UN-created NGO that manages global baseline standards for sustainable tourism. He brings to this leadership position of GSTC a unique blend of skills and experience based on the two career paths he has taken in travel and tourism - twenty-four years in senior leadership positions at tour operators with global operations, plus seven years working for sustainable development in travel and tourism. His first career included serving as President for Travcoa, INTRAV, and Clipper Cruise Lines, (all brands within TUI Group), and Executive VP for Tauck.
He combines knowledge and networks of the travel industry with a passion for sustainability. He served as technical advisor in tourism development projects with UN agencies UNESCO and ILO and other poverty reduction, emerging destinations, sustainable destination development, and cultural heritage tourism.
General Session Presentation - Global Trends in Sustainable Tourism
Juliano Ferrari is the Senior Designer and leads LGBTQ+ Marketing at TGK Travel, a travel agency and tour operator in São Paulo, Brazil. Founded in 1991, TGK’s main goal is to promote unique experiences overcoming the costumers’ expectations among more than 320 itineraries, luxury destinations and optional excursions.
Ferrari started a new business in TGK last year, focused on the LGBTQ+ Tourism. First, joined the IGLTA global network and afterwards, trained the company employees, developed and created the entire communication for this project and has been consulting on new strategies. TGK is the first tour operator to dedicate a specific attention on diversity, equality and respect allied to travel and leisure.
Pior to joining TGK, Ferrari has worked for advertising and design agencies for 10 years. He was born in São Paulo and has lived in London in 2013. In addition, he created and produced events in the gay nightlife in São Paulo, struggling, giving voice and space for the LGBTQ+ community. He owns a collective called "Heteronormadiva" with more 6 drag queens, artists and performers.
Apoorva Gandhi is a dedicated and proud straight ally to the LGBTQ+ community. In his role at Marriott, he shapes and executes an externally focused global strategy to build loyalty and preference from all diverse customers for the Marriott portfolio—including all of their diverse LGBTQ+ guests, families and friends. Marriott consistently earns a 100% perfect score on the HRC Corporate Equality Index, a signal of its strong global policies. This year, significantly, Marriott was the first global hotel leader to endorse the historic United Nations LGBTI Standards of Conduct for Business, aimed to tackle discrimination globally against Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Trans and Intersex People. Apoorva recently served on the board of directors for PFLAG—advocating for the families, friends and co-workers of LGBTQ+ people everywhere and twice was named the co-chair for the annual PFLAG Straight for Equality Gala held in New York City.
Albert M. Herrera has an innate understanding of the luxury travel market, which has elevated him to one of Virtuoso’s most prominent executive positions: senior vice president of the network’s extensive product portfolio. Since joining Virtuoso in July 2004 as the Vice President of Hotels & Resorts, Albert has added cruise lines, tour operators, on-site destination management companies, and tourism boards to the list of key relationships he develops and directs on behalf of the organization. His impressive career spans more than 25 years and his knowledge of the upscale travel business is comprehensive. Under his leadership, Albert’s team manages relationships with more than 1,200 hotels and resorts, 150 on-site destination management companies, 60 tour companies, 30 cruise lines and 80 strategic alliances. He directs staff in Virtuoso’s three U.S. offices: Seattle, Washington; Fort Worth, Texas; and New York City, where he is based. His extensive background in business strategies make Albert an esteemed member of Preferred Hotels’ Advisory Board and Taj Hotels, Resorts and Palaces’ Advisory Board.
Fabrice works on the Free & Equal campaign, an unprecedented United Nations global public education campaign for LGBTQ+ equality. He also leads the UN global LGBTI standards of conduct for Business on tackling LGBTI discrimination which were launched in September 2017. Previously, Fabrice was Senior Country Officer at the World Bank where he worked from 2001 to 2016. At the Bank, Fabrice also managed a "Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Development" grant which provided a first estimate of the economic cost of homophobia and funded socio-economic surveys of LGBTI people. He has authored analyses on Yemen, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Tunisia and provided contributions to the 2012 Gender World Development Report (WDR) and the 2011 Conflict, Security, and Development WDR. He holds a B.A. in economics and management from Dauphine University in Paris and an MBA from American University in D.C. Fabrice is a Trustee of ICWA, which identifies and cultivates rare potential by immersing promising young professionals in the study of a globally important issue. He lives in New York City with twin sons Maxime and Eitan.
Sean is an activist turned entrepreneur as co-founder & President at Hornet. Prior to Hornet, he was a fellow of the World Affairs Council, trustee, and President of the Young Professional International Network. He helps hundreds of organizations leverage technology to expand their impact through his work at the MSM Global Forum; serves on various non-profit boards and committees: UNAIDS, E-CDC, PFLAG and Center for Public Health and Human Rights at John Hopkins; is a founding member of the UN Global Coalition for HIV Prevention and technical advisor to UNDPs and the World Bank LGBTI Index. He leads the impact initiatives of the LGBTQ+ Foundation, which works to leverage the LGBTQ+ Token and the benefits of blockchain technology for the empowerment of the LGBTQ+ community.
General Session Presentations - The Intersection of Human Rights and Tourism
Rika Jean-François holds a Master Degree in Social Anthropology and Iranian Studies with an expertise on ethnic identities, sustainable development and diversity issues from the Free University of Berlin, Germany. She started to work in tourism as a tour guide in Greece, while studying at the University of Crete and as an incoming agent in Athens. Back in Germany she became counselor at the University’s International Academic Exchange Office and travelled as a researcher to Iran, Malawi and Haiti.
Ms. Jean-François obtained an additional qualification in Quality Management, working on the evaluation of development aid workers' education for the German Development Service. Since 2004 she has been with Messe Berlin and vitally developed ITB’s Corporate Social Responsibility. As ITB’s head of CSR she is a passionate speaker at sustainable tourism events internationally. Putting an emphasis on human rights and diversity, she has spearheaded ITB’s implementation of the LGBTQ+ travel segment and was member of the board of directors of the IGLTA (International Gay&Lesbian Travel Association) for 5 consecutive years – currently she serves on the board of the IGLTA Foundation. She is also a board member of PATA (Pacific Asian Travel Association) and The Code, supports many international sustainability committees and is a jury member at several global responsible tourism contests. At ITB, she is also heading business relations in India as well as ITB’s official Partner Country program.
Peter Jordan is a consultant and researcher specialised in the curation and interpretation of consumer trends, for diverse clients from inside and outside the tourism industry. In a career spanning over a decade, he has built a strong reputation for delivering insights on tourism, marketing and consumer trends that are trustworthy, thought-provoking and inspire people to take action. Peter started his career in 2008 creating market trends reports at the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) in Madrid and has also managed research projects at the WYSE Travel Confederation and PATA. Since 2013 he has worked successfully as a consultant in tourism trends analysis, industry education and forward-planning, with a variety of market-leading brands in Europe and Asia. He is a respected author and commentator on LGBTQ+ travel, having authored both editions of the UNWTO's Global Report on LGBTQ+ Tourism produced in collaboration with IGLTA and the IGLTA Foundation, and has spoken at numerous events on the subject.
General Session Presentations - Understanding LGBTQ+ Travel in Europe
Helen Kennedy has held the role of Executive Director at Egale Canada since 2007. She joined the organization with 22 years of experience in politics both as an elected city councillor and a political staffer. Helen is a founding member of Canadians for Equal Marriage, widely regarded as the most influential public policy lobbying campaign in Canadian history. Canadians for Equal Marriage ultimately resulted in Canada being one of the first countries in the world to legalize same-sex marriage.
One of Helen’s major milestones with Egale has been the first national climate survey on homophobia and transphobia in Canadian schools, Every Class in Every School (2012). This was the first national survey of its kind in Canada, and has provided educator and governments across the country with critical findings on bullying faced by LGBTQI2S youth. Egale is currently undertaking a second national climate survey to follow up on changes that have been implemented and whether enough is being done to prevent homophobia and transphobia in Canadian schools.
Helen has delivered training to immigration refugee adjudicators and police services across Canada and the Balkans. At the invitation of the US Department of Defence, Helen consulted with senior Pentagon officials in Washington on the US military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. She is Co-Secretary General of the International Gay, Lesbian, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA). ILGA is a worldwide federation of 1100 member organisations from 110 countries campaigning for LGBTI rights since 1978. Helen is also a member of the Ontario Ministry of Education Student Well Being Committee and Premier Wynne’s Roundtable on Violence Against Women.
Yves Marceau joined G Adventures in 2014, taking on the role of Vice President of Product in late-2017, after running the small group adventure company’s buying division for three years. Both roles place a heavy emphasis on sustainability, as G Adventures prefers to work with locally-owned suppliers in the more than 100 countries it travels to.
Yves has 20 years of experience in the travel and tourism industry; specifically, with non-profit organizations, in product and buying, and hospitality management. Before starting at G Adventures he spent time working at Road Scholar, which was a natural step into travel given his prior 10 years spent in education as a history and French teacher.
Yves has travelled to more than 70 countries and to all continents except Antarctica, which could just be his next choice for a G Adventures tour.
Zack is a Data Specialist for RIWI Corp., specializing in social, cultural, and political research programs. His areas of focus include democracy promotion, LGBTI rights and acceptance, misinformation spread, and economic development. Zack is also the research director for the forthcoming book Teardown: How to Rebuild Democracy From the Ground Up (Penguin Press). Prior to joining RIWI Corp., Zack earned a BA in political science and philosophy from the University of Toronto.
General Session Presentations - LGBTQ+ Tourism Trends for 2018 and Beyond
Trudi Pearce has over 22 years of travel and tourism experience, specialising in Responsible Tourism. Working closely with tourist boards she has delivered expert consultancy services, creating deeper, richer and authentic experiences for the responsible tourist, while ensuring local communities and habitats flourish. Formerly Head of Destination Partnerships for Responsible Travel, Trudi graduated with an MSc in Responsible Tourism Management in October 2016. As a result she launched the Responsible Tourism division at Brighter, making it the first agency in the UK Travel PR and Marketing sector to fully engage in best practice on behalf of their clients. Most recently and relevant to the global plastic issue is Trudi's drive to use the tourism industry as a positive force for change in the reduction of plastic pollution. As a result Trudi is part of a working group of experts to create a Plastic Taskforce to support and find solutions for the UK travel industry.
General Session Presentations - Global Trends in Sustainable Tourism
Dinesh has a 15-year career in advertising at a leading WPP affiliated agency to his credit. Over half of that tenure was spent as an award-winning Creative Director. He was also instrumental in setting up the agency’s digital marketing business. Today he is busy building the Foozoo brand he co-founded with his partner. Having worked on numerous hospitality and travel campaigns, he is equipped with unique insights on Sri Lanka’s travel market, which he then uses to develop meaningful and inspiring travel solutions. Dinesh also draws inspiration from the LGBTQ+ activism he has been involved in throughout his adult life. As a gay and out professional, he has conducted workshops and training sessions for large organizations on the island on topics such as “an inclusive workforce” and “service excellence.” Dinesh and his partner are also actively engaged in environmental protection, animal welfare and charitable causes. These further influence the Foozoo brand and manifest in travel solutions their customers consider life changing!
Thomas Roth, President and Founder, launched Community Marketing, Inc. in 1992, and has served as its President for over 25 years. Tom and his team have developed a spectrum of products and services to skillfully lead the company's global clients to their goals. Tom is now primarily dedicating his industy-leading expertise to head up the Community Marketing & Insights division, which produces the annual LGBTQ+ Tourism & Hospitality Survey and the LGBTQ+ Community Survey, as well as custom consumer research studies for a variety of market leaders. Tom engages in strategic consulting to CMI's diverse cllients in tourism, hospitality, banking, retail, pharmaceutical, beverages, real estate, insurance, government, etc., and conducts educational seminars for corporations and organizations.
General Session Presentation - CMI's 22nd Annual LGBTQ+ Tourism Study: Canadian Travelers
Educational Breakout Session - LGBTQ+ Tourism Research Review, Best Practices & Case Studies
Bernadette Smith is CEO of 14 Stories and the Gay Wedding Institute and award-winning author of three books, including The Business of Gay Weddings: A Guide for Wedding Professionals. 14 Stories, the nation’s leading same-sex wedding planning company, has produced hundreds of LGBTQ+ weddings with couples from around the world. Through the GWI, Bernadette has trained thousands of wedding and hospitality professionals on sales, marketing, and customer service best practices to the LGBTQ+ community.
Bernadette’s expertise has been sought after by the Today Show, National Public Radio, the BBC, the New York Times, CNN, among many others.
General Session Presentations - Lessons Learned Three Yeras Post Marriage Equality in the U.S.
John Tanzella is the President/CEO of the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association. Founded in 1983 with 25 members, IGLTA has grown into the leading global organization dedicated to LGBTQ+ tourism. Since his arrival in 2005, IGLTA membership has increased to more than 75 countries. Prior to joining IGLTA, Tanzella has worked for Delta Air Lines, the Washington D.C. Convention Bureau, and the Human Rights Campaign. He was born in Massachusetts, attended the University of Georgia, lived for three years in Italy and now resides in South Florida. In addition to serving on both the IGLTA Board and the IGLTA Foundation Board, he also serves on the National Stonewall Museum & Archives Board, the advisory board for Atout-France (the National Tourism Office of France), and the LGBTQ+ advisory board for Belmond.
General Session Presentation
Daniela Wagner is Director of International Partnerships for Jacobs Media Group in the UK, where she has had great success expanding their global brand thanks to her commercial creativity and ability to apply her entrepreneurial and interpersonal skills effectively in large corporate and start-up environments. Fluent in both German and French, she has an extensive network of top-level industry contacts around the globe. She is also Director for Europe, Middle East and Africa for PATA, where she is responsible for driving strategic relationships with international institutions and private companies as well as coordinating European PATA chapters, recruiting and retaining members, coordinating key events (including the PATA Advocacy dinner) and securing sponsorship. During ITB Berlin 2018 she was honored at “Celebrating Her,” the third annual Global Awards for Empowered Women in Tourism, for her contributions to the industry.
General Session - Moderator of LGBTQ+ Tourism Trends for 2018 and Beyond
For the past 20 years Laurence has been engaged in various aspects of marketing within the LGBTQ+ space, including developing go-to-market strategies for major brands and travel destinations. He was responsible for the development and execution of the Canadian LGBTQ+ Travel Study on which much of the information on Canadian LGBTQ+ travellers is based. Laurence worked with the International Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce on numerous global business studies, and has executed international management consulting projects in Canada, US, Germany, Netherlands, UK and South Africa. Born in South Africa, he is a graduate of Cornell University and lives in Toronto with his partner and the inevitable cats.
Educational Breakout Session - Insider Tips to Selling Canada
Meg Cale is an LGBTQ+ travel advocate and community educator. Meg and her wife Lindsay run the number one lesbian travel blog in the world, DopesontheRoad.com. Meg’s LGBTQ+ subject matter expertise has been featured in Cosmopolitan Magazine, Glamour Magazine, Go Magazine, Diva Magazine, Out Traveler, Gay Star News, Buzzfeed, Matador Network, Elite Daily, Korea Observer, and India's The Quint. Her passion lives at the intersection of travel, queer culture, and new media. Follow her on Instagram or Twitter @MegCale
Educational Breakout Session - 10 Steps to Building a data-Driven Content Marketing Strategy
Dawn is responsible for building and enhancing MGM Resorts International’s relationships with strategic diversity and inclusion partners at the local, state and national levels as well as the development and implementation of the company’s external diversity and inclusion strategy in support of MGM Resorts’ corporate social responsibility efforts. She also serves as the program administrator for The MGM Resorts Foundation’s annual Women’s Leadership Conference. Prior to joining MGM Resorts, she served as vice president of public affairs for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority where she was responsible for the strategic communications and government affairs agenda for all aspects of the LVCVA’s public affairs initiatives. She serves on the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce Corporate Advisory Council and is the secretary of the Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce Nevada Board of Directors. In 2009, she helped establish Ya Es Hora Nevada, a local coalition of community partners volunteering to hold free citizenship workshops for permanent legal residents. In 2012, HRC honored her with its national “Diversity & Inclusion Leader of the Year” Award.
Educational Breakout Session - Today's Corporate Reputation and Responsibility Imperative
Benjamin Cruzis the speaker for the 34th Guam Legislature, Chairman of the Legislative Committee on Appropriations and Adjudication, and a Retired Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of GuamThroughout his distinguished career, he has been at the forefront of the fight for human and civil rights on Guam. Recognizing that employment is essential to a decent standard of living, the then-Vice Speaker introduced legislation in 2015 to update Guam’s laws and provide basic protections against workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. As a result, Public Law 33-64, also known as the “Guam Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 2015” added sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, and veteran or military status to the list of immutable or protected characteristics that do not inhibit employment opportunities. The former Family Court judge has also doubled down on domestic violence awareness, introducing several critical pieces of legislation that identify the escalating warning signs of domestic assault and punish abusers. Whether it’s cutting unnecessary government spending, increasing the minimum wage for Guam's working poor, or preserving the island, Benjamin's vision for Guam has always remained the same during his 43 years of service: ensure that government works just as hard for the powerless as it does for the powerful.
Educational Breakout Session - Selling Mainstream Travel to LGBTQ+ Travelers
Michael founded McBern Tours & Travel in Mukono, Uganda in 2013 and became an advocate for LGBTQ+ travel safety in a country known for homophobia. That same year, he also established the McBern Foundation to assist the elderly and ill in Mukono. Funds from his tour company help the charity to improve the quality of life for destitute elders, mostly in rural communities. Prior to creating his business, Michael worked in banking and as a sales consultant for Heineken Uganda; he also did post doctoral work in human resource management. Congratulations to Michael, one of this year's proud recipients of the IGLTA Foundation David Martin Small Business Scholarship.
Billy Kolber is the Founder of ManAboutWorld and HospitableMe. He and his team produce a magazine of inspiration and information for gay travelers, and help destinations and brands connect with LGBT+ audiences though content marketing, strategic consulting and LGBTQ+ Sensitivity and Sales training for consumer-facing hospitality professionals. Billy has a BS in Biology from Yale University, and began his travel career managing a round-the-world tour for the Yale Whiffenpoofs. He has visited 61 countries, but still lives in Manhattan, where he was born.
Eva María is a true entrepreneur with over two decades of experience in tourism. She is the founder and co-owner of two companies: Pink Iceland, Iceland's first and foremost award-winning LGBTQIA+ travel and wedding company and Propose Iceland, a brand new proposal planning service which she founded with staff from the Pink Iceland team. Since it was founded seven years ago, Pink Iceland has grown to become Iceland’s biggest wedding planning company with over 500 destination weddings under its belt, never wavering from it’s queer sensibility, stance, branding and approach. This despite tempting offers of investment asking the company to shed its queer image and go “mainstream.” Pink Iceland has received numerous nominations and awards, most notably the Icelandic tourism Innovation Award, presented by the President of Iceland. In addition to being CEO of Pink Iceland, Eva María has taught an Innovation in Tourism course at the University of Iceland and mentored aspiring entrepreneurs. Her passions lie deeply within the queer community and for the past seven years she has been chairwoman of Reykjavík Pride, Iceland's biggest outdoor festival. ?Her favorite quote: "Be the change you want to see in the world.” –Mahatma Gandhi
Educational Breakout Session - Women in Business
Stephanie and Kristen were the first female winners of The Amazing Race Canada. Although they were out in their private lives, as a LGBTQ+ couple, they were initially nervous about how the television audience would view them, but have since received an incredible amount of positive support. After winning the race, Stephanie and Kristen quit their 9-5 jobs in Toronto and set off to travel the world. On a whim, they decided to document and share their travels through YouTube and other social media. Almost two years later and over 14 countries visited, Stephanie and Kristen haven’t stopped since. They love traveling the world, but agree that there is nothing like coming back home to Canada and appreciating the beauty in their own backyard.
Lucas grew up in Adelaide, South Australia, where he completed a double degree in Law & International Studies with a Diploma in French from The University of Adelaide. Since graduating in 2015, Lucas entered the startup world & launched his first project, Tenderfoot. The company was accepted into the French Tech Ticket program & relocated to Paris in early 2017. After six months in Europe, the team pivoted & relaunched as Hopstay, an AI company that develops chatbots for content-based travel companies. Lucas is currently Managing Director at Hopstay which is based out of the Paris&Co Welcome City Lab tourism tech incubator.
Ernesto Luna’s latest hotel endeavor is Haven Riviera Cancun, three deluxe, inclusive properties from Hipotels that are designed around the concepts of Wellness, Families, and Lifestyle, and due to open late September 2018. Luna was born and raised in Mexico City and started his hotel career there immediately after college graduation, quickly rising through the ranks and moving to luxury brands. He moved from Mexico City to the Camino Real in Puerto Vallarta, known as Mexico’s top gay-friendly destination, before joining Meliá Hotels International and working for properties in Cancun, Mexico City, Cabo and Miami. He also did a two-year stint in New York with the iconic Phillippe Starck-designed Paramount Hotel (where he became familiar with IGLTA), before returning to Mexico to open Melia’s first lifestyle hotel in the Americas, ME Cancun—also Mexico’s first property to host the gay magazine, Ohm.
Auston Matta is the Consumer Marketing Manager for the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association. He grew up in Arizona and in 2012 sold his belongings and embarked on a one year, round-the-world trip with his husband. As part of the journey he started the travel site Two Bad Tourists - an online blog and travel resource featuring international gay-friendly destinations, gay city guides, festivals and events. He later founded the company Outfluential providing content creation, social media and influencer outreach to help brands, destinations and travel industry professionals promote their offering to the LGBTQ+ community.
Educational Breakout Session - How to Market to LGBTQ+ Travelers
As a creative content writer and executive producer, Angela has been integral to the development of innovative, national tourism marketing and promotion enterprises, including the now-national Resort Television Network. Her innovative and successful approaches to promoting Canada as a tourism destination resulted in her being awarded the Canadian Tourism Commission's Public Relations “Go Getter Award” in 2014, and a coveted place among Canada’s top documentary writer / producers at the Banff International Film and Television Festival.
Angela’s marketing, communications, and public relations experience originated with her involvement in television, radio, and with non-profit organizations like the YMCA, Habitat for Humanity, Community Care, and Tourism Saskatoon. Her work in the capacity of Chair of Travel Gay Canada has resulted in that organisation’s continued growth and strength over the years, and she currently serves as a President of TGC.
A graduate in Psychology and Cultural Studies at Trent University, Angela currently lives in Banff National Park, Alberta where she enjoys amateur boxing.
David Paisley is CMI’s Senior Research Director, and has been with Community Research & Insights for 24 Years. He coordinates the company's quantitative and qualitative client research projects and professional educational programs. Paisley's work represents a wide variety of corporate, nonprofit and government entities including Hawaii Tourism Authority, Visit Florida, NYC & Company, For Lauderdale, Las Vegas, Kimpton Hotels, Chicago History Museum, Wells Fargo, Target Brands, AARP, Aurora Health Care, WNBA, Kaiser Family Foundation, Aetna, American Cancer Society and the United States Census Bureau. He is also a featured speaker at LGBTQ+ sales and marketing conferences, and conducts training webinars for corporations throughout North America and beyond. He lives in Joshua Tree and Palm Springs.
Michelle Palma is the Vice President of Field Sales, North America for the Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection and U by Uniworld and is responsible for the team of 14 District Sales Managers within Canada and across the USA.
Michelle is born and raised in Toronto and has been with Uniworld for 9 years. Prior to joining Uniworld, Michelle held senior sales and marketing positions within the Canadian travel industry for over 20 years in the retail and wholesale segments of the business.
Keri is Business Development Director for WeTravel, an online payment and booking platform for travel companies. As a startup, WeTravel prides itself on diversity and was founded by three immigrant entrepreneurs from Azerbaijan, Indonesia, and Switzerland. WeTravel saw the need for smaller merchants to access payment and organizational tools to make organizing and booking trips easier. Our users include large travel companies, tour operators and DMCs, but also smaller players such as yoga retreat organizers, travel bloggers, individual Travel Advisors or student trip organizers. At WeTravel, Keri has consulted with hundreds of travel companies to scale up their operations using technology. Before joining WeTravel, Keri was an Account Director at Yelp in New York City. She holds a B.A. in Marketing and French from the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. She has been to more than 30 countries as a digital nomad.
Darrell is the co-founder and CEO of the Canadian Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, a national not-for-profit organization with a mission to expand the economic opportunities and advancement of the LGBTQ+ business community in Canada.
Prior, Darrell was the Managing Partner at DNA Marketing Group, a specialized marketing company offering a full-range of services for the tourism industry. Darrell spent 6 years with VIA Rail Canada as Manager of Market Development and 5 years with the Canadian Tourism Human Resource Council as Director of Sales & Marketing.
Darrell is also the co-founder of the Canadian Gay & Lesbian Business Education Foundation and Travel Gay Canada.
Darrell completed his Bachelor of Commerce Degree at the University of Calgary, and completed his Executive MBA from Richard Ivey School of Business, Western University.
Robert Sharp is Owner and Co-founder of Out Adventures, a global tour operator and premiere provider of active, cultural and luxury LGBTQ+ tours. Over the past decade, the company has amassed a loyal and dedicated clientele due to its personalized approach to travel. Robert has a fascination with digital marketing, social media, community involvement, and responsible travel – and at times could be considered an quasi-expert in some or all of the above.
Educational Breakout Session - Entrepreneurs Round Table
Matt Skallerud specializes in LGBTQ+ online marketing, targeting gays & lesbians via content marketing, social media, programmatic ad banners, mobile smartphone apps and more. He also specializes in search engine optimization (SEO), key word/ search advertising (PPC) and social media analytics. He's been in the LGBTQ+ online industry for over 20 years. Matt began his online career in May 1995 with the launch of GayWired.com, which became one of the top 3 LGBTQ+ websites worldwide. Having worked with companies, large and small, to reach the LGBTQ+ online consumer through this site and others, he is now focused on the most cutting-edge global innovations in programmatic ad buying, social networking and Web 2.0 technologies. He empowers his clients to reach the LGBTQ+ market using the most advanced techniques taking hold in the online marketing world today, including Real-Time Ad Bidding (RTB), Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Google Plus, YouTube, blogs and others.
Educational Breakout Session - LGBTQ+ Destination Marketing - Tips & Techniques for 2018
Fletcher has the unique ability of blending art and science into all of his work for R&R Partners, a purpose-driven marketing and advocacy agency. He oversees integrated partnership development for all of their clients, including the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, and has worked with such top brands as Sports Illustrated, Jimmy Kimmel Live, ESPN, E!, Scripps Networks, Bon Appétit, Google, Sony Crackle, Twitter, Yahoo! and CBS radio. Besides his role in managing and overseeing R&R’s Las Vegas office, he is the chief architect of diversely talented teams in media and publishing that extend across the agency’s nine offices. Under his leadership, R&R has created a tech stack program, including specialists in programmatic, search and paid/owned social. Fletcher and team have secured betas and first-ever’s for clients: Google preferred agency partner, Twitter travel vertical beta partner, Tumblr top sponsored post of 2015, Facebook beta partner. Fletcher also is a founding member of R&R’s anti-bullying initiative, Flip the Script. An accomplished tennis player, he also is committed “off the court” to giving back to the R&R Foundation, Human Rights Campaign and Spread the Word Nevada.
Photo by: © 2018, Gene Phillips, Courtesy of ACVB & AtlantaPhotos.com
Clovis Casemiro, IGLTA’s Membership Coordinator-Brazil, visited Atlanta for the first time prior to the pandemic and shares his impressions of IGLTA’s 2021 convention host city.
By John Tanzella, IGLTA President/CEO, iglta@iglta.org
