Here is a sampler of photos from the first day of IPW in New Oreleans through eyes of the Inbound Report’s photographer. More to come next week.
Luiz DeMoura Jr., who represents U.S. Association in Brazil, sizes up the Inbound Report’s editor, as the latter approaches the registration desk in the IPW press room.
Nikki Carpenter, communications coordinator, U.S. Travel, keeps smiling even if she doesn’t have time to look up while registering journalists in the IPW press room.
Destination DC’s Robin A. McClain (right), vice president of marketing and communications; and Vanessa Casas, international media relations manager, were already busy answering questions about next year’s IPW in Washington, D.C.
Pearl Ricks outreach coordinator New Orleans radio station WWOZ FM, helped explained the program format and general vibe of the station, which had a prominent presence in the IPW press room.
New Orleans songwriter and musician Mike Liuzza held forth at length as he discussed the city’s musical heritage with the Inbound Report’s editor.
WWOZ FM actually transported a working radio studio to the IPW press room, conducting a show from the location at one point. Here are: Keith Hill (left), program manager; and Damon Jacobs, chief engineer.
Among the many local tourism industry professionals who staffed the IPW host city information desk in the lobby of the main hall of the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center are (left-to-right): Caroline Hubbard, Peggy Benoit and Sheila Palermo.
A huge favorite among delegates to IPW, this mockup of part of Washington, DC’s Lincoln Memorial, stationed in the lobby of the main hall of the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center attracts Eric Ma, travel writer and director of Kuala Lumpur-based eMultimedia; and Kuen Chou, executive director of China Overseas Travel Service Co., which is headquartered in San Francisco.
A surge of U.S. travel suppliers showed up in later morning and early afternoon, coming from the airport and going directly to the convention center to register and set up their booths.
An impromptu summit of veteran South American journalists who regularly cover IPW (left-to-right): Patricia Silva, writer Revista Gaceta; Marcel da Cunha, editor, MDC Turismo, Chile; Fabiola Araya, managing director, MDC Turismo, Chile; and Marcos Andrés Sydor, director, corporate division and new projects, MDC Turismo, Argentina.
Trying out Abe Lincoln’s oversized chair modeled after the original at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. is Krystle Whitlock, business administrator for the Newark CVB.
A delegation from Visit Anaheim pauses to give us a collective smile after registering and setting up their booth (left-to-right): Pepe Avila, director of tourism development; Kathy Nishimura, international market specialist; and Paul Alsup, manager of tourism development. Joining the trio is Elisa Elwin, publisher and executive editor of the Australian publication, Out&About with Kids.
Long time U.S. tourism industry leader Steve Richer (right), managing principal, Primapact Group, took the occasion to introduce officials from source markets in Africa to IPW. They are: Hiwot Mengesha (left), account manager, marketing and global partnerships, Ethiopian Airlines; and Funsho Peters, chief operating officer, Afro Tourism, Lagos, Nigeria.
We told her it was OK if she didn’t want to give us a smile, so Patricia Denny, international tourism development manager, Port of Seattle, kept working on her smartphone.
We caught these friends and professional colleagues just as their paths crossed on the escalator landing of the third floor of the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center: Alfredo Gonzalez, vice president, international sales and market development, Visit Florida; and Joe Docal, director of travel industry sales, Latin America and the Caribbean, Greater Miami CVB.
Stopping long enough to say hello to us as she hurried between meetings at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center is Tara Hippensteel, director of tour & travel, North America at Hard Rock International.
A PRIDE parade crawled its way through Bourbon Street, providing a kaleidoscope of visual experiences for the scores of IPW delegates waiting to get inside the Bourbon Vieux café for the Destination DC party.
IPW 17C: We could tell by the absence of appropriate badges that this gentleman and his companion were not IPW delegates.
The celebrants on the balcony across the street from the Bourbon Vieux café were likely welcoming IPW to New Orleans.
Eager to join the celebration inside the Bourbon View café are Jo Thomas, who represents the U.S. Travel Association in the UK and is a well-known fixture in the IPW press room, and her colleagues, Katie Manning and James Thornhill.
Enjoying the festive atmosphere inside the Bourbon Vieux café are (left-to-right): Nancy Flores, managing director, Avianca Tours; Marcela Carmona, director of co-marketing, Avianca Tours; and Ana Hillerman, executive director of the Visit USA Committee of Guatemala.
From Australia, we have Caroline Davidson, the public relations professional who is secretary of the Visit USA Australia; and Jacey Fleming, general manager-marketing, travelmarketingservices.
Realizing that business calls don’t stop just because one is in the USA is Lorena Cordero, general sales agent and operations manager, Central America, for Avis.
Good friends from Merlin Entertainments on the dance floor at the Destination DC party: Jennifer Dardis (right), UK trade director; and Dominique Sidley international trade sales director.
Meme Castro (left), a popular Argentine journalist who covers travel, with her colleague, Irma Dolli.
She stopped dancing long enough to say hello: from Denmark, this is Lana Slabinska, chief editor of the Ukranian Travel Gazette.
From the USA’s national capital region are: Charis Harris (left), area tour and travel sales manager for the Dulles region; and Kimberly Newman, events/program manager for Reston Limousine.
On the balcony of the Bourbon Vieux café, with a scale model of the Washington Monument as a backdrop, is Mike Fullerton, director of public affairs, Brand USA.
Nancy Trejos, travel writer/hotels reporter for USA Today, is joined on the balcony of the Bourbon Vieux café by Bobby Sweet, corporate director of travel industry sales, Salamander Resorts and Hotels.
