IPW Photo Album, Continued

Because we had a bounteous inventory of photos from IPW 2016 two weeks ago in New Orleans, we are publishing them “one (IPW) day at a time.” We began with Saturday’s activities and moved in our last issue of the  Inbound Report to Sunday. In this issue of the Inbound Report, we present you with a collection from Monday at IPW. We start with the IPW Media Marketplace action.

 

Doug Killian, senior director, international communications , Mall of America, with one his very first appointments of the day—Jana Safanova, a correspondent with TTG Russia.

 

We had to hurry a photo in between appointment sessions in order to catch Steven L. Windham, owner/partner at Baton Rouge-based CPA Inactive; and Denise Thevenot, executive director of Louisiana Tax Free  Shopping—they had their appointment schedule completely full for the day.

 

Bittany Borger (left), director of marketing for the Premium Rail Collection, is joined at her company’s table by Charlotte Park, an account executive for Lou Hammond Associates.

 

Flashing a warm smile for us is Mitzi Chollamper, senior manager, international marketing and public relations, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, which has greatly increased flights from overseas source markets during the past year.

 

The U.S. shopping product is represented here as Kate Birchler (right), assistant vice president, tourism marketing, U.S. shopping centers and fashion outlets, Macerich; and, standing in for Shop America, Connie Dyer, senior vice president, marketing, Horizon Group Properties.

 

Charles Schuler, director of communications for San Francisco International Airport, explains a broad range of new programs the facility has put in place in order to accommodate more overseas visitors.

 

Displaying the CityPass product known through the world are the company’s co founders and co-chairmen: Mike Morey (left) and Mike Gallagher.

 

Earlene Havatone, general manager of Hualapai River Runners, which is based at the West Rim of the Grand Canyon; and her marketing director, Kurtis Shaul, were so busy with walk-up visitors between schedule appointments at the Media Marketplace that they both ran out of business cards.

 

Showing us just how Visit Glendale (Ariz.) brands itself for those coming into the Phoenix region is Kim Larson communications director for the tourism agency.

 

One of the busier locations at the Media Marketplace—Jo Banner, film coordinator for the St. John Center Sound Stage in Laplace, Louisiana, explains the benefits of Louisiana Plantation Country as a setting for movies and television shows. The day before, she escorted a busload of journalists on a tour of the famous Oak Lawn Plantation, 55 miles north of New Orleans; the site has been the location for a number of Hollywood films.

 

Barbara Golden, communications manager for Florida’s Historic Coast (St. Augustine/Ponte Vedra) explains new developments at one of the USA’s oldest destinations.

 

Rachel Cromer, public relations and media specialist at the American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association (AIANTA), who seems to have an encyclopedic memory of her organization’s programs.

 

Giving the impression of a very secure situation at the ersatz Lincoln Memorial in the lobby of the Ernest N. Memorial Convention Center are Marquis Perkins (left) creative director at Destination DC; and Andrew O’Connor (right), content manager at Destination DC, who are guarding Cathy Keefe (inside left), media relations manager at US Travel; and Nikki Carpenter, communications coordinator, US Travel.

 

U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell probably endeared herself to the 5,000 IPW delegates attending the Monday luncheon by keeping her remarks brief and to the point.

 

Multi-tasking Todd Davidson, CEO of Travel Oregon and national chairman of US Travel, manages to keep focused on the remarks of U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell, while balancing his next bite at the same time.

 

Gladys Knight, the “Empress of Soul,” whose first charted hit “Every Beat Of My Heart,” was released in 1961, showed that she still knows how to bring a crowd—in this case, the luncheon crowd—to its feet.

 

Back at the Media Marketplace, Kristin Soto (left), senior account executive for Hemsworth Communications and on the job for Best Western Hotels & Resorts; and Courtney McCurry, manager of public relations for Best Western, used much of their time showcasing the company’s virtual reality presentation that covers all of the company’s vast inventory.

 

The Inbound Report’s editor tries out a virtual tour of a Best Western property.

 

Clearly fond of the attraction they represent—the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art—are: Jill Lynch (left), director of communications; and Clara Hatcher, assistant manager of communications.

 

Kevin Wynne, vice president of marketing and sales at Knott’s Berry Farm, likes to point out that he and his family are regular visitors to the southern California attraction.

 

A second line parade sponsored by the Shop America Alliance starts the slow, five-or-six-minute trek from the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center to the New Orleans Riverwalk for a reception.

 

Gregg Marshall (left), senior vice president/director of marketing, VisitRochester; and Suzanne Y. Seldes, executive vice president/chief marketing officer for The Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, join the Shop America reception.

 

Coming all the way from Romania to New Orleans, IPW and the early evening Monday reception where they found a spot with the Mississippi River in the background are: Sinziana Constantinescu, a journalist with “Traveller Magazin”; and Mădălina Nicolescu, marketing manager, Olimpic International Tourism.

 

Joining Rosemary McCormick (right), president of the Shop America Alliance—with her omnipresent chapeau—is Becky Swiggum, director of marketing, Outlets at Tejon.

 

IPW helps to bring friends from long distances together, as in the case here of Antoinette Eckert (left), director, international tourism—Asia/Pacific; and Rose M. Hapanowich, director of travel and tourism, Destiny USA, located near Syracuse, N.Y. and one of the nation’s largest shopping centers.

 

Some of the journalists attending the Shop America reception included (left-to-right): Danish travel writer Carsten A. Anderson; Barbara Ferguson, Washington correspondent for Arab News; and her colleague, Hala Abdulla.

 

Brian Chuan, director of travel trade development, South Coast Plaza, is joined by his daughter, Elise Chuan.

REMINDER: With this issue, the Inbound Report will be published biweekly until after the USA’s Labor Day holiday (September 5, 2016), when we will resume publication on a weekly basis.