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Connect Marketplace 2020 Album

March 3, 2020 by Tom Berrigan

A Marketplace Album: Following is a brief collection of photos of the people who took part in the Connect Travel Marketplace, Market Leadership Summit and related events that were recently held coterminously at the Gaylord Palms Resort in Kissimmee, Florida.

DAY ONE: Registration, Workshops and Opening Reception

A different beat. Registrants picked up a positive vibe from Connect’s own DJ, who spun some new age music in the registration lobby.

Among the early registrants: Seth Lawson (left), director of sales, travel & tourism, Threshold; and Dave O’Donnell, director of strategic communications, Greater Boston CVB

Landon C. Howard, president of Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge, with Laurie Jo Miller Farr, editor of The Travel Vertical, a Connect Travel publication.

Allison Schult, tourism marketing, Visit North Carolina; and Amir Eylon, president & CEO, and partner in Longwoods International.

From Dunhill Travel Deals: Kurt Homfelt (left), president; and Brett Couvillon, senior vice president of sales.

Matteo Lallo, consulente di viaggio: tour guidati, viaggi di nozze, eventi, Altrimenti on the Road; and Cyd M. Pastrana, travel industry sales manager, international sales, Disney Destinations.

Anne Chen, senior sales manager, Explore Gwinnett; and Brandon Barnes, director of international sales & marketing, Atlanta CVB.

Fernando Harb (left), senior director of sales, Connect Travel; and Howard Clark, area director of travel industry sales, Interstate Hotels & Resorts.

From Expedia: Heidi Bodalia, area manager, Expedia Group; and Derek Price, director of business development-North America, Expedia Group Media Solutions.

Luis Flores, vice president of hotel sales and revenue management, Westgate Resorts; Jackie Diaz, travel industry sales manager, Rosen Shingle Creek Orlando.

Tim Doherty, senior account executive, Semcasting; and Mike Skladony, general manager of consumer services—also from Semcasting.

Jake Steinman (left), founder of TravelAbility; and Mo Parikh, CEO of bandwango.

Wit Tuttell, director of Visit North Carolina.

Representing Stafford, Virginia are: Lisa M. Logan (left), tourism manager; and Courtney Swenson, marketing specialist.

Ed Caum, director of the South Padre Island CVB.

Anthony Minick, director of marketing for the New Jersey Department of State, Division of Travel & Tourism.

Will Seccombe, president of Connect Travel; and Luisa Mendoza, founder and president of Global Tourism Sports & Entertainment.

Dyhalma J. Torres (left), associate regional vice president, President’s Club, Helmsbriscoe; and Patricia Perez-Sahin, destination specialist, Latin Plus DMC Group.

Rebeca Palatka (left), global travel & expense manager; and Veronique Howard, director, strategic accounts and business development, Soteria Transportation Group.

Matt Grayson, president-Americas, Dragon Trail Interactive.

Juan J. Maya (left), assistant director, meetings, travel & logistics services, Service Employees International Union; and Mark F. Stone, director, Business Development Enterprise, Travel Leaders Corporate.

DAY TWO: Opening general session, business appointments, networking lunch and remarks of President Barack Obama (photography prohibited).

Robert Patterson, vice president of marketing technology, MMGY Global.

David Atkins, principal, Digital DNA INFUSION

Roger Dow (left), president and CEO, U.S. Travel Associations; Shari Bailey, vice president, Connect Travel; and DT Minich, president and CEO, Experience Kissimmee.

Alejandro Herrera, director, commercial, Aerovision; and Jennifer Olson, tourism marketing-Fashion Show Las Vegas and the Grand Canal Shoppes at the Venetian Resort Las Vegas.

Connect Travel President Will Seccombe delivers introductory remarks at opening general session.

From the host destination for the event, Kissimmee, DT Minich, president and CEO, Experience Kissimmee, welcomes delegates.

Roger Dow, president and CEO, U.S. Travel Association, provides an update on key industry issues.

Rafael Villanueva, senior director of global development, Las Vegas CVA, gives an update of what delegates can expect at this year’s IPW, which is being held in Las Vegas for the fourth time.

Dana Young, CEO of Florida, gives an overview of the condition of the travel and tourism industry in the state.

Delegates listen intently to Carroll Rheem, vice president of research and analytics for Brand USA, as she discusses the outlook for inbound tourism to the United States in the near-term future.

Jessica Morgan, director of tourism development for Louisville Tourism, with Malcolm Smith, US Travel’s senior vice president of business development and general manager of IPW.

At the business appointments—Jessica Banchs, with E-Vacations Travel; and Ignasi Canals, CEO of Barcelona-based Tourist Forum.

Melissa Batulevicius, strategic account sales manager-international, for the Legoland Florida Resort, meets with Ingrid Nieves, who does contracts for Kaluah Tours.

Her signature oversize wide brim hats make Jennifer Costa, executive director of the Elizabeth (N.J.) Destination Marketing Organization, recognizable anywhere, including her appointment here with Maria Isable Sharma, who handles group sales for Gimatur.

David Kurtz (left), vice chair of Discover America Norway, with Connect Travel’s senior director of sales, Fernando Harb.

Patricia Schaumans, product & contracting manager for Exclusive Destinations.

Jennifer Moore, vice president of tourism for the Huntsville/Madison County (Alabama) CVB; and Sharat Sharma, head of FIT operations, Strawberi Holidays.

Nora White (left), director of sales and marketing, I•Drive Business Improvement District; and Akilah Dorsey, regional director, Leisure Pass Group.

Michelle Fisher, director of sales and marketing, Holiday Inn Orlando SW-Celebration area; and Alan M. Ledewitz, area director of sales, Carter Hospitality.

Chris Ellis, CEO, 7M Tours; and from the Brazilian Tour Operator MGM, Yana Barral (center) and Patricia Correa.

Isaac Pacheco, director of sales for New York City’s 9/11 Memorial & Museum.

Suzanne Segura Taylor, executive of the Boston-based Freedom Trail Foundation; and Narinderpal (Raja) Marwah, of Marwah Tours & Travels.

An unofficial “New Jersey Caucus” table gathers outside the business appointment session floor, comprised of (left to right): Judy Ross, vice president & director of tourism, Meadowlands CVB; Peggy Kelly, director of tourism marketing, Hudson County, NJ; Kate Kane, director of development and events, for Visit Princeton-Mercer; and Kimberly Klapper, director of sales & marketing, Element Harrison-Newark.

Lucia Alessi, product development manager, NAR World Wide Tours; and François Jean Viel, owner of Viel Marketing International.

Dra. Yudi Tenesaca is general manager of Global Land Tour, which is headquartered in Quito, Ecuador.

DAY THREE: Special viewing of new Brand USA giant screen film, plus a full day of business appointments.

Film producer Shaun MacGillivray (left) with Brand USA’s chief marketing officer, Tom Garzilli, and Amir Eylon (right), president & CEO and partner of Longwoods International, shortly before screening of the big screen film, “Into America’s Wild.”

(Left to right) Andrew Bell, vice president, client engagement Time Zone One; Mary Twomey, vice president, global trade & consumer development, Time Zone One; and Aimee G. Willetts, travel trade sales and strategic partnerships, Field Museum.

Derek Price, director, business development-North America, Expedia Group Media Solutions, makes a presentation on travel trends.

Daniel Schwartz (left), director of global tourism development for the San Francisco Travel Association, is joined by Shari Bailey, vice president of Connect Travel; and Jonathan Couch, senior purchasing manager-Americas & The Caribbean, accommodations & ground services, dnata.

Partial view of some of the action during business appointment session.

Sylvia H. Amlaw (left), assistant general manager, Safety Harbor Resort and Spa on Tampa Bay; and Peio Cuevas, vice president, operations and development at See USA Tours.

Aimie Johnson (left), senior manager of leisure sales, with Amanda Peacock, market development manager-tourism division, Georgia Department of Economic Development.

At the Hotelbeds table are: Alice Kilpatrick (left), regional manager, sourcing, South East USA; and Alicia Binney, yield manager, South East.

Karina Aragones, travel partner, Gestur.

Tara Hippensteel, national sales manager of tour and travel, Topgolf.

Tara Hippensteel, national sales manager of tour and travel, Topgolf.

Tiffany Watkins, business development manager, Machine Guns Vegas.

Gisa Kusserow-Hanson, senior product manager, ATP (formerly AlliedTPro).

Author, marketing maven and skilled speaker Andrew Davis emphasizes a point during his luncheon presentation.

Alfredo Gonzalez, travel trade specialist for Discover Long Island and a well-known figure in travel and tourism circles in Florida.

Alfredo Gonzalez, travel trade specialist for Discover Long Island and a well-known figure in travel and tourism circles in Florida.

Reena Sachdev, founder of Mumbai-based Travel Arena.

Ken Tutt, area director of sales and marketing, Victor Hotels.

Gisela Marti (left), vice president, marketing and tourism, Greater Miami CVB; and Sonja Rabba, senior product manager, product management North America.

Richard Peterson, president, U.S. Cultural & Heritage Marketing Council.

Rose Hapanowich, director of travel and tourism at Destiny USA.

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