CalTravel

7:30 am- 12:30pm
CALIFORNIA TRAVEL ASSOCIATION 4TH ANNUAL Golf Tournament
At Brookside Golf Course, Pasadena (optional activity)
Proceeds to to support the CalTravelPAC

9:00 am-6:00 pm
Registration Open

10:00 am-11:00 am
New Member/New Attendee Orientation
Learn how CalTravel can benefit your business and give you the most ROI for your investment.

10:00 am-11:00 am
Student Orientation
Open to students studying Travel, Tourism and Hospitality.

11:00 am - 6:00 pm
Internet Café

11:00 am- 12:15 pm
Pre-conference Workshops (Concurrent)

Workshop #1: Non-Traditional TBIDs
Tourism Improvement Districts – Latest Trends in Innovative Financing
Moderator: John Lambeth, President, Civitas,Inc..
Panelists: Joe Terzi, President & CEO, San Diego Convis; Peggy Fort, President & CEO, California Marketing Concepts, Inc. (Director of the Newport Beach Restaurant BID). An interactive session discussing latest trends in Tourism Districts and new efforts to form restaurant BIDs and wine tasting room BIDs in California. Information will be provided about new laws that effect the formation of TIDs and TMDs including innovative local city ordinances and Proposition 26.

Workshop #2: “Beyond the Gateways” Track: Rural/Agritourism/Agritainment
Learn the key ingredients in this new lucrative travel sector and the best ways to combine elements of tourism and agriculture into a thriving and compelling business. You’ll be surprised to learn that there are a multitude of opportunities that can be used to create a new and rewarding “agricampaign”. (3-part educational track)

Workshop Session #3: Wine Industry
This “hospitality focused” track a first for our conference. See the power of wine & food: learn how you can leverage your business to attract more visitors while improving sales and increasing profits. This will be a dynamic and energized “hospitality” oriented program.

11:00 am - 1:15 pm & 4:45 pm - 6:30 pm
Marketplace Lounge
Join us in the Marketplace Lounge! This is an innovative atmosphere that has been a favorite of past conferences. Here, in a relaxed setting, is an opportunity to catch up with current vendors, learn about new products and services or just sit with friends and catch up on industry news!

Opening General Session
Speaker: Robyn Benincasa
Robyn Benincasa is a nationally acclaimed speaker who has delighted and inspired audiences around the globe with insights and motivational approaches that can be applied to our personal and business lives. Robyn is an elite adventure racer, philanthropist, firefighter, endurance paddler and cyclist, and is a top adventure racing…she’s shared the winning circle as a top athlete including the triathlon and ironman events. Her approaches to life are easily translated to all that we do and wish to do…this is an exciting start to our conference and you are in for a great inspirational message.

American Express Business Insight
Speaker: Beverly Anderson, Vice President, American Express
Beverly will be addressing a unique perspective on emerging global marketplace trends.

5:00 pm - 6:30 pm
Wine & Cheese Reception: Marketplace Lounge
Silent Auction
Network with colleagues over a glass of wine.

7:30 pm- 10:00 pm
Opening Reception: Pasadena Civic Theater Terrace at the Convention Center
Enjoy the beauty of a California spring evening on the lovely outdoor terrace at the Pasadena Convention Center while networking and mingling with friends and colleagues. Hosted by the Pasadena Convention & Visitors Bureau.

7:00 am - 5: 30 pm
Registration Desk Open
Internet Café Open

7:00 am - 8:30 am
Breakfast Buffet: Marketplace Lounge Open
Enjoy breakfast and network with colleagues.

7:00 am - 5:15 pm
Silent Auction

8:30 am - 10:30 am
General Session - CTTC Presentation

Opening General Session
California Travel & Tourism Commission: Brand Enrichment
Speaker: Caroline Beteta & Team
Caroline serves as the President and CEO of the industry-led California Travel and Tourism Commission, a non profit organization created to market California as a premier travel destination and to increase the State’s share of the tourism-related revenues.

10:30 am- 11:15 am
Morning Networking Break: Marketplace Lounge Open

11:15 am – 12:30 pm
Breakout Sessions 1-3 (Concurrent)

Session # 1: Content Marketing
Speaker: Joe Pulizzi is a leading author, speaker and strategist for content marketing. Joe is first and foremost a content marketing evangelist, and founded the Content Marketing Institute, which includes client-vendor matching site Junta42 as well as the premier international content marketing event Content Marketing World and Chief Content Officer Magazine. Joe is also co-author of the highly praised book Get Content Get Customers (McGraw-Hill), recognized as THE handbook for content marketing. Awarded “Custom Media Innovator of the Year” by American Business Media, voted Who’s Who in Media Business by BtoB Magazine, and recognized as the Most Influential Content Strategist via Lavacon, Joe travels around North America and Europe talking to marketers and business owners about how they are indeed publishers, and what they need to do about it.

Session # 2: Customer Service Panel
Moderator: Ann Gallaugher, Vice President Tourism Development, Anaheim/Orange County CVB.
Panelists: Dorette Warms, Customer Services Director, Southwest Airlines; Derra Lee Edwards, Director of Learning, Montage Hotels & Resorts; Jon Storbeck, Vice President, Disneyland Park. You will hear from three brands that are world renown for exceptional customer focus and service for their sector…Disney, Montage and Southwest. These executives will share their award winning approaches to excellence in customer service and you will be provided with ideas and approaches that you can apply to your business and sector within tourism.

Session # 3: “Beyond the Gateways” Rural Track Session 2
Moderator: Scott Schneider, President & CEO, Visit Mendocino County, Inc.
Panelists: Matt Stiker, SF Travel; Jason Pacheco, BRIC Marketing Group; David Bratton, Destination Analysts; Jeanne Sullivan, Sullivan Says.
This is the second part of our Rural education track at CTS…you will hear from experts that will share their winning campaigns and initiatives that have proved to be effective in creating demand for their areas. Keeping your area “top of mind” within our huge state can be challenging…attend and see how these proven leaders have captured new visitors using effective techniques and minimal spends.

Student Session: Career Development Strategies for Students
Designed to help students prepare for moving beyond their undergraduate degree into a professional position or to graduate school. A CalTravel member panel will discuss their experiences and offer advice on best practices to help land a career oriented job. A graduate program representative from a CSU program will discuss benefits of graduate school and when it’s the right fit for an undergraduate to pursue.

12:45 pm - 2:15 pm
Luncheon: Sponsored by Disneyland Resort in partnership with Alaska Airlines

3:30 pm- 4:00 pm
Afternoon Networking Break: Marketplace Lounge Open

4:00 pm- 5:15 pm
Breakout Sessions 4-7 (Concurrent)

Session # 4: Maximizing Your Relationships with Online Travel Companies
Moderator: Corrine Brindley, Regional Director of Government Affairs, SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment
Panelists: Noah Tratt, Expedia®; Jenny Thomassian, Travelocity; David Bahlman, Orbitz®.
Online distribution channels continue to be a vital aspect of consumers’ travel planning, shopping and booking behavior. A panel of representative from the leading online travel companies (OTCs) – Travelocity, Expedia® and Orbitz® – will provide insights on how best to partner with OTCs to reach the right consumer with the right message at the right time and how to grow your business via targeted online advertising, marketing and revenue management strategy and smart merchandising to reach your goals.

Session # 5: Managing your Operations/Improving your
Speaker: Carol Amaya, Lecturer, San Francisco State University. This session provides insights, methods and “relevant” ways to improve operations, marketing, sales and cross functional teams. This fast paced workshop with cover areas including doing more with less, improving communication and leveraging multi-functional areas, building high performance teams, maximizing output/performance, avoiding common management pitfalls, responding the changing marketplace and much more.

Session # 6: Develop Response Ability – Secrets to Getting Email Replies
Speaker: Karen Purves, M.A.
Do you know the four letter word that instantly increases the response rate to your emails? Find out the answer plus laugh as you learn in this cutting edge, interactive session filled with proven email tips. Email marketing/sales expert Karen Purves, M.A. shares easy, time-saving solutions to make your emails stand out in the crowd and how she gets over a 90% response rate to her emails. For cold and warm leads alike, converting contacts to cash often relies on email. After participating in this program attendees, on average, said their ability to write a more effective email improved 74%.

Session #7: “Beyond the Gateways” Rural Track Session 3
Speakers: Mo McElroy, President/CEO, Healdsburg Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau; John Reyes, President/CEO Monterey County CVB; Jason Sciarillo, Head of Sales for the West Coast and National Accounts, Travelzoo.
The third workshop in our rural education track, this session will link all of the marketing, operational, promotional and internal components of rural opportunities into a cohesive campaign. See how major markets can assist you in developing and expanding your area…and you will hear from experts on additional ways to supplement your efforts in developing demand for your destination.

6:30 pm - 7:30 pm
Celebration Reception: Convention Center Ballroom Ante Area

7:30 pm - 10:30 pm
Celebration Dinner: Convention Center Ballroom
This CTS crowning event offers a spectacular gala dinner, presentation of our Industry Awards, a special presentation by Cirque du Soleil and a live auction benefiting CalTravel!

10:00 pm – 12:00 am
Club CalTravel Lounge Party
Mingle with your friends and dance to the music of our live band.

7:30 am- 9:00 am
Breakfast with SeaWorld
Ever had breakfast with an eagle owl or sipped champagne with a crown crane? Here’s your chance! Come and meet several new SeaWorld friends. (Sponsored by SeaWorld San Diego)

9:00 am- 11:30 am
General Session

9:00 am - 11:30 am
General Session
Opening Keynote
Speaker: Roger Dow, President & CEO U.S. Travel Association
Roger Dow was instrumental in leading an industry-wide movement for creation of the Travel Promotion Act. Dow has been recognized by his peers as the Association Executive of the Year, an honor presented by Association Trends magazine that reflected Dow’s success in unifying the travel industry and greatly increasing its effectiveness on Capitol Hill. He has also been named to the Convention Industry Council’s prestigious Hall of Leaders, was recognized by Meeting Professionals International (MPI) as one of the industry’s top leaders, was selected by MeetingNews as one of the 25 most influential people in the meetings industry and has been honored by the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) with its Academy of Leaders Award. Dow frequently speaks on leadership, sales, marketing and management at conventions and corporate meetings.

Social Shopping & Private Sale Channel Panel
Moderator: Tania Leichliter, President, Adgenuity Marketing Solutions Inc.
Panelists: Doug Miller, Vice President of New Business Initiatives, Living Social; Roberta Seiler, Director of Partner Development, International Jetsetter; David Krauter, General Manager SniqueAway.
Social shopping and private sale channels have emerged on the scene as a new form of distribution and online marketing. Both social shopping and private sales channels fall under the category of “Social Commerce; the monetization of social media and its unique ability to influence virally, to drive online/e-commerce sales.” This general session with four leaders from the leading travel social shopping & private sale channels; SniqueAway (Trip Advisor), Living Social Escapes, Jetsetter, and Groupon, to give us some insight into their programs, differences, similarities, opportunities and insights into what is ahead.

11:30 am
Conference Concludes