President/CEO
A Message from John Severini…President & CEO – California Travel Association
Dear CalTIA Member,
You may have noticed that my new moniker reads the “California Travel Association”. This exciting change represents the new face of CalTIA. We have been hard at work making sure your membership in CalTravel provides you with added value and heightened return on your investment. Our redesigned site contains a variety of features new for 2011:
- The 3 Minute Advocate — a quick and easy to use tool to help you understand and support legislation and issues that are beneficial to the industry.
- News Highlights — Stay informed! We’ll provide you with the latest information impacting the travel, tourism and hospitality industry as well as links to relevant video and California Travel Association (CalTravel) news, statistics, research, helpful and current information, data for strategic planning and presentations or speeches.
- Legislative Scorecard — CalTravel fights for you through our advocacy efforts. With one click see the issues and bills that affect your business. Membership in CalTravel insures that we can continue to advocate for your business.
- Vendor Marketplace — a “members only” program offering significant discounts on everything from business services to recreation and entertainment.
- California Travel Summit — our annual signature conference has been expanded with extended hours, more education. This year, we have added two new educational tracks 1) Beyond the Gateways (Rural) and 2) Wine Industry. All this at lower pricing than last year!
- Membership Opportunities — this May we will be introducing our membership campaign which offers special pricing for businesses that are members or partners with participating CVBs and associations. Check with your CVB or association to see if you qualify.
- New Features for Sponsors — there are many additional online opportunities to recognize our valuable partners who provide significant support for CalTravel throughout the year.
The California Travel Association continues to implement and expand programs to encourage your membership participation and involvement. We have restructured our quarterly board meetings by opening them to all members. And our committees welcome your participation and ideas. If you are a travel, tourism and hospitality professional, I encourage you to consider joining the California Travel Association. We are the only “collective” voice of advocacy for our industry in the state. Our efforts insure that the marketing, sales and operational investments of your business continue to have impact in a healthy and robust business climate throughout the state.
Our new name, site and benefits are all indications of the ongoing changes that will take place at CalTravel as we further pursue and insure the vibrancy of our industry through Advocacy, Education and Collaboration (ACE).
Sincerely,
John Severini
jseverini@caltravel.org
CalTIA Transitions
by John Severini, President & CEO, CalTIA
Dear CalTravel Members:
John SeveriniI would like to share a few quick thoughts on the specific areas that I will be focusing on in the immediate future.
First, we are committed to making the transition of support services from ARC to our new “support” team, located in Southern California, as seamless as possible for our members and partners. Every attempt has been made to properly prepare for our July 1 launch date, and I ask you to please be sure to refer to my latest transition communication for contact details and information.
Second, the ability to grow our association will be impacted by communicating clear and relevant benefits that are meaningful to potential members. Your input has been extremely valuable and we will continue to utilize many of your ideas and suggestions to further improve the manner in which we communicate the features and benefits of CalTIAl.
Third, we are actively assessing additional initiatives that will be incorporated into our strategic plan as we move forward. You will be hearing more about the specifics of these programs as they become available.
Fourth, the association will focus on expanding our presence throughout the state. This will be reflected in additional advocacy efforts; further development of our Ambassadors program; exploration of alliances with other high profile travel related businesses; and the evaluation of new programs that will provide CalTIA with incremental revenue.
Lastly, we will be taking a true “business approach” as we address all of these endeavors. We will follow a strategic plan and evaluate our efforts based upon measurements that show the greatest returns through effective leverage. We will also strive to find creative solutions that offer maximum gain while providing opportunities to grow our numbers in membership and conference attendance.
As we move forward, I am energized by the enthusiasm, excitement and commitment I see from within our membership. This is a great time to leverage the collective talents, abilities and core values from within CalTravel to build the extremely powerful and dominant association that we all believe is possible!
John Severini
President & CEO
California Travel Industry Association
jseverini@caltravel.org
New President & CEO
Dear Board of Directors:
On behalf of the search committee and the Executive Committee, I am pleased to announce that John Severini has been chosen as the new President/CEO for CalTIA beginning June 1. I have attached John's announcement news release for your review, but as you'll see, John possesses a great deal of senior level experience in the tourism industry, including serving on the start up team for Disney Cruises in which he served as Vice President. John is also the former President/CEO of Trafalgar Tours, a major international tour operator. What impressed the search committee the most was John's entrepreneurial qualities, a trait he plans to bring to CalTravel in force. He has several very engaging ideas on growing the organization's revenue stream and thus its abilities to deliver even more quality programs to our members.
Prior to his assuming office, John is already immersing himself with the organization, reviewing our new strategic plan, talking with several executive committee members regarding our budget and will be going to Sacramento to meet with Ross, Tami later this month to discuss the transition. He also hopes to meet with Caroline Beteta during that visit.
You will all have the opportunity to meet with John at COT. As discussed at our last meeting, we will be scheduling a special board meeting just prior to the Conference on Tourism so you can formally meet him. We plan on formally presenting him to the membership at COT where he will outline some of his plans for the organization. During June, he will be able to work with Ross and the ARC staff on transition details along with Transition Task Force Chairman Brad Burlingame until the end of ARC's contract on June 30.
I want to also thanks the entire search committee, especially its chair Marilyn Hannes, VP Marketing at Sea World, who worked many hours on this project and spent time up and down the state interviewing candidates, coordinating schedules and working to find the right fit for the organization. This was not an easy job but Marilyn and the committee had a breathtaking commitment to CalTIA and its best interests.
This is a very exciting time for CalTravel and bringing someone of John's stature is a very bold move for the organization. As outlined in our newly approved Strategic Plan, we have a very ambitious but attainable agenda and it requires someone like John to carry it out to move CalTravel to a new level. I think you will enjoy working with John as he is friendly, approachable and down to earth. We believe he is the perfect match for CalTravel. If you would like to reach John, his email is jseverini@caltravel.org He will be based at his home office in Huntington Beach.
All the best,
Gary
For Immediate Release;
CONTACT:
Gary Sherwin, Chairman, CalTravel
gary@visitnewportbeach.com
John Severini Appointed
President & CEO of California Travel Association (CalTravel)
SACRAMENTO, CA (April 30, 2010) - John Severini has been named President & CEO of the California Travel Association (CalTravel), the state's leading umbrella tourism trade organization, effective June, 1, 2010.
CalTIA is the unified voice for the California's travel industry's political concerns. By advocating directly to the state legislature, the Governor's office, local and federal officials, businesses, and the public, CalTIA addresses issues that ensure the health of the state's tourism industry. CalTravel also aggressively seeks to ensure continued funding for the California Travel and Tourism Commission (CTTC) and provides a variety of educational opportunities for the industry.
The appointment marks the first time in CalTravel's history that it will employ a full time dedicated President & CEO, previously contracting with independent association managers and firms since its formation in 1981.
“CalTIA as an organization has evolved with the growing demands of its membership base,” said Gary Sherwin, CalTravel Chairman for 2009-2010 and President & CEO, Visit Newport Beach, Inc. “The cornerstone of our new strategic plan requires a CEO with a strong business sense, entrepreneurial skills, and who can provide new revenue streams to support the organization. John is an outstanding choice for this new role, given his vast hospitality experience and strong fiduciary background which is critical to CalTravel's future. His appointment is truly a breakthrough for this organization.”
Severini's career includes serving as President of Trafalgar Tours USA, where he directed U.S. initiatives for vacation programs to Europe, USA/Canada, Australia/New Zealand, and The Orient. He has also held senior executive positions at the Walt Disney Company which included Vice President of National Accounts for Walt Disney Attractions Inc., where he designed strategic campaigns and marketing initiatives for Disneyland, Walt Disney World and Disney Cruise Line. He also served as Vice President, Sales & Passenger Services for Disney Cruise Line, where he developed marketing and sales strategies for the U.S. and international trade communities, managed a new passenger services department of 300+ cast members, and was part of the core start up executive team which oversaw the launch of Disney Cruise Line ships. Both roles included additional duties as a designated Disney spokesperson.
Severini has also served as Vice President of Sales for Royal Cruise Line; Senior Consultant & Partner with KDS Marketing, Sales & Business Solutions; Executive Vice President Sales & Marketing for R.S.S. Ventures, Inc. and Chief Marketing & Sales Officer with Ascend.
“CalTIA's impressive accomplishments in governmental advocacy and education, combined with a talented membership base were core elements that attracted me to this association” said John Severini, “There are compelling reasons why travel related businesses and individuals need to belong to this association, and I'm looking forward to working with their boards, membership and related associations to grow CalTIA from strength to strength.”
Severini earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Advertising from San Jose State University. He and his wife Kim reside in Southern California.
John can be reached currently through email at jseverini@caltravel.org