2007 Press Releases

• ATME HOSTS 2007 EXECUTIVE THINK TANK IN ORLANDO
• TRAVEL INNOVATORS HONORED AT 2007 ATME CONFERENCE (PDF)
• LVCVA AWARDED ATLAS AWARD AT THE 27th ANNUAL ATME CONFERENCE
• REALTRAVEL.COM WINS ATLAS AWARD FOR BEST ONLINE COMMUNITY (PDF)
• ATME 2007 CONFERENCE IN LAS VEGAS: KEYNOTE SPEAKERS HARTEVELDT AND KRONE
• GARY SAIN NAMED PRESIDENT OF THE ORLANDO/ORANGE COUNTY CVB

CONTACT:

Kristin Zern
Association of Travel Marketing Executives
kzern@atme.org

Lindsay Nelon
VOLLMER
972/488-4790
lindsay@vollmerpr.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ATME HOSTS 2007 EXECUTIVE THINK TANK IN ORLANDO FOCUSED ON
STORY-BASED BRAND STRATEGY

Think Tank program to provide creative, intensive learning atmosphere for travel marketers

NEW YORK, NY – (September 10, 2007) –The Association of Travel Marketing Executives (ATME) will host its next Executive Think Tank October 11-12. The Think Tank, centered on “story-based brand strategy,” offers creative, intimate sessions, and intensive learning all in less than 24 hours and located at the Grand Bohemian Hotel in Orlando.

“A thorough understanding and deployment of your brand articulates a well-synergized organization,” said Joel Chusid, ATME’s chairman and General Manager, North America, Hainan Airlines. “All too often consumers view a brand as just a name and a logo. A resort or destination represents a particular vacation experience – a brand experience – and it establishes a relationship between you and your guests.”

Top executives from the travel industry’s most successful brands will discuss the tools, trends and tips of the travel trade as participants explore story-based brand strategy. The first session, built around a case study of developing a new brand strategy for Grand Bahama Island, incorporates a story-based approach. The second session emphasizes brand leadership and innovation across industry categories, including innovative thinking from the restaurant and hotel food and beverage perspective.

“Effective branding begins with a strong concept and clear strategy,” Chusid said. “It’s about positioning the entity in an attractive manner, resonating with your target visitors in a compelling way. It also is about enculturation, which supports a positive experience and ensures that everyone responsible for delivery of the brand experience has a clear understanding of what needs to be accomplished and how.”

Conference speakers include:

Joseph Couceiro, VP Marketing, Anheuser-Busch Adventure Parks
Dennis Marzella, VP Brand Strategy & Research, Quantified Marketing Group
Bob Allen, Chief Storyteller, i.d.e.a.s., located at the Disney MGM-Studios
David Johnson, Senior Deputy Director-General, Bahamas Ministry of Tourism
Denise Adderley, Director of Marketing Services, Grand Bahama Island Tourism Board
Alice Norsworthy, SVP Marketing, Royal Caribbean International
Helen McCabe-Young, SVP Sales & Marketing, One & Only
Aaron Allen, Founder & CEO, Quantified Marketing Group
Patrick O’Neil, SVP Operations, NYLO Loft Accommodations
Christopher Baum, SVP Sales & Marketing, DetroitMetro CVB

“Whether you are a marketer for an airline, hotel, resort, attraction, online, tour operator, domestic or international destination, you will think in a new way about your brand,” Chusid said.

For a full agenda, information about membership and registration for the Think Tank, visit www.atme.org or call (914) 439-2047.

About ATME
The Association of Travel Marketing Executives (ATME) is a professional association of senior-level executives with vital responsibilities in the marketing of travel and tourism worldwide. ATME’s members represent airlines, hotels, resorts, cruise lines, car rental companies, advertising and public relations firms, travel marketing professionals, research groups and tourist offices of domestic and foreign destinations. ATME is a global network of industry marketing professionals committed to enhancing skills, recognizing excellence, and providing innovative, effective and provocative marketing ideas and solutions while enhancing the highest standards of travel leadership.

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CONTACT:
Kristin Zern
Association of Travel Marketing Executives
212/765-0625

kzern@atme.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority Awarded ATLAS Award at the 27th Annual Association of Travel Marketing Executives Conference

LVCVA recognized for outstanding achievements, groundbreaking results and innovative tactics in travel marketing

Las Vegas (June 22, 2007) – The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) is a recipient of a 2007 ATLAS Award. These prestigious awards, which honor and promote leaders and innovators within the travel marketing industry who have displayed breakthrough thinking and leadership in marketing, were presented during the ATLAS Awards ceremony at the recent 27th Annual ATME Conference held in Las Vegas.

TheLVCVAwas chosen by a distinguished panel of judges to receive the 2007 ATLAS Award for its 2007 Best Destination Branding Campaign. LVCVA President and CEO Rossi Ralenkotter was also presented with the 2007 ATLAS Lifetime Achievement Award.

“The ATME ATLAS awards are given each year to distinguish companies and top executives for the innovative marketing vision involved in creating a product or service that helps evolve the travel industry,” said Joel Chusid, ATME Chairman. “We are pleased to present these two awards to the Las Vegas destination.”

Categories within the ATLAS Awards recognize companies and executives for innovative tactics, results-oriented programs and broad marketing vision.

About the LVCVA
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) is charged with marketing Southern Nevada as a tourism and convention destination worldwide, and also with operating the Las Vegas Convention Center and Cashman Center. With approximately 133,000 hotel rooms in Las Vegas alone and 9.5 million square feet of meeting and exhibit space citywide, the LVCVA's mission centers on attracting ever‑increasing numbers of leisure and business visitors to the area. For more information, go to www.lvcva.com.

About ATME
The Association of Travel Marketing Executives (ATME), established in 1980, is a non-profit professional association of experienced and innovative senior-level executives with vital responsibilities in the marketing of travel and tourism worldwide. ATME’s members represent airlines, hotels, resorts, cruise lines, car rental companies, advertising and public relations firms, travel marketing professionals, research groups and tourist offices of domestic and foreign destinations. ATME, the only worldwide organization of its kind, is a global network of industry marketing professionals committed to enhancing skills, recognizing excellence, and providing innovative, effective and provocative marketing ideas and solutions while enhancing the highest standards of travel leadership.

CONTACT:
Kristin Zern
Association of Travel Marketing Executives
212/765-0625

kzern@atme.org

For Immediate Release

January 22, 2007

Contact: Danielle Courtenay, APR
407-354-5586/media@orlandocvb.com

Gary C. Sain Named President of the
Orlando/Orange County Convention
& Visitors Bureau, Inc.

ORLANDO, Fla. – Gary C. Sain has been named the new president of the Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau, Inc. (Orlando CVB) replacing Bill Peeper, who retired at the end of 2006. Sain was selected as the result of a thorough national search lead by Orlando CVB Chairman Mark McHugh and will begin in his new position in February 2007.

Sain comes to the Orlando CVB from the highly regarded hospitality advertising and public relations firm Yesawich, Pepperdine, Brown and Russell in Orlando where he was the chief marketing officer and a partner responsible for the overall marketing and sales efforts of the firm including agency branding, communications and strategic partner development. Sain has a varied portfolio of experience including holding positions as executive vice president of sales and marketing for GES Exposition Services; senior vice president of sales, marketing and passenger services for Premier Cruise Line; assistant vice president of sales for Hyatt Hotels Corporation; and corporate vice president sales/marketing for the Ritz-Carlton Hotels in Washington, D.C. and New York and the Whitehall/Tremont Hotels in Chicago. He also served as the opening director of marketing for the Stouffer Hotels in Chicago and Atlanta

“Gary was the unanimous choice of the Search Committee, said Mark McHugh, chairman of the Orlando CVB Board of Directors. “With his strong background in marketing, dynamic leadership, and respect within the hospitality industry and Orlando region, we felt he was the perfect choice to lead the Orlando CVB as it enters into an exciting time period.”

Nationally known for his expertise in branding, Sain successfully positioned Premier Cruise Line’s “Big Red Boat” as one of the most recognizable brands in the cruise industry. He was voted a member of Travel Agent magazine’s “Winners Circle” for two years in a row. He is also the recipient of numerous professional designations including Certified Travel Counselor (CTC), Certified Hospitality Marketing Executive (CHME) and Certified Travel Marketing Executive (CTME). Gary is a frequent speaker at travel industry symposia, and has contributed numerous articles on marketing and advertising practice to both consumer and trade publications.

Sain received a B.S. degree with a major in Business Administration and a minor in Marketing from Davis and Elkins College. His professional affiliations include The Travel Institute, American Society of Travel Agents, Association of Travel Marketing Executives, Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International, Meeting Professionals International, National Business Travel Association, National Tour Association, and the Skal Club of Orlando. He is a past executive committee member of CLIA, past board member of HSMAI, and past president of three HSMAI chapters. He currently serves as Immediate Past Chairman of the Association of Travel Marketing Executives.

The Orlando CVB is the sales and marketing agency responsible for positioning Orlando as the destination of choice for leisure and meetings business for the economic benefit of the Orlando region.

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