Speakers

KEYNOTE SPEAKER


Stephen Joyce
Rezgo.com


Social media is no longer a fad or a passing trend, it is here to stay. But how do tourism organizations and businesses take advantage of social media in all its various forms?  Together we'll explore not only what makes social media so powerful but how operators, hoteliers, and destination marketers can take advantage of the social web to improve your customer relationships, build business and decrease your bottom line.

Stephen Joyce has been working as a travel & tourism technology consultant since 1995. In 2005 Stephen's company, Sentias Software Corp., began development on Rezgo.com, a next generation Web 2.0 tour and activity booking engine for SME tour and activity operators. In June of 2007, Rezgo.com was officially launched and has continued to experience triple digit growth over the last three years.

Stephen is active in fostering tourism technology and is co-chair of the Board of Directors of the OpenTravel Alliance, an International association whose mandate is to develop and foster messaging standards for travel e-distribution. He published the Tips from the T-List a ground-breaking book that brought together travel industry bloggers from around the World and is a contributing writer to Tnooz (pronounced T-news), a leading travel technology media site.

In addition to his tourism initiatives, Stephen is also Past Chairman of the Board of Directors of the North Vancouver Chamber of Commerce and formerly on the Board of Directors of the Pacific Club and the COHO Society of the North Shore.

Stephen is a graduate of Capilano University, is a certified Commercial Pilot, and holds a certificate in IT Management.

Stephen is married and has two beautiful daughters.

PRE-CONFERENCE SOCIAL MEDIA WORKSHOP


Dee Enright
President & CEO, Outside the Cube

 Dee's dream is big: to build a global business from the Yukon, a place some call the last frontier. Dee's gifts include sourcing talent, great office spaces in exciting locations and clients that take her from stunning northern landscapes to warm white beaches. Dee is living the dream!
Extremely experienced and professional, Dee was Vice President of Cossette Media, an international marketing firm with big name clients like McDonalds, Coke, Canada Games and Bell. Dee’s skills as a marketer benefit a broad range of clients at Outside the Cube, as well as all her OTC colleagues.
Dee is generous with her vast knowledge and equally vast sense of humour. She has been a guest speaker and presenter on tourism, media, strategy, brand and the Internet – demonstrating her dynamic, engaging and informative ability to captivate an audience.

Alastair Smith
New Media & Innovation, Outside the Cube

Outside the Cube, in some form or another, has followed Alastair around since university. Alastair was always interested in blending different areas of business to come up with new ways of doing things. Alastair says the name "Outside the Cube" reflects the opportunity to approach problems from creative angles.
Alastair has a passion for marketing that is blended with his sharp savvy of the technological world. With a degree in computer science and experience with a diversity of clients (technology associations, government departments, sport tourism, e-commerce), as well as authoring numerous white papers on e-commerce and technology, his nimble adaptability is stunning.
Being a traveler, Alastair likes seeing how other people in far off locations do things. It sparks creativity. He also enjoys watching the countless traffic violations from his office window in Whitehorse. Perhaps it sparks fear?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TCMF WORKSHOP

Pierre Germaine
Director of Tourism – Department of Tourism & Culture


Pierre Germain was appointed Director of Tourism for the Department of Tourism and Culture (Tourism Yukon) April 1, 2005 and is responsible for all aspects of tourism marketing, product development and research for the Yukon Government. Since joining the Department of Tourism and Culture in 1991, Mr. Germain has held a number of positions including Director of Marketing, Manager of Travel Trade, Marketing Officer North America and Market Research Officer. Born and raised in the Yukon, he is a graduate of the University of Victoria and the British Columbia Institute of Technology.  Prior to joining the Yukon Government Pierre held a variety of management positions within the cruise tour and accommodation sectors.

 

Mr. Germain has held a number of positions on numerous committees including the Canadian Tourism Commission’s US Leisure, Asia/Pacific and European Executive committees, the Alaska Travel Industry Association’s Marketing Committee, the Tourism Alliance for Western and Northern Canada, the Canada’s North Tourism Marketing Partnership, the 2007 Canada Winter Games National Marketing Campaign Committee and numerous marketing committees within the Yukon including the Yukon Tourism Marketing Partnership, the Senior Marketing Committee, the Yukon Convention Bureau and the Wilderness Tourism Association of the Yukon.


Cindy Loverin
Marketing Fund Administrator – Tourism & Culture

Cindy Loverin is the Marketing Fund Administrator and will be taking care of all your TCMF applications.  She came to Tourism & Culture from Community Services where she was a Licensing Officer and Coordinator for the Yukon Medical Council and Driver Control Board. Prior to her 13 years in public service, Cindy spent 10 years in banking.

 

She is currently completing a Bachelor of Management Degree, with a major in Marketing, through Athabasca University.

 

Originally transplanted from Newfoundland, Cindy is a long-time Yukoner and has been living in Whitehorse since 1981. She has a love for Yukon and exploring the outdoors through camping, canoeing and fishing.

 

2010 TOURISM ACTIVITIES SESSION

Sandy Hachey
Executive Director - TIA Yukon 
Sandy manages the day to day operations of the Association and works with a fun, gregarious, vocal and leading-edge team and Board of Directors.   Sandy has been involved in Yukon’s tourism industry, in one form or another, for almost 20 years.  She started with her first job in a hotel learning the essentials of customer service.  Those lessons are still serving her today working side by side with industry operators and partners.

With the TIA Yukon Board of Directors, Sandy is managing a number of industry lead projects – most recently the “Celebrate Yukon Day in Yukon” FAM.  In her capacity as TIA Yukon ED, Sandy will be presenting information at this year’s Spring Conference on this initiative among other projects. 

Sandy came to Yukon in July 1989 for a summer visit, and like so many of us, stayed. Sandy considers Yukon her lifetime home and has a genuine love for the people, the outdoors and the vibrant sense of community that only the North can offer.


 

CONCURRENT WORKSHOP
YUKON GOVERNMENT – ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT


Denny Kobayashi
Director – Business and Industry Development


Mr. Kobayashi was born and raised in Winfield, British Columbia.  Mr. Kobayashi moved to the Yukon in 1980 living in the communities of Whitehorse and Dawson City.  He is the proud father of three young women who were born and raised in the Yukon. Wife Anne Kennedy is the Director of Communications for Northwestel.

Mr. Kobayashi worked in the retail food industry for twenty years, including eight years as the owner-operator of retail supermarkets in Denver, Colorado, Prince Rupert B.C. and two businesses in Dawson City, Yukon.   Mr. Kobayashi has worked in senior management positions in the non-profit sector for more than ten years.  Prior to joining the Government of Yukon in April 2000, Mr. Kobayashi was the Executive Director and CEO of the Klondike Visitors Association in Dawson City, Yukon responsible to manage the Association’s business interests that included Diamond Tooth Gerties Casino and the Palace Grand Theatre as well as functioning as the Director of Marketing.

During his time at the Department of Tourism and Culture Mr. Kobayashi held positions as the Manager Special Projects and Partnerships, Manager of Mass Communications, and most recently as the Senior Manager of Marketing Operations North America. In August 2009 Mr. Kobayashi moved to the Department of Economic Development as the Director of Business and Industry Development.

CONCURRENT WORKSHOP
ALASKA TRAVEL INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION


Ron Peck
President & COO– Alaska Travel Industry Association

Ron Peck has been President and COO of the Alaska Travel Industry Association for seven years. Ron has a substantial and diverse travel and tourism background. Spanning 32 years, his career began as a reservations and customer service agent for Alaska Airlines in Juneau in 1977. He served in a variety of Sales and Marketing capacities in Anchorage, Juneau and Seattle.  He climbed the ranks in Seattle to eventually become director of marketing for Alaska, Russia and Canada.  In 1996 he went to work as director of sales and marketing for Princess Tours and Princess Alaska Lodges.  Immediately before coming to ATIA, Ron served as director of sales and marketing for Alyeska Resort. 

Ron chairs the tourism sector of the Taiwan Alaska Trade Investment Corporation Council (TATICC), serves on the Board of Directors for the US Travel Association, the Alaska Medallion Air Safety Foundation, and the Alaska Aviation Heritage Museum. Ron is also a member of the National Parks Conservation Association, Alaska Region.

Ron resides on the Anchorage hillside with his wife Jane and daughter Rikki who is a junior at Boise State University. He and his family thoroughly enjoy living, working and recreating in south-central Alaska.