Dr. Michael Adams

Michael Adams is President of the Environics group of research and communications consulting companies which he co-founded in 1970, and renowned expert on social values and their impact on visitor behaviour.  Dr. Adams is the author of six books, his most recent being Stayin’ Alive: How Canadian Baby Boomers Will Work, Play, and Find Meaning In the Second Half of Their Adult Lives (2010), where he reflects on the changes Baby Boomers have brought about in Canadian society—and the changes that are yet to come.

Greg Klassen

Senior Vice-President, Marketing Strategy and Communications, Canadian Tourism Commission.

Greg Klassen has successfully navigated the development and execution of Canada’s international tourism brand through murky waters, achieving Canada’s Marketer of the Year for 2009 from Marketing magazine and the world’s No. 1 tourism brand from FutureBrand in 2010. With the introduction of Explorer Quotient™ – a tool developed to identify the types of travellers who typically come to Canada, the CTC is focusing on a new approach to ensuring that our target markets Keep Exploring.

Dr. Nancy Arsenault

Nancy Arsenault is regarded as a Canadian expert in learning, enrichment, and experiential travel.  Experiential travel is all a rage, but what does it mean, how do companies benefit?  Dare to be Different and Do What You Do Best, Partner for the Rest™ are essential elements for success. An industry trainer, business coach, researcher and owner/operator of two businesses, Dr. Arsenault has worked with federal and provincial DMOs organizations, tourism and parks departments, and has assisted hundreds of small and medium sized tourism businesses.

Will Harding

Will Harding is a Brand Experiences Specialist and creator of the Explorer Quotient® industry program at the Canadian Tourism Commission. As a member of the Global Marketing Team, he works with tourism businesses, destination marketers and travel trade to help them book those big spending international travellers looking for an experience. He is also part of the team that is building the Signature Experiences Collection, a new program that is going to show the world what Canada’s tourism brand is all about.

Will is a graduate of the MBA program at the Ronneby School of Management where he applied his practical experience in the tourism industry to his thesis on social media and its impact on the world of advertising.

Fred Sarkari

Fred Sarkari is considered an expert in human behaviour.  He coaches, teaches and provides management consulting services to a broad range of organizations from start ups to some of the world's largest organizations including Microsoft, Wells Fargo, BMW, Scotia Bank, Coca-Cola, Hilton Hotels and Four Seasons Hotels.

Cindy Tripp

Cindy Tripp is the Human Resources Manager at Whistler Sport Legacies.  She has extensive experience as a human resources professional in the tourism industry and was the HR Manager with the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC).  Cindy is a trained Life Coach and works with a wide range of people to realize their personal goals.  She has a solid understanding of how employees and the workplace contribute to the bottom line of each tourism organization.

Hugh Culver

Hugh is an athlete, adventurer, businessman and visionary who understands how to harness value systems in all situations.  Hugh’s business enterprises have included creating the world’s most exclusive adventure tours, operating a private airline in Southern Chile, pioneering eco-whale watching, and teaching as a university professor. His insights and writings on personal leadership are sought after by leading organizations, including: Imperial Oil, Shoppers Drug Mart, Royal Bank of Canada, Investors Group, Western Union, Suncor, Telus, United Way, and the Red Cross. This year Hugh released his first book Give Me a Break—the art of making time work for you.

Hon Dr. Terry Lake, Minister of Environment

Terry Lake was appointed Minister of Environment on March 14, 2011 after he was first elected as MLA on May 12, 2009 for the riding of Kamloops-North Thompson. He has served as Parliamentary Secretary for the Ranching Task Force and Parliamentary Secretary for Health Promotion.

A veterinarian by profession, Dr. Lake served as the Mayor of the City of Kamloops from 2005-2008 and as a city councillor from 2002-2005.

Tod Maffin

COO and senior strategist at Media Strategies – one of North America's leading digital marketing experts, specializing in viral and ROI-based campaigns, and a renowned go-to commentator on the impact of accelerated technological change and innovation on the business and economic environment.

Maffin's comprehensive understanding of Generation Y, high-velocity change and competition, hyper-innovation, and the accelerating pace of the world around us offer audiences an insider's viewpoint of what the world holds in store and what lurks around the corner, whether it's six months, a year, or ten years away.

Peter Legge

Peter Legge is an inspiration to anyone who meets him! He lives his life dream as an internationally acclaimed professional speaker, a bestselling author, and as Chairman & CEO of the largest, independently owned magazine publishing company in Western Canada – Canada Wide Media Limited.  Peter is a past Chair of the Vancouver Board of Trade.Toastmasters International voted Peter "Top Speaker in North America" and both the National Speakers Association and the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers have inducted him into the Speakers Hall of Fame.  Peter has published fourteen books including “The Runway of Life”, “Make Your Life a Masterpiece”, “The Power of Tact”, “The Power to Soar Higher” and most recently “The Power of a Dream.” His books have motivated thousands of people towards positive change.

Cheryl MacKinnon

Cheryl is a renowned travel journalist and media host. She is currently producing and hosting a weekly travel radio show with British Columbia’s #1 and most listened-to station, CKNW/980AM. Later this year Cheryl will be returning to Postmedia’s print and online outlets where she will be reaching a weekly combined audience of over 2 million via broadcast, print and online.

Cheryl’s former role as the weekly host of Getaway BC on Global Television and the weekly Travel & Lifestyles features writer with the Vancouver Sun and Vancouver Province put her at the forefront of tourism coverage for Canada and international destinations. Prior to that Cheryl worked extensively with the meetings and incentive sector. She is now completing her first coffee table-styled book on Great Getaways in British Columbia

JOHN SABOE (co emcee with Cheryl)

John has been a broadcaster and broadcast executive for most of his life. John started his career as an operator and traffic report gatherer at CKNW and has had a number of on-air host positions at radio stations in Vancouver and the Fraser Valley. In 2009 John summited Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa. He called in several reports to CKNW via satellite phone on the way up the mountain and raised over $15,000 dollars for the CKNW Orphan's Fund. Last year John trekked the original expedition route to Everest Base Camp in Tibet and raised another $7000 for The Orphan's Fund.

Ed Walker

President, Thompson-Shuswap Chef-Farmer Collaborative and Culinary Arts Instructor, Thompson Rivers University