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Second Annual Thompson Okanagan Tourism Summit Reflecting on Excellence Registration is now open for the
Thompson Okanagan Tourism Summit at the new
Sparkling Hill
Resort. This year’s Summit is offering an exceptional opportunity to hear world-class speakers address the theme of “Reflecting on Excellence” in a unique and iconic setting. Speakers from the United Kingdom, Washington, Alberta, and BC will each address elements of the theme in a series of plenary sessions, panel discussions and workshops. The Summit aims at highlighting strategies and tactics that will give the region, our communities and individual businesses a competitive edge in an increasingly challenging marketplace.
Prior to joining the Ministry, he
served on the executive of Tourism British Columbia, which saw him
providing leadership on a variety of key projects such as the
establishment of Tourism British Columbia as a Crown corporation,
the creation of an industry-government lobby for improved air access
and the development of British Columbia's 2005-2015 Tourism
Strategic Framework. In 2005, Raymond took on the responsibility for
managing the corporation's strategy related to the Vancouver 2010
Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. This included chairing the 2010
Tourism Consortium, an unprecedented partnership of the Olympic host
destinations of British Columbia, Vancouver, Whistler, and Canada. |
Roger is a leading international consultant in tourism destination management and marketing. Since establishing his consultancy, TEAM Tourism Consulting, in 1997, he has worked throughout the UK and in 20 other countries. Previously, he had 25 years senior destination management experience, including 15 years at CEO level, working for tourism boards at national, regional and city level in the UK. He has worked extensively with the
United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), co-authoring five publications and speaking regularly at conferences and seminars on all aspects of destination management and marketing and on the use of e-business by tourism destinations. Roger is the Managing Editor of ‘Destination World’, an e-newsletter produced by TEAM for the global community of tourism destination professionals
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Hanson Hosein specializes in storytelling, social media strategies and new models of communication. As President of HRH Media, he employed this expertise to direct the award-winning documentary films "Rising from Ruins" and "Independent America: The Two-Lane Search for Mom & Pop," which have been broadcast around the world and widely distributed online via Hulu and Yahoo!. Hanson has presented to organizations and companies such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Boston University, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and the Public Relations Society of America on media strategy. He has also won Emmy and Overseas Press Club Awards for his work as a television journalist with NBC News. He was embedded with the U.S. military in Iraq and covered the impact of the war throughout the Middle East, armed only with a laptop, satellite phone and camcorder. Hanson has a Masters degree in journalism from Columbia University, and law degrees from Montreal’s McGill University and the University of Paris. He's presently occupied with writing a book on storytelling in the digital age and building a hub and business incubator for the Pacific Northwest's digital media community. Hanson serves on the boards of the Common Language Project, UWTV, Puget Sound Off and is an affiliate member of the Jackson School's Middle East Center as well as the Evans School of Public Affairs.
Chris Gibson is a senior sales, marketing and communications manager for the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia. He spent more than a decade as a broadcaster before stepping onto the corporate ladder. Drawing on a lifetime of high impact, high energy careers on both sides of the microphone, Chris speaks from his unique vantage point about the needs of customers. With humour, he provides a fascinating ride through the changing competitive landscapes that companies face today. Chris focuses on assisting companies with ‘raising the bar’ in a way that will help increase customer service levels, heighten employee engagement and generate repeat business.
Raymond
was appointed to his current position in April 2010, and is
responsible for leading the development and implementation of the
Ministry's strategy and policy. In this role, he oversees tourism
policy, arts and culture services, industry relations, research
planning and evaluation, the BC Film Commission as well as serving
as secretariat for the Minister's Council for Tourism.
Chosen as one of the "Top 50 Women of Power" in the country, Five-time Olympian and 1984 Olympic silver medallist Charmaine Crooks has represented Canada for almost 20 years. As the first Canadian woman to run under two minutes over 800 metres, she has won gold medals at the Pan American, Commonwealth, World Cup and World Student Games. She had the honour of being named Flag Bearer at the Opening Ceremonies of the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. 
George Brookman is a native Calgarian who has committed much of his time to the promotion and “selling” of the City of Calgary. In business he is the majority owner and C.E.O. of West Canadian Industries Group, one of Canada’s largest and most advance digital printing and document management companies. He also serves on the Board of Directors of Penn West Energy, Canada’s largest conventional oil producer. In the community, he is the Immediate Past President and Chairman of the Calgary Stampede and is currently the Chairman of the Board of Tourism Calgary. Mr. Brookman was awarded the Pinnacle Award for Business in 1988, the Distinguished Business Leader Award from the Haskayne School of Business in 2008 and recently received an Honorary Degree in Applied Technology from the S.A.I.T. Polytechnic Institute in Calgary.
Cheryl’s depth of experience and appreciation for tourism are the key elements which deliver such a unique perspective to her work. Noted for her passion for quality, affordable travel experiences, Cheryl MacKinnon is a respected travel journalist and media personality who brings her keen insights as a savvy consumer and over 25 years as a Canadian tourism service provider, to her multi-award nominated television and print features, workshops and related ventures. Proof of her success lies in the consistently positive feedback she receives from profiled tourism industry service providers who acquire immediate and long term bookings as a result of her extensive media coverage. Cheryl considers direct consumer feedback the ultimate compliment.