Media Contact:

Chris Doyle, Director, Adventure Travel Trade Association
916.847.0261,

 

INDUSTRY LEADERS ENDORSE ADVENTURE TRAVEL WORLD SUMMIT, JOIN ADVISORY COMMITTEE

 

(SEATTLE) – AUGUST 10, 2006 – Creator and host of the adventure travel community’s annual Adventure Travel World Summit, the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA) today released the names of its Advisory Committee for its Oct. 19-21 conference in Seattle.

The Advisory Committee is comprised of the following industry leaders who have committed to help the ATTA develop and execute the fall Summit:
 

Adventure Collection	Larry Mogelonsky, Executive Director
Alltournative	Gavin Greenwood, President
Alpine Ascents International	Gordon Janow, Director of Programs
Archaeology Magazine	Scott Verchin, Associate Publisher
ATMS	Nancy Harrison, Managing Partner
Buffalo Tours	Kien Tran, Founder & CEO
CC Africa	Nicky Fitzgerald, Sales & Marketing Director
Costa Rica Expeditions	Michael Kaye, Founder & President
Discover France	Loren Siekman, President
Geographic Expeditions	Jim Sano, President
Green Team Advertising	Hugh Hough, President
India Tourism Board	Venkatesan Dhattareyan, Assistant Director
Lindblad Expeditions	Theresa Mottet, Director of Sales, NW
Mexican Tourism Board	José Manuel Alvarez Bilbatúa, Marketing Director
Natural Habitat Adventures	Ben Bressler, Founder & President
Global Sojourns	Priscilla Macy, President
REI Adventures	John Sheppard, General Manager
Switzerland Tourism	Urs Eberhard, EVP Markets & MICE
Tourism Ireland	Kathryn Hayes, Product Marketing Manager
TravMedia	Mark O'Toole, Senior Vice President
Virtuoso	Managing Director, Destination Sales
Wanderlust Consulting	Leo LeBon, President
Wildland Adventures	Kurt Kutay, President

 

Adventure travel community leaders from key sectors of the global adventure travel community comprise the Summit Advisory Committee.  Tour operators, tourism boards, destination marketing organizations, adventure travel agents and media, as well as service partners to the industry, are represented. 

“We take our Summit Advisory Committee appointments seriously,” said ATTA President Shannon Stowell.  “We expect our Summit partners to actively support the adventure travel community by helping us to maintain a professional atmosphere at our global gathering – and, they’re doing it in spades.”

Advisory Committee members, who are selected annually, provide advice and direction to Summit organizers to ensure their respective sectors of the industry are properly represented.  Specifically, Advisory Committee member responsibilities include providing feedback on Summit plans and activities, and serving as ambassadors before, during and after the event.

"I am fully looking forward to contributing to the ATTA's Adventure Travel World Summit as last year's event was enlightening to the point where we returned home with bankable information that made a substantial positive difference to the operation of our company,” said Ben Bressler, Founder and President, Natural Habitat Adventures.  “ATTA has raised the bar on adventure travel as a business and a lifestyle."

Presented by the Adventure Travel Trade Association, the 2006 Adventure Travel World Summit (www.adventuretravelworldsummit.com), “Today’s Tools for Tomorrow’s Adventures,” is designed for industry executives and decision makers within the travel and tourism industry with a vested interest in the adventure travel community.  The Summit is designed to equip delegates with the tools to better their business, enable the industry to better serve travelers, promote responsible adventure tourism, and optimize the industry’s market potential through productive debate, dialogue and collaboration.

            The Seattle-based ATTA (www.adventuretravel.biz) is a strategic membership organization dedicated to raising the profile of adventure travel globally.  Established in 1990, the ATTA provides services, knowledge, and connections that help its members succeed in their businesses and contribute to responsible industry growth.

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*Conference speakers, sessions and events are subject to change.