Roger Dow, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association, will join Helen Marano, director, of the Office of Travel a Tourism Industries at the U.S. Department of Commerce, for “The State of Business Travel: An Urgent Conversation” at the Exhibition and Convention Executives Forum (ECEF) on June 2 at the J. W. Marriott in Washington, D.C.
In a no-holds-barred discussion, Dow and Marano will examine the progress of visa reform efforts underway at the Department of State and Department of Homeland Security; the business community’s reactions to the recently signed Travel Promotion Act; and the findings of the newly released study by Oxford Economics, The Return on Investment of US Business Travel. In addition, Dow and Marano will answer exhibition and convention executives’ questions.
Dow leads the Washington, D.C.-based organization representing all segments of the $770 billion U.S. travel and tourism industry. Before joining the U.S. Travel Association, he spent more than 30 years at Marriott International.
Marano heads the federal government’s International Tourism Promotion Program and is responsible for policy and advocacy issues affecting the tourism industries throughout the United States.
At ECEF, Dow and Marano join such high-power speakers as Peter Censky, executive director of the Water Quality Association; David Etzler, CEO, OutsourceWorld; Wayne Jacobs, president, Jacobs, Jenner and Kent Marketing Research; Dr. Roch Parayre, Wharton School; and Peter Weedfald, president of Gen One Ventures.
Particularly noteworthy is Roch Parayre’s closing keynote, “Finding Blue Oceans in the Exhibition and Convention Industry.” Parayre will identify the uncontested markets that await convention and exhibition producers based on original research underwritten by ECEF’s platinum sponsor, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.
“Executives will learn new ways to improve their events from Dr. Pararye’s research and insight,” says ECEF producer Sam Lippman. “I’m grateful to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority for demonstrating its support of innovation in our industry.”
Now in its ninth consecutive year, ECEF is the world’s only forum exclusively for business media and association executives. For one day each year, the invitation-only event gathers the leaders of the exhibition and convention industry to focus on fundamental ways to increase revenues and the relevance of their events.
Additional information about ECEF can be found online at www.eceforum.com.
