Guidance Group

Patricia is Director of Strategy and Communications at VisitBritain, the national tourism agency.

Her team is responsible for market research, forecasting and evaluation, communications with the industry and media and in working on tourism issues as a trusted advisor to the Government.

Patricia was originally employed as Head of Press and PR at VisitBritain, the national tourism agency. Here she led the teams promoting England to the British media, the global PR team promoting Britain to the international media in more than 40 markets and the corporate PR team promoting tourism and the work of VisitBritain.

Patricia began her career being trained as a journalist by IPC, working on the company’s scientific and research publications. Following the successful launch of new publications Patricia moved across the company to broaden her experience editing trade publications. She moved into computer publishing first as a freelancer and then as an editor of a magazine for computer managers. Building on her editing skills she moved to work on Holiday Which? at the Consumers’ Association where she scoped the strategy for and led on all Which?’s research , campaigning and public affairs work in tourism, travel and transport. She developed a high profile as a consumer advocate editing Holiday Which? magazine , and aggressively promoting the consumer view to opinion formers in Government, industry and the national media.

Danielle Courtenay joined Visit Orlando in February 1995. As Chief Marketing Officer, she develops the brand strategy and leads a global marketing team that creates domestic and international integrated leisure marketing to increase overnight visitation. She also is responsible for destination marketing to position Orlando as a key meetings and conventions destination, oversees corporate communications, public affairs and digital strategy. Previously she was the vice president of an advertising and public relations agency that specialized in travel and tourism. She has served in multiple volunteer positions with the Public Relations Society of America, Society of American Travel Writers and Destination Management Association International and serves as the chair of the United States Travel Association Communications Council, on the Alliance for Arts and Culture board of directors, Junior Achievement board of directors, the advisory board for TravelCom and on the Executive Leadership Council for Go Red for Women. She was just awarded the Gene T. Hassett award by Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI), named one of HSMAI’s Top 25 Minds in Hospitality & Travel Sales Marketing and Innovator of the Year by TravelCom. She has earned the Accredited Public Relations designation and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Relations from Auburn University and Masters of Science degree in Marketing Communication from Florida State University.

Mr. Seccombe serves as Chief Marketing Officer for VISIT FLORIDA, the state’s official tourism industry marketing corporation. Will is responsible for the VISIT FLORIDA brand and guiding all domestic and international sales, advertising, promotions, publications, public relations programs. Will is also responsible for the www.VISITFLORIDA.com website and all interactive marketing programs as well as all VISIT FLORIDA research and new product development.

Prior to joining VISIT FLORIDA, Will dedicated 19 years in the Colorado tourism industry. He began his career in the ski industry as a Regional Sales Manager for Vail Resorts and later as the Director of Marketing for Loveland Ski Area. Will then spent five years as the Vice President of Marketing for the Denver Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau and another five years with PRACO advertising and public relations where he led the agencies efforts on behalf of the Colorado Tourism Office and many other travel and hospitality clients as Vice President of Account Service, Vice President of Advertising and Chief Operating Officer.

Longobardi is Marketing & Sales Director for Sao Paulo Tourism - the official entity to promote Sao Paulo City as tourism destination - and responsible for the strategy that brings more than 11 million tourists a year to Sao Paulo (www.spturis.com). Sao Paulo Tourism, with an annual turnover of US$ 60 million, employs directly 500 + professionals and manages: Interlagos Race Track (www.autodromointerlagos.com) which holds several racing events, including the Brazil GP F-1, and Anhembi Park , Exhibition & Congress Center, stage for the largest trade fairs in Latin America like the AutoShow, MotoShow, ShoeShow, Heavy Machinary, Book Fair, School Fair, events like Carnival, shows like Elton John, Kiss, Black Eyed Peas, Simple Plan and several congresses and conventions with globally well known visitors like Dalai Lama and Kofi Annan. The Indycar 2010 opening season race took place at Anhembi last march. (www.anhembi.com.br). Longobardi has been managing the marketing & sales for SPturis since January 2005 and operates from Anhembi Park offices in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Jay Talwar joined the Hawai‘i Visitors and Convention Bureau (HVCB) as vice president of marketing on January 1, 2004 and was promoted to senior vice president in November 2006. He is chiefly responsible for developing marketing and branding programs for Hawai‘i, with the overall objective of spurring increased travel from North America. Talwar is very knowledgeable about the diverse workings of Hawai‘i’s visitor industry and has extensive experience in destination marketing for the Islands of Hawai‘i. Talwar initially directed a brand review which led to positioning refinements that have been communicated consistently across all marketing channels. These projects included the complete reconstruction of HVCB’s GoHawaii.com website. The result was an interactive showcase of the sights, sounds, culture, and people of Hawai‘i, and a dramatic improvement in its functionality and appeal for both consumers and travel industry partners. Under his leadership, HVCB has continued to implement innovative, multimedia marketing programs that elevate national consumer and travel trade awareness of Hawai‘i, and build business during the difficult off-peak travel seasons. Before joining HVCB, Talwar served as director of account service for its advertising agency, Milici Valenti Ng Pack/DDB, where he led the HVCB account team. He provided the strategic direction for HVCB’s successful marketing efforts in North America, most notably the emergency post-9/11 marketing campaign to help drive the recovery of Hawai‘i’s visitor industry, was a member of the DDB Worldwide strategic planning steering committee, and provided brand development and strategic planning counsel for all other major accounts held by the agency. A 26-year marketing veteran, Talwar spent the first 12 years of his career in San Francisco before relocating to Hawai‘i and has developed and executed marketing strategies for a wide range of national goods and products, including a variety of Hunt- Wesson food brands, Apple Computer, Intel and other technology firms, telecommunications, banking, and hotel accounts. Active in community affairs, Talwar serves as co-chairman of the board for Aloha Festivals, is a member of the community board for the American Heart Association in Hawai‘i, and a past president of the Sales & Marketing Executives of Honolulu. He graduated with honors from California State University at Hayward in 1982, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration, with an emphasis in marketing. He and his wife Carrie have a daughter and live in Honolulu.

Darren serves as the Manager, Digital Marketing for Tourism Vancouver, the Greater Vancouver Convention and Visitors Bureau. He has responsibility over the organization's websites, blog, social media, and online marketing initiatives. Prior to joining Tourism Vancouver in 2003, Darren worked for a number of years doing web design, development and online marketing for a variety of industries. His areas of expertise include web design, usability, marketing and analytics. Darren is a member of the Web Analytics Association and Destination Marketing Association International.

Candice has 12 years experience in the Tourism Industry, and has been managing the Consumer Marketing portfolio at The Greater Vancouver Convention and Visitors Bureau for close to a decade.  During her tenure, she has developed countless advertising strategies in the North American travel markets, implemented an online commerce solution for the organization's web property to track marketing performance, and has forged valuable marketing partnerships with industry, regional operators and many of Tourism Vancouver's 1,000 members.

Currently, Candice also manages a relationship with a key hotel stakeholder group, the Vancouver Destination Hotel Association, and develops and facilitates their marketing strategies. 

Prior to and during the recent 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Vancouver, Candice served on the sub-committees of an Olympic Tourism Industry Consortium, including the Consumer Marketing Committee and the Sub-committee on Spectator Accommodations, contributing to a customer-centric industry approach to Olympic marketing, and to servicing destination visitors from around the globe. 

Candice also sits on the Tourism Marketing Work Group of PNWER, the Pacific North West Economic Region, a bi-national, public-private partnership devoted to promoting intra-regional dialogue and advocacy in many areas of commerce.

Candice's previous background is in Special Events and Marketing Communications.

Sthuthukile Zungu was appointed as President of South African Tourism, North America in October 2007. A South African national with in depth international marketing experience, including most recently as General Manager of South African Tourism in Italy, Zungu will be responsible for all U.S. operations of the national tourism agency, including overseeing the promotion of travel and tourism for South Africa throughout America. Zungu joined South African Tourism in Milan in 2003 and has spent the intervening years developing and implementing marketing and business plans for consumers and the travel trade throughout Italy. Previously, she had an enduring marketing career at BMW South Africa, most recently as Brand Communications Manager for the MINI, which has enjoyed overwhelming success in South Africa and in the region. Hired by BMW as a Market Analyst fresh out of college in 1996, Zungu was promoted to Corporate Planning and Strategy Analyst in 1998 and to Brand Communications Manager in 2001. Along the way, she spent a year in Germany working at BMW headquarters in Munich and also pursuing a degree in Advance International Marketing under the Carl Duisberg Gesellschaft Scholarship. Born and raised in the province of KwaZulu Natal, South Africa, Zungu studied at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, from which she received a Master of Commerce degree in marketing in 2000 and a Bachelor of Commerce degree in marketing with honors in 1995. Along with her native Zulu, she is fluent in English, speaks good Italian and some German.

The author of “BrandOvation™: How Germany won the World Cup of Nation Branding”, and the sequel “The Hero’s Journey: Building a Nation of World Champions”, Dr Nikolaus Eberl holds a PhD from the Free University of Berlin and a Postgraduate Diploma from The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore. Dr Nikolaus’ research study on Germany’s Nation Branding Success Story during the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ was featured extensively in the media, and he is currently engaged in Internal Branding for the 2010 FIFA World Cup™.

Dr Nikolaus is the author of “The Seven Secrets of IziCwe: Conquer Life!”, a uniquely South African Life Skills Program, and “a must for anyone who wants to overcome career and personal challenges!” (The Business Day). The sequel, “The IziCwe Code: Internal Branding” was introduced to the international media at the Global Leaders Summit 2006, sharing the platform with leadership gurus Tom Peters, Rudy Giuliani and Michael Porter, and has become recommended reading for government leaders at national, provincial and local level.

David is a co-founder of Branding Korea, an independent initiative aimed at discussing the challenges of positioning Korea internationally. He currently helps foreign companies and international brands build successful online advertising strategies for the Asian market, and advises Organizations based in Korea on how to enhance their online communication and presence. He previously worked at Sid Lee, a top Canadian advertising agency, where he managed major operations for the Montreal Tourism Board and the Casinos of Quebec. Recognized for his professionalism and realistic approach, he has worked on multiple award-winning projects and has a strong experience in marketing destinations. David holds a Master degree in Management and International Business from the ISEG Business School in France, and is also a graduate from the University of Montreal in Canada.

Clement serves as Editor & Marketing Advisor for the Korea Tourism Organization, the government's official tourism development corporation. Clement is responsible for marketing Korea as a tourism destination and developing the national brand strategy to the European market. He is also a co-founder of Branding Korea, an independent initiative aimed at discussing the challenges of positioning Korea internationally. Prior to living in Asia, he worked as an Account Executive for both Young & Rubicam and KIT Digital in Australia, where he helped international companies (such as Google, Stockland or Saab) plan their marketing strategies and ensured the success of their advertising campaigns. Clement's strengths lie in his ability to think strategically about a brand and how to connect a message to the intended audience via multiple channels. He holds a Bachelor of International Business and Advertising from the Queensland University of Technology in Australia and is also a graduate from the University of Toulouse in France.

Grace is currently the National Brand Manger for Brand Kenya Board. She is responsible for the development of the Kenyan National Brand .She has spent her career in marketing management specializing in marketing strategy development, brand communication, product development and customer service management. She has been involved in new market development initiatives, re-branding, as well as managing brand portfolios .Grace has over the past ten years worked with product, service and place brands. Grace Key strengths lie in her ability to analyze situations, her creativity in the conceptualization of brand ideas and her passion for the brands she handles.

Bill Cronin is the Vice President of Merchant Marketing for MasterCard Worldwide. In this position, Bill created a new marketing team that develops and executes promotions with merchant partners across all verticals, including travel, retail, e-commerce, and emerging markets. Bill is an experienced global marketing executive with a passion for building successful teams and strong brands. He joined MasterCard in 1999, leading the roll-out of the award-winning "Priceless" advertising campaign across Europe and Asia. As the Vice President of Brand Marketing for MasterCard Europe from 2004 to 2007, Bill was a member of the region's Senior Management Team based in London during MasterCard's transition to a publicly traded company. He has managed the integrated marketing plans for MasterCard's global sponsorships, including the 2002 and 2006 FIFA World Cup. Bill previously worked in advertising at J. Walter Thompson, managing a range of accounts,including Schick razors, Trident gum, Merrill Lynch, and Kellogg's,where he led the brand development and advertising for the launch of Smart Start cereal. A history major at Dartmouth College, Bill is actively involved with Grassroots Soccer, a nonprofit focused on helping use soccer to educate children in Africa about HIV/AIDS. He has been a featured speaker at a number of marketing conferences for companies including Procter & Gamble and Intel.

Michele Meoni is the Chief Operating Officer of Continental Hotels, the number one Romanian hotel group per number of rooms under direct management and unified brands. He holds an EMBA from CASS (City University Business School), DMS in Management Sciences from Westminster University, and completed his technical skill development at Forte Hotels with a 2 years Hotel Management Training. He has 25 years of experience in hospitality operational management which includes 10 years in Tour operator and Travel Agency and Coach Management and than 15 years in the hotels industry. He has being involved in development plans, pre-opening, opening and operating hotels and restaurants. Grosvenor House Hotel (later the Le Meridien Grosvenor House) where he was involved in the planning of the refurbishment program with a total CAPEX of 30ml Capital Casinos where he has developed the business to the highest standard in London with the awards won by Crockfords Club Domina Coral Bay Resort and Casino, where he was the project manager of the expansion plan from 1400 to 2100 rooms, from 100 to 180 ha of land and the development of a Film production park. Continental Hotels where he is currently involved in the management of all units (14 hotels between 2 and 5 stars). He has also managed the pre-opening and opening of 3 hotels, and he is involved in the planning of the expansion program of the Group. Last step has been the successful opening of the 5 star deluxe boutique hotel in Bucharest.

Paul Krutko is founder and President/CEO of Peloton Development, a consultancy devoted to advising businesses and municipal, regional, state, and national governments on economic development strategy and location/incentive negotiations.  The firm specializes in the preparation of climate prosperity strategies, helping its clients achieve job creation, capital investment and revenue generation while advancing environmental objectives.   Peloton Development also provides leadership training and team building assistance through presentations, one-day seminars or multi-session engagements to public, private and not-for-profit economic development organizations seeking to create high performing result-oriented teams.

Prior to the formation of Peloton Development, Paul had a thirty-one year career in furthering the economic development of major cities across the United States.  Most recently, he was the Chief Development Officer (2002-2010) for the City of San Jose, America’s 10th largest city that makes up 60% of Silicon Valley.  Paul was responsible for designing, guiding and coordinating community and economic development programs for the City of San Jose.  The duties of the CDO include policy and strategy formulation, development agreement negotiation, corporate and small business outreach, climate prosperity strategies, development related intergovernmental relations, international relations, workforce development, downtown service management, sports facilities and events development, and arts and cultural affairs management.

Paul led the preparation and implementation of the city’s first formal Economic Development Strategy that includes 15 specific initiatives and over 100 distinct tactical projects as well as the clean technology section of the City’s climate prosperity plan – Green Vision. 

Before joining San Jose in 2002, Paul led economic and downtown development efforts in Jackosnville Florida (1997-2002) and Cleveland Ohio (1990-1997).

Paul is a recognized leader among his peers, being selected as a Fellow of the International Economic Development Council in 2009.  He is chair of the Council’s Economic Development Research Partners subsidiary and its Secretary/Treasurer.  He is also vice-chair of the California Association of Local Economic Development.  Paul is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati, College of Design, Architecture and Art.

Dr Dan Steinbock is Research Director of International Business at the India, China and America Institute. He has consulted for multinationals and SMEs, international organizations (OECD, EU, Nordic Council, Baltic Development Forum), cities (from Shanghai to Greater Helsinki) and governments. He divides his time between the United States (New York City), Asia (Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hong Kong) and occasionally Europe (Helsinki). He is also Senior Fellow in Shanghai’s leading think-tank, focusing on G-20 and the new global political economy, as well as Visiting Professor at the Shanghai Foreign Trade Institute. He serves as Faculty Spokesman for the Forum to Advance Mobile Experience (FAME), an initiative by the CMO Council, whose strategic interest communities include over 20,000 global executives across nearly 100 countries. And he has various advisory tasks in the US (1to1 Magazine, Fortune, BusinessWeek). Dr Steinbock is affiliated with the Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness by Prof. Michael E. Porter (Harvard Business School) and Columbia Institute for Tele-Information, Columbia School of Business). He cooperates with think-tanks and research centers in the US, Europe, China and India, ASEAN, and Persian Gulf. As Senior ASLA-Fulbright scholar, he conducted research in New York University and Columbia University. He contributes op-eds, commentaries and policy briefs for leading business publications in the U.S., Europe and Asia, including China’s leading English-language China Daily. He has moderated international corporate conferences in US, Europe and Asia, including with Jack Welch, former CEO of GE. He regularly gives keynotes and policy briefs for trade associations, government agencies and international studies institutes, chambers of commerce and business councils in US, Europe and Asia.

Since leaving the UK for Greece in 2003, Manolis has undertaken consultancy work in tourism planning & development and destination management & marketing at both national & international level. In 2005, he joined the team responsible to plan & launch the Athens Tourism & Economic Development Company (ATEDCo; breathtaking ATHENS), the official DMO for the City of Athens. In 2006, Manolis was promoted to the position of Tourism Development Director. During his 5 years of service for the City of Athens, he was involved with destination development and tourism policy issues at international & domestic level, EU projects for enhancing Athens' tourism product, project management for high-calibre events and sales & promotion strategies for the travel trade sector. Since the beginning of 2009, Manolis has been working as an external destination development & marketing consultant for Athens Tourism & Economic Development Company (ATEDCo) and other public & private entities; and as a member of the World Centre of Excellence in Destinations (CED) team of experts. Last May, Manolis joined the newly-established Governmental Organization AGROTIMA SA/ELAGRO responsible for the Sustainable Tourism Development & Promotion of Rural Greece as a Senior Advisor. At present, Manolis is working towards achieving sustainable economic, social and environmental benefits for Greek rural destinations and tourism businesses; building digital marketing & product development strategies for the City of Athens; and promoting CED's System of Measures for Excellence in Destinations (SMED) at both national and international level. Manolis has a BA (Hons) in Hospitality Management with Tourism & Leisure from the University of Huddersfield and a MSc in Tourism Planning & Development from the Oxford Brookes University.

Dr. Duverger is senior level marketing consultant with experience in North America, Europe, the Caribbean and the Middle East. Dr. Duverger has expertise in two main areas: product and service development including positioning, branding, and innovation; and very strong quantitative research based consultancy including the use of methods such as web content analysis, social networking analysis, and structural modeling, in order to find unique relationships to use in marketing strategy. Dr. Duverger has developed a strong reputation with more than twenty years of experience in the service industry as an operator, a consultant, and an educator. He has held several high level positions in the service sector such as Vice-President of Sales and Marketing for a high-tech start-up company, President of Greenmart Enterprises specializing in hospitality concepts, from assessment to implementation including service blue prints, standards, measurements, training and development. Dr. Duverger currently teaches at Towson University. His research focuses on service innovation and the impact of user communities on market orientation. Dr. Duverger has presented his research at several academic national and international conferences. Dr. Duverger is a Certified Hotel Administrator (C.H.A.) from the American Hotel & Lodging Association’s Educational Institute; He holds a hotel management degree from the Bordeaux School of Hotel Management, France; an MBA from Athabasca University, Alberta, Canada; and a Ph.D. from George Washington University.

Sania Jelic Danda is a hands-on Sales & Marketing expert, with multi-cultural experience in business development, marketing and communication. She has lived in Chile, Austria, Germany, the US, Croatia and Spain. In 2006 she became Director of the Croatian National Tourist Board in charge of Spain and Portugal, and sales have been going up since. Her previous employments include Marketing & Communication Director at Anfi Group, Gran Canaria, ten years with Amadeus, the multinational IT provider for the travel industry, and her first steps in the travel industry began with inbound and outbound tour operators in Europe and the USA. Sania speaks fluent English, native Croatian, fluent Spanish and German and has a useful knowledge of Italian. Even though she gained most of her expertise in the travel and IT industry, she is an expert wherever selling and marketing has to be done.

Dr. Cathy Guthrie FTMI FTS is a destination management professional with over 20 years' experience of managing and marketing rural and urban destinations in England. She led and participated in a variety of partnership marketing initiatives to brand and market Captain Cook Country, Herriot Country and Darlington in the North of England as tourism manager of Hambleton and Darlington respectively. She developed the first Darlington Festival, increased turnover in the Darlington Tourist Information Centre (TIC) by introducing destination branded merchandise and commissionable services, and led the development of the first destination website in the North East of England based on partnership with the Regional Tourist Board. Since moving to Scotland in 2002, Cathy has successfully completed an MSc in Tourism Management, with research into the impact of ICT on the role played by TICs in destination marketing. Her PhD, awarded in 2007, researched the impact of interactions on destination image. As a consultant, Cathy has led the development of a continuing professional development programme and postgraduate qualifications in destination management, a European funded online training programme for tourism managers, and tourism business audits as a precursor to creating tourism development and marketing strategies. Cathy is currently the Hon. Secretary of the Tourism Management Institute, which recently completed integration with the Tourism Society to become its destination management section, creating a stronger voice for tourism in the UK. She was a 2008 SHINE Public Sector Woman of the Year finalist.

Andrew has more than 20 years experience in marketing and business development within the tourism, leisure, heritage and performing arts sectors, both in the UK and internationally. As a senior level manager, Andrew contributed to organizations including: the Shakespeare Global Trust as a Director of Communications, Historic Royal Palaces, The New Millennium Experience Company Limited, as well as the British Tourist Authority (now known as Visit Britain). Through a collaboration with Wendy Resenthal in 2010, he founded The Wanda Group, which is a business advisory and consultancy firm that specializes in tourism, leisure, and arts areas. Andrew graduated with honors from the University of London (University College London) where he studied German.

Throughout his twenty plus year career in brand development and advertising, Mark has played a leading role in discovering and implementing brand building programs for destinations, resorts and tourism attractions. Under his direction, this firm's work has been recognized by the HSMAI Adrian Awards, the American Marketing Association, The One Club, The New York Festivals, The London International Awards, and most importantly, our clients. He is a frequent guest lecturer on brand building at colleges, universities and business associations. Mark is a board member of the Albany chapter of Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO), Camp Chingachgook's Board of Managers, the Board of Directors for The Arts Center of the Capital Region, Past-president of the American Marketing Association of New York's Capital Region, and has served on the boards of The Capital District YMCA, The Eddy, Beginnings Day Care Centers and The Hunger Action Network. He is a member of DMAI, HSMAI, International Tourism Professionals, World Tourism Network and the Resort Marketing Network, along with other marketing and tourism groups. In his free time, Mark is an avid traveler, skier, hiker and kayaker.

Dr. Walter Jamieson has been involved in academia in Canada, Thailand and the United States as well as consultancy activities in over 20 countries over the last 35 years. Presently he is Director, Service Innovation Program, College of Innovation, Thamassat University. Formally Dean of the School of Travel Industry Management at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa and prior to that member of faculty and administration within the Faculty of Environmental Design at the University of Calgary. His consultancy activities include working with the United Nations World Tourism Organization, ESCAP and UNESCO. He has published and presented widely and is solely or jointly responsible for over 135 publications, papers, presentations and outreach lectures. His latest publication is Managing Metropolitan Tourism: An Asian Perspective published by the United Nations World Tourism Organization. He is a member of a number of national as well as international organizations.

Walter Jamieson’s Specialties:

- Sustainable and responsible development.
- Tourism planning and development at the international, national, metropolitan and local level tourism.
Human resource development
- Corporate social responsibility with a unique focus on employing tourism as a tool for development with an emphasis on poverty reduction.
- Heritage resource management and planning with a focus on heritage sites/areas and interpretation.