Speakers America Outdoors Association 2012 Conference

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Featured Speakers for AOA's Annual
Marketing and Management Conference

Daytona Beach, Florida, December 4-6, 2012

Keynote Speaker Matt Thornhill
Matt Thornhill is founder and president of the Boomer Project, and is widely considered to be the leading national authority on marketing to today's Boomer Consumer. He has appeared on NBC Nightly News, CBS Evening News, CNBC, MSNBC, and on NPR radio, and been quoted extensively in articles in Business Week, Time, Newsweek, Barron's, the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and USA Today.

His book, Boomer Consumer (2007), was subsequently named a Top 10 Business Book by Corbis, a Bill Gates company. Matt writes a syndicated newspaper column on Boomers, and is a regular contributor to Forbes.com and Entrepreneur Magazine. In addition, he edits and publishes a newsletter on marketing to Boomers for over 6,200 subscribers.

Matt has spoken at national events for MDRT, LIMRA, the Social Security Administration, and for John Hancock, Lincoln Financial, Genworth, State Farm, Wells Fargo Advisors and dozens of other financial services organizations. Additionally, Matt has given keynote addresses at the national American Healthcare Association convention, as well as their Top Executives Forum. He has spoken for the National Center for Assisted Living and at state healthcare association events in 17 states.

Prior to starting the Boomer Project in 2003, Matt had a 23-year career in the advertising agency business, working for Ogilvy & Mather and Ted Bates Advertising on Madison Avenue in New York, and for The Martin Agency in Richmond, Virginia. Mr Thornhill will present Marketing to Reach All Ages and Generations. Sponsored by Resmark Systems.

Keynote Speaker Patrick O'Malley
Patrick O'Malley loves and lives Social Media, and can show you how to utilize it to get new sales or improve your business. He is a nationally known expert on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Google SEO. He is also a regular contributor to Fox TV News as a social media and Internet expert.

Previously, he was the VP of Operations for the search engine that was Google's top competitor in the year 2000 (Northern Light). He knows the internal engineering of a search engine, and understands internet marketing from one of the original sources. In fact, he knows tricks which can get your company's product onto the first page of Google, for free. His phone number is actually 617-PATRICK, which he thinks is cool. Mr. O'Malley's topics are Which Social Media Can Really Benefit Your Outfitting Business and YouTube Tricks and Techniques to Grow Your Business. Sponsored by Outdoor Ventures Group, LLC

Jeremy Cameron
Jeremy Cameron is President of Simple Solutions, Inc., managing teams that cover web development, application integration, IT analytics, search and social marketing technologies. He also advises clients on IT best practices, systems architecture and social software solutions. Mr. Cameron and his teams have been instrumental in helping outfitters, worldwide, optimize and leverage their total web presence. Prior to Simple Solutions, Mr. Cameron was a Digital Product Research Analyst at META Group responsible for developing and implementing enterprise level web 2.0 applications and IT innovation strategies. Mr. Cameron will present Web Strategies for 2013 to Help You Beat the Competition and Advanced SEO & Google Analytics to Achieve and Measure Better Results.

Elizabeth Marsten, Director of Search Marketing, Portent Inc.
Back in 2006, when Portent Inc. hired Elizabeth Marsten as a Pay Per Click strategist, she thought she was entering the exciting world of paperclip marketing. A Google search for "pay per clip" quickly dispelled this notion. Since then, Elizabeth has become Portent's foremost PPC and search marketing strategist.

After earning a BA in English Literature from the University of Washington, Elizabeth ditched everyone's favorite Plan A (law school) and roamed about as a temp and admin employee before joining Portent. As the Director of Search Marketing, Elizabeth supervises the PPC, SEO, copy, link and social media teams at Portent, along with managing her own select client load.

Elizabeth is a Google Certified Individual, an adCenter Accredited Professional and the co-author of Wiley Publishing's 1st and 2nd editions of "Web Marketing All-in-One for Dummies." (Check out book 4 of 8: Online Advertising and Pay-Per-Click.) She has also written a set of eBooks on PPC for Small Business as well as posting on the Portent blog regularly. She has also been a speaker at SMX Advanced, SMX East, SMX West, Wappow!, Miva Merchant Conference and PPC Hero Con. Elizabeth is honored to be able to share what she's learned at conferences across the country. In her spare time, she likes to practice Kendo, a Japanese martial art. Ms Marsten will present Pay Per Click 101 and Advanced PPC Strategies.

Doug Motel
Doug is an online marketing wiz skilled in the art of identifying and sharing the latest opportunities in tourism promotion. For more than 14 years Doug has helped large corporations and small businesses alike profit from the web. His clients have appeared on CNN, Oprah, The View, and in The Wall Street Journal, to name just a few media placements. He is generous with his insider information and entertaining in his delivery, and leaves audiences energized, informed, and inspired to take action.

Born and raised in Atlantic City, NJ, America's infamous resort playground, Doug has a unique perspective on travel and recreation and the important role tourism plays in people's lives. Much of Doug's work has focused on developing creative strategies that are largely free or low cost. In addition to offline strategies, his specialty is teaching small businesses how to take advantage of a broad range of online vehicles such as Facebook, Twitter, Yelp!, Google, Foursquare, YouTube, and Google Local.

As a speaker Doug is always entertaining, often using character voices, funny stories, and playfully illustrated slide shows to share his broad base of knowledge. He is skilled at making, what is for many, mind-numbing material easy to comprehend. Participants leave his presentation laughing and learning. Mr. Motel will present Selling to Ecotourists and Learn How to Use Pinterest for Huge Tourism Traffic.

Susan Sweeney
Susan is a best-selling author, an internationally recognized Internet marketing and e-business expert and a partner in eLearningU, an online education portal specifically for travel and tourism. As a professional Internet marketing speaker, Susan has delivered lively keynotes, workshops and bootcamps to audiences on 4 continents.

Susan has earned both her Chartered Accountant and Certified General Accountant designations. Susan also holds her CSP - The CSP is the highest earned designation presented by the National Speakers Association. It is the industry’s international measure of professional platform skills. Only 10% of the National Speakers Association 4700 international memberships hold this professional designation. Susan is one of them! - and she has recently been inducted into the Canadian Speakers Hall of Fame which is comprised of individuals who have been recognized for their outstanding excellence as a professional speaker and dedication to the professional speaking industry by educating others to excel. Members are selected by their peers in recognition of their contributions. Susan Sweeney is the author of 8 Internet marketing books, including the highly regarded and successful 101 Ways to Promote Your Web Site, now in it's 8th edition, it has been translated into German, Spanish and Chinese, and has sold over 77,000 copies. Her latest book Social Media for Business, has received rave reviews from many tourism industry professionals. Her other book titles include: 101 Internet Businesses You Can Start from Home The E-Business Formula for Success Social Media for Business Books are published by Maximum Press, Gulf Breeze, Florida. Susan is presenting 7 Essential Strategies for Tourism Success, Strategies for Facebook Marketing Success and What to Do: Trip Advisor, Living Social, and Groupon.

Michel Becher
Michael Becher is Senior Project Director at Industry Insights. Industry Insights has been serving the research needs of trade and professional associations, dealer organizations and other affiliated groups since 1980. They specialize in providing high-quality yet affordable survey research services which assist such organizations in better fulfilling the informational and educational needs of their affiliated members. Mr. Becher will present the results of the AOA Benchmarking Revenue and Expense Survey.

Tracey Knutson
Tracey L. Knutson is an attorney licensed in Montana and Alaska whose primary practice involves working with national and international recreation and adventure sports commercial operators, public land administrators and recreation oriented educational groups. An experienced trial lawyer, Tracey defends recreation companies and sports groups from liability claims, often negotiating pretrial conclusions that minimize time and expense. In addition, she provides risk management and training services.

Tracey's belief, when it comes to recreational endeavors, is that risk and opportunity exist simultaneously. Learning how to maximize the opportunities in your recreational endeavors by minimizing or mitigating the risks is a key component of operating a quality adventure sport or recreational endeavor or business. Ms. Knutson will lead What to Expect When You Are Sued and The Trial and Jury Decision.

Chris Stec
Chris Stec serves as the Chief Operating Officer of the ACA, the oldest nonprofit paddlesports organization in the U.S., focusing on paddlesports education, stewardship, recreation and competition. In addition, Chris holds numerous paddlesports instructor certifications and enjoys spending time on the water with his wife and two kids, whether it's racing downriver canoes, kayak fishing, or surfing SUPs in the ocean. Chris will conduct the Standup Paddleboard Cracker Barrel.

Harry Chambers
Harry Chambers is a Performance Improvement Specialist. As an award-winning author, he works with organizations that want to increase the productivity of their managers and staff. He specializes in diagnosing and correcting performance problems, increasing communication effectiveness, and dealing with people who demonstrate bad attitudes and negativity.

Harry is an internationally known author and professional speaker. He has a proven track record of providing content-rich programs that result in participants learning specific real-world strategies and techniques for increasing their productivity and the productivity of others. He brings 30+ years of practical business experience to his programs and has trained and consulted with Boise State University, the University of Arkansas Sam Walton School of Business, and the University of Georgia Carl Vinson School of Government. Harry has been interviewed on NBC's Today Show, ABC Morning News and National Public Radio's Morning Addition. He appears frequently on radio talk shows and his work has been quoted in publications such as Fortune, Success, Executive Excellence, Cosmopolitan, Inc. Magazine, and Investor's Business Daily. Harry will present Effective Leadership During Changing Times and Coaching Employees and the Effective Use of Discipline.

Tracy Roseman
Tracy Quick Roseman the large group/major markets field sales for the Paychex Insurance Agency covering the vast majority (over ¾) of the state of Florida, focusing on the areas of strategic benefits consulting, development and insurance brokering of group benefits products to mid-large businesses while maintaining a focus on plan and resource development and management and cost containment measures. Tracy holds an MBA in Marketing and a BBA in Risk Management & Insurance both from the University of Memphis, Memphis, TN. She is also a Fellow of The New Memphis Institute (formerly The Leadership Academy). Tracy is a former President of the Tennessee Association of Health Underwriters from 2003-2005, was appointed the AccessTN board of Directors from 2005-2009 to represent her peers and offer expert input in the development of Tennessee's High Risk Pool and was the Regional Chair for HUPAC in the SW United States from 2005-2008.

Her career in the employee benefits and health insurance industries began in 1994. She credits her continued success to many great mentors and friends and lots of hard work. She has had and continues to have the privilege of accumulating a vast and detailed knowledge of the many intricacies nuances of the business and has continued to grow and evolve just as the industry has. In addition, she has expertise in the development of federal and state funded and sponsored health plans and the lobbying, government relations and public policy activities that go along with these programs.

Tracy is a self-proclaimed benefits nerd and genuinely enjoys the employee benefits and insurance industry and all aspects of it. She is originally from Memphis, TN and now lives in Naples, FL with her husband, Michael and their son Jack. Tracy will present Coverage and Credits. The Affordable Care Act and Your Business

David Byrd
Dave Byrd is the Director of Risk and Regulatory Affairs for the National Ski Areas Association, which is based in Colorado and is the national umbrella trade association representing the interests of ski area owners and operators. Prior to joining NSAA, Dave was a litigator practicing in firms in Missouri and Washington, D.C., representing corporate clients in lawsuits involving commercial litigation, employment law, and products liability. In his role at NSAA, Dave oversees risk management issues impacting ski area operations, as well as a number of regulatory issues, both state and federal, from employment matters, health care, OSHA, workers compensation, and safety issues. Dave will present Coverage and Credits. The Affordable Care Act and Your Business with Tracy Roseman

2012 Sponsors:

FOR INFORMATION CALL: America Outdoors Association ® 1-800-524-4814, 865-558-3595.