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America Outdoors Association
Marketing and Management Revolution 2010

Salt Palace Convention Center
Salt Lake City, UT
Conference Dates: Dec. 7-9, 2010

Adam Sacks, to Keynote AOA Conference in Salt Lake City

Adam Sacks Adam Sacks is the founder and Managing Director of Tourism Economics; an Oxford Economics company dedicated to analytically-based consulting to the tourism sector. Mr. Sacks has worked with hundreds of tourism sector clients over the past fifteen years.
On the public sector side, Adam has worked with national, provincial/state and local tourism offices throughout the world. He is an authority on measuring the economic impact of tourism activity-both broadly and for specific initiatives and projects. He has advised destinations on tourism investment policy, the effects of proposed entry procedures, tourism taxation, and marketing strategies. He has provided numerous destinations with analysis on market positioning and emerging opportunities. Adam has also implemented the UN-sanctioned methodology for measuring the economic impact of tourism (Tourism Satellite Accounting) for over a dozen countries and for seven states.
Adam has consulted with multi-national hotel chains, airlines, aircraft manufacturers, theme parks, resort developers, and retail operators to measure current and future market opportunities. He has presented to numerous corporate strategic planning teams on the threats and opportunities facing their businesses within the projected travel and economic climate. Adam also develops custom models for quantifying market opportunities and competitive risks for clients. On a related front, Adam has developed tourism forecasting models with strong track records. He is a member of the Travel Industry Association's Research Board and the US Department of Commerce Tourism Advisory Board.
Don't miss Adam's keynote address The Outlook for Leisure Travel, Tuesday December 7, 2010.

AOA's 2010 Featured Speakers

Judy Randall, is a "Travel Industry Futurist" and researcher who has spent over 25 years capturing the voice of the customer. She is president and CEO of Randall Travel Marketing, Inc., a company that focuses solely on research for the travel and tourism industry. She has conducted comprehensive visitor research studies for over 150 small, medium and large destinations. Judy, along with Dr. Larry Gustke, co-authors the annual Top Ten Trends in Travel and Tourism (published annually since 1995). Judy is one of the top speakers in the travel industry and has spoken at numerous U.S. and international travel conferences.
Recent and current work includes research studies for the following: Mendocino County (CA), Billings (MT), Santa Fe (NM), Lubbock (TX), State of Kansas Heritage/Craft Study (KS), South Padre Island (TX), Bucks County (PA) , Finger Lakes Tourism Alliance (NY), Oklahoma City National Memorial (OK), Central Florida, Florida's Space Coast, Mississippi Delta Blues Regional Study (MS), Topeka (KS), Atlanta Metro Travel Association, Cape Fear Coast (NC), Lexington (KY), Las Vegas (NV), and Memphis (TN) Don't miss Judy's informative sessions: Future Trends in Travel and Tourism and Increasing Sales through Generational Marketing, on Tuesday December 7, 2010.

Chris Calzone, Sonar Selling Chris is a Certified Industrial Consultant with 18 years of professional sales experience. With over 25,000 face-to-face sales calls to his credit, he has had the opportunity to apply a broad range of sales management techniques. Using a systematic approach to sales and marketing he doubled the size of two sales territories in the last ten years! In addition, his work has taken him to practically every state in the nation affording him the opportunity to see many diverse applications and teach in a wide variety of environments.
The author of numerous learning programs, presentation guides, assessment instruments, and research reports, Chris has compiled a wealth of sales territory management information. In addition, he is the author of Sonar Selling: Territory Management 101, Trafford Publishing 2003, which was featured in the Denver Business Journal's Strategies Spotlight. Prior to entering the training and consulting field Chris held the positions of Distribution Representative, Territory Account Manager, Sales Representative for New Business Development, and District Sales Manager. In these various sales roles he worked with such noteworthy companies as American Standard, General Electric, Glidden, and United Technologies. Chris has experience designing sales strategies for outfitters, has refined a series of strategies and techniques designed to help business professionals in any industry achieve their sales goals. Chris will present Implementing an Integrated Sales Strategy Parts I & II, Thursday December 9, 2010.

Ron Jones, Symetri Internet Marketing, Ron is an Internet marketing consultant, trainer, columnist and owner of Symetri Internet Marketing, which provides strategic consulting and Internet marketing solutions for companies such as Sealy Inc., Broyhill Furniture, Kimberly Clark Healthcare, Wachovia, Shaw Industries, and Kayser Roth since 1998.
Ron has been an avid proponent of the Search Engine Marketing industry by hosting and speaking at seminars and conferences. He also conducts training workshops for Social Media Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Paid Search Advertising and Web Analytics. Ron's training courses and workshops are available to anyone interested in learning basic or advanced Search Marketing best practices.
Ron also serves as VP and Board member for SEMPO (Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization). Ron is also one of the authors for the SEMPO Institute Insiders Guide and Advanced courses. Ron is a columnist for Search Engine Watch (www.searchenginewatch.com) and writes the SEM.edu and SEM Basics columns.
His sessions are: SEO, Mobile, Local, Video -- Internet Marketing Tools for 2010, Wednesday December 8, 2010 and Using Social Media for Viral Marketing, Thursday December 9, 2010

Kevin Kragenbrink, Estrada Strategies, Dr. Kevin Kragenbrink has distinguished himself for more than 30 years as an entrepreneur, consultant, teacher, and strategist. Since launching his consulting practice in 1996, he has devoted himself to helping small to medium businesses and nonprofits grow and succeed. He is the former Director of the Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship at CSU, San Bernardino and founder of Creative Performance Strategies, a California small business development company. In 2005 Dr. Kragenbrink joined the executive team at Estrada Strategies Franchise, Incorporated, a business development and executive growth franchise company.
Dr. Kragenbrink has worked with hundreds of small to medium businesses to help them develop systems and strategies to speed their growth and strengthen their performance. He has also served as CFO for three successful startup companies. Dr. Kragenbrink has been a CalTIP evaluator, Chairman of the regional technology alliance for California's Inland Empire, and a business plan evaluator for the Diamond Venture Forum in CA. He currently serves as a member of the Mentor's Council for the Center for Entrepreneurial Growth in Oak Ridge, TN. He has conducted hundreds of seminars, workshops and training programs in leadership development, professional communications, public speaking, American culture, and personal values, speaking to thousands of people across the United States. He now provides executive coaching, leadership training, business skills development, and strategic and business planning consulting for businesses, academic institutions, and nonprofit organizations. Be there for Team Building -- Five Vital Qualities to Leadership Success, and Team Building -- Employee Recruiting Strategies to Build a Culture of Success, on Wednesday December 8, 2010. He will be back on Thursday December 9, 2010 with How to Coach Your Team to Be Top Performers.

Tracey L. Knutson of Knutson and Associates, Tracey is a licensed attorney in Anchorage, Alaska whose primary practice involves working with 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.
Tracey will lead Essential Risk Management Practices to Reduce Your Exposure to Loss Parts I & II, Tuesday December 7, 2010.

Patrick Donovan, Vice President Aon Consulting, Pat has extensive functional HR experience in Organizational Development, Compensation (certified compensation professional), Benefits, Employee Relations, Performance Management and Recruitment. Pat is Vice President of Aon Consulting and has served as the H.R. Manager for Vail Resorts, and more recently as the vice president of club development for Vail Resorts. He has operational experience in all facets of business including finance, marketing, sales, food and beverage and customer relations. Pat's topic is What Health Care Reform Means to Your Business, Tuesday December 7, 2010.

Ron Rosenburg, Quality Talk Ron Rosenberg is a nationally recognized, award-winning expert on marketing and customer service and a winner of the prestigious "International Marketer of the Year" award at the GKIC International Marketing Summit. Ron will dazzle you with humor, stories, and lots of audience interaction. An accomplished magician, Ron performs exciting magical effects to drive home key points and keep his audience's riveted to the program. Ron is a sought after media resource, featured in major publications and radio talk shows such as The New York Times, The Washington Post and ABC Radio. Nearly 100 percent of Ron's clients are repeat and referred customers. He is the author of numerous learning resources including a comprehensive Marketing System for businesses and associations, a Memory System that will actually double your memory. His client list includes Ace Hardware, Sumitomo Electric, Ben Bridge Jewelers, Dow Chemical, the American Gem Society, and ASAE and The Center for Association Leadership, among many others. Be sure to be there for Winning Marketing Strategies for the New Economy, and Revelations from a Marketing Mystery Shopper, Wednesday December 8, 2010.

Joy Spring, Vice President Leisure Trends Group, Joy has worked in the ski and hospitality industries since 1985 and has worked with related businesses in developing marketing, sales and customer management and information programs. A research analyst herself, she was instrumental in the expansion of the National Skier/Boarder Opinion Survey (NSOS), a national snowsport study, and implementation of the first national customer satisfaction benchmark program for the ski industry. She has used her expertise in customer satisfaction measurement to develop a hospitality measurement tool (Guest Experience Measurement-GEM) used by several major resort hotel chains. Customer satisfaction and measurement is her passion, which she brings to all aspects of Leisure Trends. Seeing the movement to one-on-one marketing as the future of communicating with customers, Joy's research and guest measurement experience has led her to direct the LTG integrated enterprise CRM platform in which customers can house, segment and communicate one-on-one with their customers. Prior to working for the Leisure Trends Group, Joy spent four years with the American Ski Association developing their benefits program and retail sales division. She is a current board member of the Colorado Ski Museum and was a founding member of Snow Sports Association for Women (SSAW). Joy will present CRM - How Better Management of Your Customer Data Can Improve Your Sales, Wednesday December 8, 2010.

Brian Mullis, Sustainable Travel International Brian T. Mullis is an internationally recognized expert in sustainable tourism development and destination stewardship. He is the Founder and CEO of Sustainable Travel International, a leading nonprofit organization with operations around the world. Mullis has over 21 years of experience in the travel and tourism industry. He began his career working in National Parks in the United States. More recently, Mullis was the president and owner of The World Outdoors, an international travel company specializing in active and eco-travel. During his career, he has assisted hundreds of travel-related companies from Fortune 500 companies to micro-enterprises, and governmental organizations from small islands developing states to emerging destinations in the areas of sustainable and business development, market access, carbon management, and standards development. His work has taken him to more than 35 countries across five continents including to some of the world's best examples of sustainable tourism and destination stewardship. Brian's topic is Green Travel, Sustainability and ROI, Thursday December 9, 2010.

Patrick M. Tabor, Swan Mountain Consulting, Pat consults with companies on strategic planning, performance improvement, buy/sell, leadership development and other specialized areas of consulting focused on the outdoor recreation industry. Through the Swan Mountain Consulting Group, Pat has closed 7 buy/sell transactions in the outdoor recreation industry in the last year alone. Prior to forming the Swan Group of Companies, Pat was an executive with an International Accounting firm and worked advising clients as a professional for over 25 years. Pat has consulted with buyers and sellers of businesses on over 200 transactions in his career. He has been a licensed CPA in the state of Montana as well as several other states. The Swan Group of companies operates a full spectrum of outfitting services including hunting, fly-fishing float trips, pack trips in the Bob Marshall, a Llama Trekking company a guest ranch and trail ride operations throughout Northwest Montana including being the exclusive trail ride provider in Glacier National Park, and Swan Mountain Wilderness Guide School. Pat's topics are Buying and Selling an Outdoor Recreation Company, Wednesday December 8, 2010 and Financial Controls to Prevent Employee Theft, Thursday December 9, 2010.

Chris Baggott Compendium Software Award-winning marketer Chris Baggott has been a leader in marketing for more than 20 years and was recently named 21 of 100 Most Influential Marketers of 2009. Chris has been quoted in such publications as the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Inc. and ADWEEK.
Chris is a co-founder of ExactTarget and is currently the CoFounder/CEO of Compendium Blogware - a software as a service blogging solution for businesses and organizations. Compendium focuses on organizational blogging and its role in search marketing. Finally, Chris is author of a book from Wiley: Email Marketing By The Numbers. He is also one of the featured marketers in the new book from Wiley: Online Marketing Heroes: Interviews with 25 Successful Online Marketing Gurus.

Tom Lerche AOA Consulting Tom is Senior Vice President, AON Consulting in the Chicago office. He has served as the Health Care Practice leader for the US Practice since 2007. He has also served on the Global Practice Council for the Health and Benefits practice. Tom has 24 years of industry experience as a health plan leader, a health care manager for a major US corporation, and as a consultant to Plan Sponsors. Prior to joining Aon, Tom was Executive Director of two HMOs - Jackson Health Plan in Madison, WI and HMO Plus in Richmond, VA and served as the Regional Health Care Manager for General Electric. Tom graduated from the University of Illinois and received a Master's of Health Care Administration degree from the University of Wisconsin. Tom is a subject matter expert on national health reform, health management and wellness, consumer directed plans, and health care strategy. He has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, Business Week, the Chicago Tribune, and a variety of industry publication such as Business Insurance and Employee Benefit News. He authored an article in World at Work Journal in 2007 on the impact of consumer directed plans with integrated wellness and decision support services.

George Armstrong Mr. Armstrong's 32-year career includes Executive and Senior management experience with organizations/corporations with budgets ranging from $3,000,000 to over $700,000,000. He is an avid outdoorsman with a deep commitment to experiential education, and singles out his many years as a leader within Outward Bound as one of his most important career roles. As President of Outward Bound Discovery USA, President of Thompson Island Outward Bound in Boston, and Vice President of Special Programs for Hurricane Island Outward Bound School in Maine and Florida, Mr. Armstrong was directly responsible for all operations, safety, program quality, financial management, and strategic planning. In his different, professional capacities, Mr. Armstrong has traveled the world. His diverse background includes teaching at the high school and college levels, co-authoring three books on experiential education, for-profit corporate senior leadership development, and CEO of an historic museum and heirloom gardens. True to his belief in the power of the outdoors to affect positive and forceful change within a person, Mr. Armstrong is most at home when pushing his personal limits. His experiences include climbing Denali, trekking through the mountainous terrain of Bhutan, hiking up Mt. Kilimanjaro, biking the Natchez Trace, completing the Presidential Traverse in the White Mountains of Maine, and rafting down the Colorado River just to name a few. He is always looking for the next adventure.

Gary G. Marsh BLM Deputy Chief, Recreation & Visitor Services, Branch Chief, Business Practices Gary has B.S.F. and M.S.F. degrees in forestry from the University of Tennessee, specializing in outdoor recreation. He graduated with academic and military honors and served in the U.S. Army before joining the BLM in 1976. He authored the Wild and Scenic Rivers Manual, Q&As in the Interagency WSR Coordinating Council's Reference Guide, Wilderness Interim Management Policy Handbook, Special Recreation Permits for Commercial Use Handbook, and Recreation Concession Leases Manual. In 1989, he received the American Rivers award for distinction in public service and in 1990 received the Department of Interior superior service honor award for work with river conservation and management.

PRE-REGISTER Online Registration Form
WHEN: Registration December 6, 2010, Salt Palace Convention Center
OPENING SOCIAL: December 6, 2010, Clark Planetarium
SEMINARS: December 7-9, 2010.
WHERE:Salt Palace Convention Center
HOTEL: Radisson Salt Lake Downtown click here for Online Reservations
WHO SHOULD ATTEND: Outfitters, guest ranch operators, tour operators, professional staff, managers, marketing personnel, retail managers, office staff
FOR INFORMATION CALL: America Outdoors Association ® 1-800-524-4814, 865-558-3595.
OUTFITTER EXPO TRADE SHOW: Click here for a list of the previous year's Exhibitors