Governor's 2009 Colorado Tourism Conference

Schedule

Speakers

Presentations

Top industry experts from across the country shared insights and advice on growing Colorado tourism.

Andy Dumaine

October 15, 2009
8:30am – 9:30pm
General Session

Andy Dumaine is president and founder of shrinkfootprint. He has worked in advertising for more than 20 years as a writer, creative director and agency co-owner and has created over sixty campaigns that have earned national and international awards for effectiveness and creative appeal. Andy enjoys few things more than a good strategic challenge and a cold IPA. Since the launch of shrinkingfootprint in 2004, Andy’s work has taken him across the Untied States and the Caribbean. He is a frequent presenter at industry conferences on green business issues and an infrequent lecturer at universities and colleges.

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Richard Wobbekind

October 15, 2009
11:45am – 1:30pm
Lunch & General Session

Richard L. Wobbekind is Executive Director of the Business Research Division, Associate Professor of Business Economics and Finance, and Associate Dean for MBA and Executive Programs at the Leeds School of Business, University of Colorado-Boulder. He joined the faculty at the College of Business in 1985 and assumed his current position as associate dean in 2000. Rich participates annually in the Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank Regional Economic Roundtable and is a contributor to the Western Blue Chip forecast newsletter. He is a member of the Governor’s Revenue Estimating Advisory Committee, the Denver Regional Council of Government’s Forecast 2035 Advisory Committee, the Boulder Economic Council, the Boulder Redevelopment Authority and the Center for the American West. For his efforts in community development and outreach, Rich was awarded the 1997 University of Colorado Community Outreach Award. In 2002, he was named a Member of Distinction by the Boulder Chamber of Commerce. In 2006, he received the Robert L. Stearns Award from the University of Colorado Alumni Association for career achievement in teaching, research and service. In 2008, he received the Thayne Robsen award from the Association for University Business and Economics Research for career achievement in applied regional economic analysis. Dr. Wobbekind teaches MBA students in macroeconomics, public policy, and entrepreneurship and has received four awards for teaching excellence from students of the Leeds School of Business. He has lived in Colorado for over 30 years and has spent much of his time studying the development of the Colorado and regional economies. Dr. Wobbekind received a BA in Economics from Bucknell University and an MA and Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Colorado-Boulder.

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Eric Bader

October 15, 2009
2:30 – 4:00pm
General Session

Eric Bader is President of, and a partner in, BrandInHand, a full-service mobile marketing and media company that serves global brand marketers, partners with agencies and assists emerging media companies. Bader served as Managing Director of Digital at MediaVest Worldwide. Under his leadership, Advertising Age named MediaVest its Digital Media Agency of the Year in 2006. Bader was named Mediaweek’s Digital Media All-Star in 2007. Before his tenure at MediaVest, he was head of online enterprises at CSTV Networks (now CBS College Sports) and prior to that, Bader was Executive Director of Interactive Marketing at Ogilvy Worldwide for seven years. From 2000-2004, he served as a member of the Corporate Board of Directors of Airwalk International, LLC (now Tare7), a manufacturer and marketer of skateboarding and snowboarding gear and apparel based in Golden, Colorado. Airwalk was one of the original action sports brands. Bader, a Colorado native who currently resides in New York, earned a B.A. from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

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Phil Bruno

October 16, 2009
8:30 – 9:30am
General Session

Phil Bruno, President of Treat ‘em Right Seminars, is a professional speaker, trainer and consultant. He helps organizations exceed internal and external customer expectations through inspiring speeches and training sessions. Bruno began his career looking for ways to meet the needs of his own organization, Anheuser-Busch. He graduated from Parks College of St. Louis University in 1980 with a B.A. in Travel, Tourism and Transportation. While in college, he developed a relationship with Anheuser-Busch and, for the next 17 years, applied what he had learned in a series of hospitality management positions with the Fortune 500 giant. Bruno managed tour & gift shop operations in Florida and New Hampshire, leading to a position at the Anheuser-Busch Corporate Tour Center at AB world headquarters and for six years at Grant's Farm, the Busch family estate and original Busch Gardens. His trademark strength was increasing employee satisfaction with large staffs that in turn led to excellence in customer satisfaction. Since 1999, Bruno has worked independently as a speaker, trainer and consultant throughout the country, with clients and audiences from a wide variety of industries. Clients include AAIM Management Association, Meeting Planners International, The Ritz-Carlton, The City of West Palm Beach and many others.

Bruno states, “We are way beyond satisfaction now. The Experience Economy is upon us and if you don’t know what that means, you need to slap yourself and dial in before it’s too late... If you are not satisfying customers, you’re just not in business anymore. People rate their entire experience when purchasing products or services between competitors. The new breed of employee is doing the same thing with their employment experience. You can't exceed customer expectations until you provide a very positive experience for your employees." The answer, Bruno found, came from one of his clients who simply said you have to "Treat 'em right," thus the name of his company,

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Peter Yesawich

October 16, 2009
11:45am – 1:30 pm
Lunch

Peter C. Yesawich is chairman and chief executive officer of Ypartnership, America’s leading marketing, advertising and public relations agency serving travel, leisure and lifestyle clients. The agency represents clients in every category of the travel industry through seven offices across the United States and Europe. Ypartnership is an integrated marketing communications company known for its strategic thinking, breakthrough creativity and innovation in marketing practices. The firm’s Research & Brand Strategy Group is also one of the most respected sources of insights on Americans’ emerging travel habits, preferences and intentions. The company co-authors the widely acclaimed National Travel MONITOR^SM survey with Yankelovich Partners.