2024 Speakers

Greater Access to Off the Beaten Path Product & the Growing Demand for these Experiences
Thursday, October 24 | 12:00 PM | Chancellor

Nate Huff has spent the last 15 years working with destinations and travel partners to craft brands and develop digital content and media strategies that generate measurable results. He has extensive experience working with clients like Brand USA, San Francisco Travel, Discover Puerto Rico and Travel South. He is currently heading up Tourism Exchange USA, a global product development and distribution platform for DMOs and travel businesses that is being launched nationwide in collaboration with Brand USA.

Greater Access to Off the Beaten Path Product & the Growing Demand for these Experiences
Thursday, October 24 | 12:00 PM | Chancellor

April Hutchinson is editor and publisher of TTG Luxury, a quarterly magazine and website for the UK’s luxury travel advisor and premium travel professional community. She was the launch editor for the magazine and has grown the portfolio over the last 16 years, including a weekly newsletter, awards programme, travel agent training events and a thought-leadership annual conference. She has traveled to 70 countries in her 25+ year career as a travel journalist and editor, and is an expert in luxury travel trends. She has a degree in Multimedia Journalism and has been on the launch team for several magazines.

Navigating the Media Landscape in 2025: Travel Trends and Consumer Behavior
Monday, October 21 | 11:45 AM | Legislate

Holger M. Jacobs has been Editor North America for FVW Medien (dfv Media Group), the largest travel trade media house in the German-speaking markets, for almost 30 years. After his first IPW (then called Pow Wow) attendance in 1997, Jacobs has been traveling the US at least three times a year for research. 

Holger is responsible for all North America coverage – print and online – of fvw | TravelTalk, the leading trade information source in Germany, for the English-language coverage on fvw.com and for all North America related formats and events – in-person, digital and hybrid – by FVW Medien such as podcasts, e-learnings, and live-streaming panel discussions and interviews. 

After studying economics at German Federal Bank and working as financial editor at Gabler Verlag (Bertelsmann Group), he joined FVW Medien (formerly Verlag Dieter Niedecken) in Hamburg, Germany in 1994.

Market Updates Panel
Monday, October 21 | 11:45 AM | Waterloo

Whilst studying for her degree in History & English Literature, Holly spent several summers working abroad, including a post as a camp counsellor in Pennsylvania, ensuring she would succumb to her love of travel and pursue a career in the industry. 

With over 13 years of experience behind her, Holly has held a variety of roles in the travel industry including working in sales and product for several U.K. tour operators, as well as representing luxury hotels. She discovered destination marketing in 2018 and has represented Santa Monica Travel & Tourism, Discover Puerto Rico and Hawaii Tourism Europe, overseeing their sales and marketing activities in the U.K. and Ireland, before becoming Trade Director for Brand USA in the U.K. and Ireland in 2022. Her varied background ensures she brings with her a wealth of industry knowledge and experience, a comprehensive understanding of the travel trade and a creative flair that she channels into her work, winning her clients awards for their trade campaigns. 

She has attended every in-person Brand USA U.K. and Europe Travel Week event and in her spare time she likes to read, daydream about her next trip, and explore the English countryside with her dog Joey.

Consumer Trends: The Year Ahead
Wednesday, October 23 | 12:00 PM | Lord

Nicky Kelvin is Editor at Large at The Points Guy. A self-proclaimed aviation geek who reaped the benefits of his sister’s former BA Cabin Crew role, Nicky flew all over the world for next to nothing.  It was during this time that Nicky discovered the world of air miles and points and began to explore how he could maintain his globetrotting lifestyle to various countries around the world.

Following his undergraduate law degree at the University of Birmingham and subsequent completion of law school in central London, Nicky qualified as a solicitor with a US based law firm in the capital. Not content with the solicitor life, Nicky switched up his career, following his passion, becoming a music lawyer for the UK’s biggest record label Virgin EMI. All the while, Nicky travelled across countries, continuing to dispense airmiles and aviation advice, running and hosting a series of masterclasses across London and teaching attendees on how they too could ‘Fly First Class for (Almost!) Free’, under the guise of Miles Mogul.

Today, Nicky is Editor at Large at global travel expert website The Points Guy, after being noticed for his repeated social media snaps in first class, alongside shooting international music stars such as Justin Bieber and  Kanye West. An expert in the art of luxury travel on a budget and mastering the world of miles and points in the UK and across the world, Nicky was instantly recognised by the leading travel website, being hired as The Head of The Points Guy UK before the UK arm of the business was merged with the US, creating a global travel platform.

Intro 2025: Tour Operators Reinforce Best Trade Marketing Practices 
Monday, October 21 | 10:45 AM | Waterloo

Tilo has been in the USA business since 1977 and founded CANUSA Touristik back in 1983. Since these days, he has attended most of the POW WOWs and IPWs and enjoys working with so many partners in the U.S. closely and intensely. 

Tilo was elected to the board of the German Visit USA Committee in 2002 and still serve as a member of the board. In recent years, he has mainly focused on the PR side and helped Cristian prepare the press events during ITB and in various other cities. In addition, it was of central importance to him that the tasks and impact of VUSA Germany were sustainably recognized both in Germany and in the USA.

Policy in Action: Facilitating Travel to the USA
Tuesday, October 22 | 12:00 PM | Chancellor

Alex Lasry is the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Travel and Tourism at the International Trade Administration. In this role, he leads the National Travel and Tourism Office and is executing the Biden-Harris Administration’s National Travel and Tourism Strategy to enhance the international competitiveness of the U.S. industry and maintain America’s status as a top destination for international visitors. 

Alex has been a business and community leader in Wisconsin with more than a decade of public and private sector experience. Most recently, he was a co-owner and Senior Vice President of the Milwaukee Bucks. He played a leading role in transforming the organization into one of the National Basketball Association (NBA)’s premier franchises both on and off the court, culminating in the team’s first NBA Championship in 50 years in 2021. He was responsible for the Bucks’ corporate citizenship efforts and spearheaded the public-private partnership to create the Deer District, one of downtown Milwaukee’s central attractions. He also led the organization’s workforce development efforts and successful negotiations for an historic project labor agreement, creating thousands of union jobs. 

Alex led Milwaukee’s successful bid to host the 2020 Democratic National Convention. He served as the Chair of the Milwaukee 2020 Bid Committee and Finance Chair for the Democratic Convention’s Host Committee. 

Alex served in the Obama White House in the Office of Public Engagement & Intergovernmental Affairs as a Special Assistant to the Chief of Staff and later as Deputy Counselor for Strategic Engagement. He graduated cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania and received his M.B.A. from NYU’s Stern School of Business. Lasry is married to a superhero wife and has two daughters.

Aviation Speaking Slots
Tuesday, October 22 | 9:20 AM | Legislate

 Christian Lesjak is Condor's Sales Director and is responsible for partnerships with tour operators, travel agencies and cruise lines. 

Christian Lesjak was previously responsible for network planning and development at Finnair. and has been CEO of NIKI, as well as Sales, Network and Marketing Director at Vienna Airport, Swissair/Sabena or Lauda Air.

Consumer Trends: The Year Ahead
Wednesday, October 23 | 12:00 PM | Lord

Angelique Miller is responsible for leading advertising partnerships at Expedia Group globally, overseeing Media Solutions’ full-service, in-house creative agency which includes creative design + development, content creation, strategy, social media, and project management teams. Her team of passionate storytellers collaborates with brands to create unique and compelling media experiences. 

Prior to joining Expedia Group five years ago, Angelique was director of sales and creative solutions at ESPN in New York City and London for nearly a decade, developing sports partnerships with a wide variety of world-famous brands across diverse industry verticals including auto, travel, finance, luxury retail, and entertainment. 

Market Updates Panel
Monday, October 21 | 11:45 AM | Waterloo

William Mondello is a seasoned strategy, marketing, and innovation consultant facilitating connections between America and Europe’s businesses and public institutions through his 15 years of experience driving growth and innovation in international markets. 

Since 2018, Mondello has been Brand USA’s Director of France. His achievements include leading a Marketing, Public Relations, and Trade team, resulting in +10% French visitations and +6% increase in average spend within three years, and recovery within two. In 2021, he advised a NASDAQ-listed company in their strategy, contributing to the creation of a new travel and tourism Web 3 and Metaverse division. 

His former tenures include working for Santa Monica Travel, Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board, BNP Paribas, and Disneyland Paris. His creative marketing skills, knowledge about France specificities, and access to his connections within both French and American industries, are now offered to businesses and public organizations which seek to create value in new territories. In addition, he has creative digital marketing, content creation and social media experience. 

William Mondello graduated from an Executive MBA in 2022 from HEC Paris, rated by the Financial Times as one of Europe’s top business schools. He lives in Paris with his American wife and cat.

Keynote
Monday, October 21 | 3:25 PM | Waterloo

Best known for presenting the Paralympics, BAFTA-nominated British TV Host Sophie also reports on hard-hitting documentaries, live-event broadcasts, and, most recently, fronting a prime-time travel series. She is one of the first female wheelchair users to become a T.V. personality in the U.K. and worldwide, making history this summer as the first disabled person to host for NBC.
In 2023, alongside co-founder Keely Cat Wells, Sophie launched Making Space Media. The first of its kind, MSM, is a Disabled-led production company that centres Disabled women and people, producing critically acclaimed TV, as well as accessible educational material for talent acquisition and learning platform Making Space.. MSM is in a first-look deal with Hello Sunshine, the media company founded by Reece Witherspoon.

Sophie is also the leader of Rights on Flights, a global campaign and member organisation that provides educational resources for the airline industry and empowers disabled travellers. A Global Ambassador for Can-Am OnRoad, Airbnb, and PADI, Sophie is an avid traveller and writes about inclusive travel in her monthly column for Condé Nast Traveler, for whom she also serves on the Advisory Board. Her first book, a bestselling memoir, “Driving Forwards,” was published in 2021.

Paralysed in a car crash when she was eighteen years old, today, Sophie is an award-winning advocate for disability rights and has been voted in the top 10 most influential disabled people in the U.K. for the past three years. She is on the special advisory board of Human Rights Watch, Patron of disability charity Scope and the spinal injuries charity Back Up. She lives and works in L.A. and London.

Intro 2025: Tour Operators Reinforce Best Trade Marketing Practices 
Monday, October 21 | 10:45 AM | Waterloo

Diversity in Storytelling
Wednesday, October 23 | 12:00 PM | Chancellor

Rashmi Narayan is a London-based journalist and a constant learner that turns her curiosity into exploring the world, particularly lesser-known destinations within USA. She writes for a wide range of national consumer and trade publications and shares a strong passion in writing about gastronomy, bourbon, sustainability, stargazing, train journeys and history.
 

A View from Above
Tuesday, October 22 | 8:45 AM | Legislate

Edmond Rose has 25 years of experience in commercial aviation as a senior executive in airlines, in airport slot coordination and as a consultant. 

After 11 years in the British diplomatic service, Edmond joined the airline industry, working at both Virgin Atlantic Airways and British Airways. As Director of Airline Planning at Virgin Atlantic from 2008 to 2014, Edmond led the fleet and network planning, RM, pricing, alliances, and partnerships teams. He sponsored the transformation of Virgin’s fleet with new Airbus A330 and Boeing 787 aircraft and led strategy work leading to negotiating and implementing Virgin’s alliance with Delta.

As a consultant, he has carried out business and network planning projects for a variety of airlines from legacy network carriers to LCCs. He has also worked on airline joint ventures, airport strategy, airport slots and regulatory projects. 

Edmond served as CEO of Airport Coordination Limited, the world’s leading slot coordinator, from 2018 to 2021.

Greater Access to Off the Beaten Path Product & the Growing Demand for these Experiences
Thursday, October 24 | 12:00 PM | Chancellor

Lena Ross began working for America 4 You, a Receptive Tour Operator, in 2006 and is the Chief Operating Officer after having been the Director of Product Development for the past 10 years.  She previously has held positions in multiple facets of the Tourism Industry.  She has been an intern for both the San Diego CVB and the Anaheim/Orange County CVB, and a Sales Manager for the Handlery Hotel San Diego.  Lena holds her Masters in Sustainable Destination Management from George Washington University (2010) and a Tour Directing Certificate from ITMI (2011).  In addition, she was the President of the Grand Circle Organization for 2 years. 

In her off time, she is incredibly involved with the Junior League of Orange County, a women's volunteer organization, and has held multiple leadership roles such as Finance Assistant, Web Manager, Academy Manager, Co-Chair of the Junior Leagues of California State Public Affairs Committee, Board Member – Director at Large and Vice President of Community Impact Council. She is currently serving as the Chairperson on the board for IITA (International Inbound Travel Association).

Exploring the U.S. Through Arts & Culture
Monday, October 21 | 2:35 PM | Waterloo

Amy Roth was named Chief Operating Officer in 2024. From 2018 to 2024 she served as the Whitney’s Co-Chief Operating Officer, with broad responsibility for Museum-wide planning and operations and a member of the executive team. From 2012 to 2018 she served as Chief Planning Officer, overseeing strategic planning, research and analysis, both in preparation for the Museum’s relocation to its new building in the Meatpacking District and in helping to build and execute its expanded operation. In 2017 she steered the formulation of the Museum’s strategic plan. As a member of the leadership team, Roth works closely with the Director, staff, and trustees, to grow and diversify the Museum’s revenue areas and audiences, enhance its brand, and lead its digital strategy. As Chief Operating Officer, she has specific oversight of Strategy, Research & Analysis, Business Development, Communications, Content, Graphic Design, Marketing, Membership, Retail, Visitor Experience, Food & Beverage, Technology, Facilities, Security, and Theater.

Prior to her role as Chief Planning Officer, Roth was the Whitney’s Director of Corporate Partnerships from 2005 to 2012 and, previously, Manager of Foundation and Government Relations. Before joining the Whitney in 2002 as a Development Associate, Roth held positions of corporate finance analyst and equity research associate at several San Francisco-based investment banks, covering the technology and telecommunications sectors. Roth is on the boards of NYC Tourism & Conventions and the Madison Avenue Business Improvement District. She received her undergraduate degree from Harvard College and MBA from Columbia Business School.

Navigating the Media Landscape in 2025: Travel Trends and Consumer Behavior
Monday, October 21 | 11:45 AM | Legislate

Chris Rovzar is the editorial director of Bloomberg Pursuits, overseeing Bloomberg’s luxury franchise across all platforms, including print, digital, TV and radio. Chris is primarily based in New York City. 

Rovzar joined Bloomberg from Vanity Fair, where he served as Digital Editor and oversaw the award-winning website, VF.com. Previously, Rovzar was the editor of Daily Intel at New York Magazine, which won an MPA Digital award for Best Magazine Blog. He has also worked at the New York Daily News and the New York Sun, and his writing has appeared in Vanity Fair, GQ, New York, Bloomberg Businessweek, Out, and The Advocate.

Exploring the U.S. Through Arts & Culture
Monday, October 21 | 2:35 PM | Waterloo

Dylan Thuras is the co-founder and creative director of AtlasObscura.com, the collaborative online guide to the most wondrous places in the world that gets eight million visitors each month. He is the co-author of three New York Times bestsellers Atlas Obscura, Gastro Obscura, and The Explorer's Guide for The World's Most Adventurous Kid, as well as host of The Atlas Obscura Podcast the #1 Travel Podcast in America and of the Brand USA TV series Small Town, Big Story. Dylan lives in the Hudson Valley with his wife Michelle and two children, Phineas and Jean, where he manages to kill his tomato plants every. single. year.

Aviation: Individual Airline Updates
Tuesday, October 22 | 9:20 AM | Legislate

Diversity in Storytelling
Wednesday, October 23 | 12:00 PM | Chancellor

My name is Gerda van 't Land, and I'm the founder of Buitengewoon Reizen and an advocate for independent, accessible travel for all. At just 14, my life changed dramatically due to a traffic accident that left me paralyzed from the waist down. But instead of letting this define me, I embraced life with a fierce determination to experience everything it has to offer. My father often said, “Gerda lives her life as if every moment counts.” 

I began my journey in the travel industry in 1981, and in 2004, I launched my own business focused on wheelchair-accessible travel. Since then, my team and I have empowered countless individuals to embark on their own adventures, building a global network of suppliers dedicated to accessibility. Though I’m very much involved in Buitengewoon Reizen I’m also an ambassador for accessible travel both nationally and internationally. My mission is to raise awareness about the importance of inclusivity in travel and to make accessible options more visible to everyone. Together, we can create a world where everyone can explore and enjoy the beauty of life without barriers.

Policy in Action: Facilitating Travel to the USA
Tuesday, October 22 | 12:00 PM | Chancellor

Brooke Wehrenberg is the Outreach Chief for the Department of State’s Visa Office. She joined the Foreign Service in 2009 and has served overseas in Toronto, Canada, Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, Nuevo Laredo, Mexico and Warsaw, Poland, in addition to Washington, DC assignments. Brooke is a proud Midwesterner who previously worked as an attorney in Chicago and in refugee resettlement in Minneapolis.

Intro 2025: Tour Operators Reinforce Best Trade Marketing Practices 
Monday, October 21 | 10:45 AM | Waterloo

Simon began his career at Trailfinders as a Sales Consultant 26 years ago and quickly moved into the product department. He hasn’t looked back since then, first heading up USA contracting, before adding all TF's fly drive destinations and in 2019 he stepping up to the position of General Manager for Global Product Worldwide before joining Trailfinders’ Board as Product Director in 2021. 

As with all TF employees, Simon loves to travel and he now oversees a large team of Destination Managers to ensure the most relevant ground product is sourced for our clients – from hotels to rail and experiences, cars to cruises and everything in between. Simon has an extremely busy life both in and outside of life at TF as he is an acclaimed published author with his speculative thrillers, short story collections and young adult novels all being page turners and not to be missed. He also runs marathons in his spare time and another claim to fame of many is that he wrote the original website for Manic Street Preachers! 

Simon lives in Surrey with his wife Tracy.