Caroline Beteta serves as president & CEO of the industry-led Visit California, a nonprofit organization created to market California as a premier travel destination and to increase the state’s share of tourism-related revenues. She simultaneously serves as the Director of Tourism in California’s Governor’s Office of Business & Economic Development (GO-Biz). Beteta is responsible for implementing Visit California’s $126 million global marketing program and serves as the lead spokesperson for California’s $132.4 billion travel industry. She has shepherded the growth of Visit California into a global marketing franchise delivering millions of visitors and billions of dollars of economic growth to the state every year.

Captain Chris Clarke is the Senior Director of Operations for Air Canada Rouge.  Air Canada Rouge is a part of the Air Canada family and has become the third largest airline in Canada over the last 5 years offering travelers unique and exciting destination choices. In this role, he is responsible for the airlines safety and operations including Airports, Maintenance, and Flight Operations. He has been with Air Canada Rouge for 2 1/2 years and with Air Canada for more than 12 years and is a qualified Captain on the Airbus A320 series of aircraft. Prior to coming to Air Canada, Chris was an officer and pilot in the Royal Canadian Air Force for 17 years having held numerous flying positions as well as Squadron level command positions.

Considered one of the travel industry’s top minds in marketing and strategic planning, Clayton has worked with companies around the world for over two decades. He is responsible for MMGY Global’s overall vision and leads the company’s growth strategies. Heavily involved with industry advocacy, Clayton is a sought-after speaker and has been featured by news organizations such as Bloomberg, NPR, Skift and The New York Times. He has served on boards such as the United States Travel Association (USTA), The Kansas City Convention and Visitors Association and the New York Hospitality Council, and he is a strategic council member for Gerson Lehrman Group (GLG) in their travel advisory practice. Clayton has twice been awarded the American Express^® Steven Harvey Achievement in Marketing and he has been selected to join the exclusive Arthur Page Society.

Costas Christ is one of the world’s leading sustainable travel experts, whose work has taken him to more than 130 countries. He is an award-winning editor for National Geographic Traveler and also serves as Global Sustainability Strategist for Virtuoso. As the Founder of Beyond Green Travel, a sustainable tourism consulting firm, Costas was honored with Conservationist Jane Goodall, Oceanographer Sylvia Earle, and CNN Founder Ted Turner as an EcoWarrior for his lifelong work to save the planet. The International Hotel and Restaurant Awards recognized him as a Tourism Visionary and NBC Travel News said: "For the past 30 years, Costas Christ has been at the leading edge of the green travel movement, since way before it was ever called green or even a movement." His travel stories have appeared in the world’s top publications, including the New York Times, Boston Globe, and Sunday Times of London. His TV and radio appearances include Travel Channel, Good Morning America, BBC, CNN, CBS, National Geographic Channel and National Public Radio. When not traveling, he lives on an organic farm in New England. 

Danny is an expert in integrated communication channel solutions for domestic and international travel clients at MMGY Global. As group director, Danny leads Visit California’s domestic PR team under MMGY’s NJF brand. His 17 years of industry experience comes in handy in his work for clients like Visit California, the Los Cabos Tourism Board, Papua New Guinea, Fiji Airways, Thai Airways and Australia's Northern Territory. Danny is a native Californian, having started his career as an intern at the San Diego Tourism Authority and going on to work with prominent California destinations including West Hollywood and Newport Beach among others.

As the founder and driving force of MeringCarson advertising in Sacramento, Dave Mering has personally had a hand in building some of the most high-profile tourism brands in the world. Resorts, municipalities, island nations and the most visited state in the union have benefited greatly from his hands-on approach, strategic leadership and brand stewardship.

Outside of work, Dave is a connoisseur of good living and travel. He can often be found sipping a nice glass of Napa Valley Cabernet while orchestrating next season's harvest of his very own homemade olive oil. 

Part of Ocean Holidays Group, Winged Boots was formed after the travel brand found a need for a luxury concierge company that would service its growing number of high-profile customers who wanted more than just a holiday booking. Offering unparalleled customer service and complete personalized travel management, Winged Boots has since grown to an expert team of more than 20 members of staff and sends in excess of 6,500 passengers on holiday every year. Well-versed in all holiday types from hotel and flight bookings to private jet and yacht charters, Winged Boots provides both leisure and corporate travel solutions and is also the proud Official Travel Supplier for Premier League Football Club West Ham United and NFL team Jacksonville Jaguars.

Devon Dow is the Global Business Director for Mailman, China’s leading sports and destination digital consultancy. Mailman focuses on helping destinations navigate China’s digital landscape, driving digital, brand strategy and content development for tourism organizations such as NYC & Company, Simon Properties, Northern Territory Australia, Greater Palm Springs, Visit Seattle and many more.

Edison Chen is International Regional General Manager of Ctrip Destination Marketing, and responsible for business cooperation with global governments and tourism bureaus, helping promote travel destination around the world to increase their awareness and number of visitors. Edison Chen has more than ten years’ experience in travel industry, also worked as International Marketing and Trade Manager in Singapore Tourism Board before join in Ctrip.

Edison holds Master of Business Administration (MBA) from University of South Australia.

Elizabeth Linder has never held a position with an existing job description. She is currently Executive Director of Global Communications & External Affairs at Beautiful Destinations, where she is spearheading the company's approach to digital diplomacy as tourism's most dynamic frontier in global policymaking and societal change.

Greg grew up in Toronto, the son of South African immigrants, and tales of far-away places were always swirling around the family table. After 4 years at McGill University in Montreal, where he earned a Bachelors Degree in Psychology and Poutine, Greg translated his French speaking skills and love for mountain biking into a job guiding luxury bicycle tours around France. He spent the next 4 years guiding biking & hiking trips in France, Ireland, Morocco, Peru, Argentina, Cuba and South Africa before giving it all up for a girl. This brought him to Montreal, where he lost the girl and then joined the circus, travelling around North America running a VIP tent for Cirque du Soleil. Three years and 17 cities later, surrounded by contortionists and clowns, Greg still couldn't touch his toes so left the circus behind and came back to Toronto looking to settle down a bit. In 2004 he started a custom travel company with 2 friends, and the rest as they say is history. Trufflepig Travel is now 15 years old, with 26 staff spread across 6 countries. Trufflepig plans and operates highly orchestrated bespoke itineraries full of contrast & quirk for couples, families and small groups in over 40 countries around the world.

Hugo Martin covers the travel industries, including airlines and theme parks. A native Californian, Martin was part of the Metro staff that won three Pulitzer Prizes in 1993, 1995 and 1998. He was also on the Travel section staff that won the Lowell Thomas Award from the Society of American Travel Writers in 2008. He is an avid outdoorsman, gardener and Lakers fan.

James Bermingham, Executive Vice President, Operations, is responsible for overseeing all aspects of operations for the company’s hotels and resorts, including owner relations, as well as supporting culture development and sales and marketing. In addition, Mr. Bermingham oversees Montage Residences Corporation, a subsidiary of the company.

Jason Wolff is a marketing executive with over 15 years of experience in both digital and traditional advertising. He has worked across brands that include Flight Centre, Supercheap Auto, BCF, Beaurepaires, McDonalds and delivered successful integrated strategies for these businesses. His experience stretches beyond marketing holding senior roles in retail operations, merchandise and corporate strategy.

Before Flight Centre, Jason Wolff led the brand direction and marketing teams for BCF & Ray’s Outdoors within the Super Retail Group. His previous roles have covered advertising in the digital and traditional media space, private brand development, CRM, social and ecommerce. His experience outside the marketing space includes category management, multi site operations, due diligence and acquisitions.

Joe Diaz is the Chief Product Officer and co-founder of AFAR Media. Founded by Diaz and co-founder Greg Sullivan in 2009, AFAR is the leading media company exclusively dedicated to experiential travel. AFAR inspires, enables and guides discerning travelers through its flagship magazine, AFAR, it’s digital platform, AFAR.com, as well as its other platforms: Learning AFAR, AFAR Experiences, AFAR Journeys and AFAR Conversations. As co-founder of AFAR, Joe passionately believes in the transformational power of travel. Joe is an accomplished speaker and frequently lends his expertise on a variety of topics, including travel trends, startups, brands, growing a company, innovation through digital media, and more.

As Director of Innovation for Meredith Corp., Joelle Mefford (Zerillo) leads Meredith’s VR, AR, Voice, Chatbot, Connected Device, Experiential and Immersive Content Solutions. In 2016, she co-led the re-launch of iconic photojournalism brand, LIFE, into an Emmy-Award Winning immersive journalism brand, LIFE VR; and in early-2017 expanded the brand into augmented reality with LIFE AR. Then, in 2018, she launched Meredith’s Voice Network and Content-to-Audio solution.

John’s writing has appeared in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, San Diego Union-Tribune, San Francisco magazine, Esquire, Fortune, Glamour, and many others. He has held senior editorial positions at Time Inc., Conde Nast, Ziff-Davis, and Scholastic and has an extensive background in the branded content space, creating and leading integrated programs for AT&T, Bank of America, Cingular, Comcast, Ford, Geico, Gillette, Kohls, Land Rover, and others. For Visit California, John serves as the editorial/creative lead on the California Now Podcast, California 101 video series, California Visitor’s Guide, California Now blog, and the 50 Amazing California Road Trips bookazine.

Lilit Marcus is a New York City-based writer and editor for CNN Travel. Her work has also appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Vogue, The Guardian, Vanity Fair and The Atlantic. Marcus’ first book, Save the Assistants: A Guide for Surviving and Thriving in the Workplace, was published by Hyperion. Marcus is fluent in American Sign Language and in French, and she enjoys using her language skills to cover interesting topics, such as when she reported on the opening of America’s first all-sign-language Starbucks store. Marcus is a native of Raleigh, North Carolina, and a graduate of UNC Greensboro. She is fluent in American Sign Language and in French.

Vaccariello has held numerous executive editorial roles including Chief Content Officer for Reader’s Digest, Editor-in-Chief of Rachael Ray Every Day and Prevention; Executive Editor of Fitness; and Editor-in-Chief of Cleveland Magazine.

Vaccariello regularly appears on national broadcast media including The Today Show, Access Hollywood, CBS This Morning, Good Morning America, and Dr. Oz.  She is the author of nine best-selling books, including the #1 New York Times bestselling Flat Belly Diet!

She has received numerous awards/honors and speaks at major summits presented by MPA, Folio, MIN, and Digiday among others.

Vaccariello earned a BA in Communications with Distinction from the University of Michigan and lives in New Jersey with her husband and twin daughters.

British-born, New York-based Mark Ellwood has lived out of a suitcase for most of his life. After studying for an undergraduate degree in English Literature at Cambridge University in England and a Masters on a scholarship to the University of Chicago, he found his spiritual home in NYC, even if he is rarely there for more than a week at any one time. 

He is now a contributing editor for Conde Nast Traveler, and in this capacity makes regular appearances on NBC’s TODAY show as well as many other broadcast outlets. Mark is also the author of “Bargain Fever: How to Shop in a Discounted World” (Penguin-Portfolio) where he examines our culture’s newfound obsession with deals, discounts and never paying full price.

Mark Tanner is managing director of Shanghai-based China Skinny. He has provided China market growth strategies and research to over 150 brands including IHG, Tourism Australia, Accor, Tourism Malaysia, Sydney Airport, Ikea, SAIC Motors, Colgate and Reckitt Benckiser. His views on China have been quoted by over 200 international media including Bloomberg, Reuters, FT and Forbes where he is a columnist. He authors the most-read newsletter about marketing to China. A traveler at heart, prior to China Mark led the world's first unbroken paddle down the River Nile, hunted for Viking treasure in Iceland and cycled solo across Canada mid-winter.

Founder and Chairman of AVIAREPS Asia and Executive Vice- President of AVIAREPS Global, Michael Merner is responsible for the supervision of almost 200 highly motivated sales and marketing managers across the region and sets the strategic direction of AVIAREPS Asia. A graduate of Harvard Business School, Michael grew up in no less than seven countries across Europe and the Middle East and is a born nomad.

Michaela Pereira is a television broadcaster with a deep and varied career in the biz. She made her news television debut in 1993 in Victoria, Canada. Here in Southern California she is known for the 9 years she spent as anchor of the Emmy Award winning KTLA Morning News. She then headed to New York to anchor CNN’s morning show “New Day”.

Michaela returned to LA for own daily national 2-hour show called ‘Michaela’ on HLN.

Michaela is active in several community organizations advocating for at-risk children and teens.

She is a proud member of the National Association of Black Journalists.

With a background in digital marketing in the tourism industry of more than 15 years, Nick is one of the tourism industry’s leading experts on destination marketing. As founder of the Digital Tourism Think Tank (#DTTT), the leading platform connecting destinations worldwide on topics around digital trends and transformation, Nick has worked with hundreds of destinations helping to navigate the complexities of an increasingly digital visitor experience.

Nicolette Harper is Pinterest’s global head of vertical strategy for travel, technology and telecommunications and helps partners understand how to best use the Pinterest platform and its rich insights to achieve a competitive advantage within their industry. Before Pinterest, she ran worldwide digital marketing and ecommerce strategy at Microsoft as well as Verizon and Holiday Inn. Nicolette holds a Bachelors of Science in Marketing and Digital Media Technology, as well as an Executive MBA from Southern Methodist University. She is currently pinning Costa Rica surf camp ideas, contemporary bedroom design, and a music video Head Above Water by Avril Lavigne.

Scott Gediman is the Chief of the Public Affairs Office in Yosemite National Park, a position he has held since 1996. He manages all media relations, tourism, congressional and legislative affairs, special events, and international affairs for the iconic national park. Scott conducts hundreds of interviews each year with media outlets from around the world and he has welcomed such notable visitors such as President Barack Obama and the First Family, Oprah Winfrey, and Former First Lady Laura Bush. Scott has also worked at national park sites in Arizona and Utah and he is a 29-year veteran of the National Park Service. He grew up in  North Hollywood, California and received his degree in Journalism-Public Relations from San Diego State University.  Scott and his wife, a former National Park Ranger, and their two children live in Yosemite National Park.

Sean Chen is currently the Head of SME Business Development for Alipay US at Ant Financial, where he is fully in charge of the SME development strategies and execution. He has accumulated over 15 years of marketing experience in the payment industry, and brings extensive knowledge of plastic card and mobile payment. Prior to joining Ant, Sean has served in various leadership positions at Visa and China UnionPay. Sean received his B.A. in Economic Law from East China University of Politics and Law, and a Masters in Statistics from Shanghai University of Finance and Economics.

As Paris Tourist Office's B2C Marketing Manager, Sophie carries out Paris marketing campaigns targeted at international tourists. From designing creative concepts to implementing projects with agencies, she has led 360 campaigns including aspects such as display, social media, videos, PR or special events.  

Tammy Canavan is a tourism professional with a career of 30 years, starting in the hotel industry in her home city of Vancouver, BC to her current role as the President & CEO of the Monterey County Convention and Visitors Bureau. 

Tammy’s career has included participation in a variety of state, regional, national and international tourism initiatives. Tammy has been recognized as CEO of the Year, one of the 25 Most Influential People in the Meetings Industry, twice as one of the top 25 Most Influential Women in the industry, Leadership Supplier of the Year and Top 100 Most Inspirational Women in the Meetings Industry, and CSUMB’s School of Business 2018 Community Leader of the Year.

Todd was appointed Executive Director of the Oregon Tourism Commission (dba Travel Oregon) in June 1996 and was named Chief Executive Officer in September 2004. 

Under Todd’s leadership, the tourism industry in Oregon has flourished into a $11.8 billion industry that employs more than 112,000 Oregonians. In 2003 he helped lead an effort to establish dedicated and stable funding for the Commission. This funding has been crucial in Travel Oregon’s ability to grow the state’s tourism industry through strengthening its base of international markets; leadership in sustainable tourism initiatives; and award-winning publications, niche-oriented websites and advertising campaigns. 

Tom Norwalk is President & CEO of Visit Seattle, the private, nonprofit marketing organization that promotes Seattle as a destination for international and domestic leisure travel, meetings and conventions. Norwalk oversees more than 70 employees in the organization’s main Seattle office as well as sales offices in Washington, D.C. and Chicago. Norwalk is a hospitality veteran with extensive hotel and travel experience, ranging from international brands such as Westin and Four Seasons, to local industry organizations such as Seattle Hospitality Group, LLC and The Golf Club at Newcastle. Norwalk currently serves on the Board of Directors of the U.S. Travel Association and holds board positions with Washington State Destination Marketing Organization (WSDMO), Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and is a member of the Steering Committee for the new Tomorrow @ Sea-Tac Coalition which supports development and implementation of the Sea-Tac International Airport Sustainable Master Plan. He is a former board director for Seattle’s 5^th Avenue Theatre and the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Wendy Olson Killion is a vice president at Expedia Group Media Solutions, where she oversees business development and marketing partner relations globally, leading teams around the world in the creation and implementation of digital media campaigns across the portfolio of Expedia Group brands. She previously directed global advertising product development, including display, email, social and mobile solutions.

Before joining Expedia Group, Wendy led product management of the emerging channels and brands at Cars.com, and previously spent five years at J.D. Power and Associates. Wendy is a graduate of the University of Puget Sound and lives in Seattle with her family.