International trends consultant Daniel Levine to Keynote region's leading tourism conference in Martinique in October
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (24 July, 2013) – The “Ultimate Guru of Cool” is to deliver the ultimate lessons on perfect visitor experiences and authenticity to hundreds of the Caribbean’s most influential tourism minds at the region’s leading tourism conference.
The international trends consultant, Daniel Levine, will deliver the keynote address at the State of the Industry Conference which takes place in Martinique from 15-18 October.
Named the “Ultimate Guru of Cool” by the American television news network, CNN, Levine is the executive director of the Avant-Guide Institute (AGI), a New York-based trends consultancy for travel and consumer marketing, where he leads a team of over 8,000 international “trend hunters” who track the latest ideas and experiences from around the globe. He will speak on the topic, “Delivering More Perfect Visitor Experiences – How to turn Authenticity into Greater Visitor Numbers”.
“We are pleased that Daniel Levine is bringing his considerable experience and award-winning ‘trend spotting’ expertise to the State of the Industry Conference, where he will deliver a targeted and meaningful keynote message to conference delegates about providing more perfect visitor experiences,” said Sylma Brown, the director of CTO-USA Inc., the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO)’s New York-based office which overseas events in the Americas.
The State of the Industry Conference (SOTIC) is the Caribbean’s leading tourism conference, bringing together decision-makers from the public and private sectors, academics, travel professionals and journalists from the region and around the world. At this year’s event, themed, “Perfecting the Experience; Delivering Authenticity,” delegates will explore a range of elements that are critical to the development and success of the sector in the region. These include training and education, service quality, standards, visitor satisfaction, and community involvement.
“The conference should be particularly appealing to a cross section of the Caribbean tourism industry because experts will focus on how we utilize the latest technology with the attributes that make the Caribbean unique – the blessings of a vibrant and diverse culture, our welcoming and hospitable nature, our innate sense of humour, our musical talents and an enhanced dose of customer service to provide the authentic experience that our visitors seek and that will increase business to the region,” remarked Ms. Brown.
“Every participant will leave with ground-breaking ideas that will give the region a competitive edge because the authenticity of the Caribbean cannot be replicated. The media will leave with new story angles; the service providers will better understand from best practices the importance of overall excellent customer service; and the destinations will be exposed to the latest trends in technology that can keep their visitors connected and informed while in the region,” she added.
SOTIC is spearheaded by the CTO in conjunction with the Martinique Tourism Bureau. An exciting programme is being finalized, which includes a line-up of dynamic presenters.
The 15-18 October conference will be preceded by a series of business meetings, including the meetings of the board of directors and the Council of Ministers and Commissioners of Tourism at Hotel La Pagerie, on the Isle of Flowers, Martinique.
