The Virginia Tourism Summit & VACVB Annual Meeting is the association's event of the year. Over three days, the membership comes together for networking, information, education and celebration. The Tourism Summit & Annual Meeting is a great opportunity for DMO representatives to learn what products and services are available from the Allied members, not to mention the invaluable exchange of ideas and thoughts among other bureaus and organizations across the Commonwealth. It's the event no member wants to miss.

Monday April 19, 2010

• Registration
• Optional Field Study - National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center Tour
• Opening Reception and Dinner with Virginia Wineries  - Sponsored by VTC

Tuesday April 20, 2010

• General Session- Business Travel Research - Adam Sacks, Tourism Economics
• General Session-  Power of Travel- Geoff Freeman, USTA
• General Session- VTC presents 
• Education Sessions for people at every level and job description in your organization 
• Speed Networking with Vendor Partners
• Shirtsleeve Sessions for professionals at all organizations and levels - Roll up your shirtsleeves and meet with your colleagues in smaller groups to discuss hot topics specific to YOUR area of expertise and interest. Informal and conversational-so bring your experiences and challenges to the table for a lively exchange and network with others who can become great resources in the future!
• Virgo Awards Reception - (Nomination Packets ) Hosted by Visit Fairfax
• Virgo Awards Dinner 

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

The Commonwealth Tourism Initiative Launch- learn how to participate in a cohesive and coordinated effort to promote tourism and travel across the Commonwealth.

Meals
Registration includes these meal functions

• Monday- Reception and Dinner
• Tuesday- Breakfast, Lunch, and the Awards Gala Reception (Hosted by Visit Fairfax) and Dinner
• Wednesday - Breakfast and a Light Lunch

Registration Fees

Hotel Accomodations 

VACVB has secured room rates at the Hyatt Fair Lakes for $144.50 per night

Reservations may be made online at https://resweb.passkey.com/go/VACVB10 or by calling the Hyatt Housing/Reservations Contact:  Phone: 402-592-6464 / 888-421-1442


2010 Virginia Tourism Summit
April 19 - 21, 2010
Fairfax, VA Hyatt Fair Lakes
Register Online or
Download Registration Form to mail in with payment

Our Presenters

Adam Sacks - Managing Director, Tourism Economics
Geoff Freeman- Sr. VP of Public Affairs, U.S. Travel Association

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.

Adam 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.
Adam is a frequent speaker on issues related to tourism market analysis, the economic impact of tourism and travel-demand forecasting and has presented at the TIA Marketing Outlook Forum, NYU Hotel Investment Conference, OECD Conference on Tourism Statistics, Cultural and Heritage Tourism Summit, Travel Business Roundtable, Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Investment Conference, ITB Berlin, ARDA, The World Bank, Transportation Research Board Annual Conference, and Travel & Tourism Research Association. He has also presented tourism impact results to governments around the world. He is a member of the Travel Industry Association's Research Board and the US Department of Commerce Tourism Advisory Board.

Geoff Freeman

Mr. Freeman is senior vice president of public affairs for the U.S. Travel Association, the nation's leading voice for increasing travel to and within the United States. Mr. Freeman leads all advocacy activities for the organization, including lobbying, strategic communications and grassroots mobilization.

Prior to the U.S. Travel Association, Mr. Freeman was executive director of the Discover America Partnership, a coalition of some of America's foremost business dedicated to striking the right balance between homeland security and travel facilitation. Launched in September 2006, the campaign pushed meaningful visa and entry reforms through the United States Congress and drove more than 1,000 news stories about the importance of welcoming international visitors. In its brief existence, the Partnership raised nearly five million dollars and motivated the travel community to play a more active role in Washington policymaking.

Mr. Freeman has managed a variety of complex public affairs campaigns and excelled in developing innovative outreach strategies. Prior to launching the Discover America Partnership, Mr. Freeman was a vice president with APCO Worldwide, a global public affairs firm, where he managed an array of issue campaigns, including the Partnership for Prescription Assistance (PPA). The PPA, supported by America's pharmaceutical companies, is the largest effort ever created to connect uninsured Americans with free prescription medicines. The campaign succeed in helping more than two million Americans in its first year of operation, driving over 5,000 news stories and repositioning the pharmaceutical industry.

Previously, Mr. Freeman was the Director of Government Relations and Strategic Outreach for Freddie Mac where he developed and implemented an innovative program to highlight the corporation's activities in local markets. Under Mr. Freeman's direction, Freddie Mac teamed with local stakeholders and elected officials to celebrate newfound homeownership opportunities presented to millions of Americans across the country.

Prior to joining Freddie Mac, Mr. Freeman served as Director of Strategic Initiatives for the American Association of Health Plans, the leading representative of the managed care industry. Mr. Freeman helped guide the media and strategic communications strategy around several high-profile and emotional issues including the Patients' Bill of Rights and Medicare reform. In an effort to build support for the industry beyond-the-beltway, Mr. Freeman developed several innovative initiatives including a highly successful Hollywood outreach campaign and a partnership with physicians in the fight for medical liability reform.

Mr. Freeman is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley. He resides in Arlington, Virginia with his wife and two children.