Amir Eylon is the President, CEO, and Partner of Longwoods International and a thirty-two-year veteran of the Travel & Tourism industry. Amir leads the entire team responsible for developing and executing all facets of the organization, from program development to customer acquisition and retention. He joined Longwoods in 2015 from his previous role as Vice President, Partner Engagement with Brand USA, the public-private partnership serving as the destination marketing organization dedicated...
Apr 14, 2021•40 min•Ep. 224
Jennifer Wesselhoff is the President & CEO of the Park City Chamber of Commerce | Convention & Visitors Bureau (Chamber/Bureau). She has served in the position since October 2020. The Park City Chamber/Bureau is responsible for the marketing and management of Utah’s preeminent luxury tourism destination, driving revenues in excess of $1 billion annually. Park City is home to the Sundance Film Festival, the nation’s largest independent film event. The town’s two ski resorts served as majo...
Apr 07, 2021•43 min•Ep. 223
As Founder and President, Jennifer Hawkins has overseen the growth of Hawkins International Public Relations from a one-woman start-up to a major player in public relations, media relations, and digital communications for the luxury travel and lifestyle industries. Yet even as the agency has grown to more than 30 employees, maintained a robust roster of world-class international clients, expanded with a Los Angeles office, and launched a new division focused on wellness and beauty, Jennifer rema...
Mar 31, 2021•40 min•Ep. 222
In retirement, Loren is privileged to be applying her experiences and skills to the most important and long-lasting project in which she ever has been involved: the development and construction of a nature trail designed specifically for visitors with autism spectrum disorder and related conditions — located in Letchworth State Park, recently voted the #1 state park in the country AND #1 attraction in New York State! Destination on the Left is joined by Loren Penman, a retired educator working f...
Mar 24, 2021•39 min•Ep. 221
Kris Kelso is a keynote speaker, entrepreneur, and is the author of Overcoming The Impostor: Silence Your Inner Critic and Lead with Confidence. Trained and certified as an executive coach, Kris has worked with hundreds of entrepreneurs, business owners, and their leadership teams. He is an advisor and instructor at the Nashville Entrepreneur Center, is a Facilitator / Coach with The Alternative Board, and is a contributing writer for The Nashville Business Journal. Kris has founded multiple com...
Mar 17, 2021•36 min•Ep. 220
Michelle Carlen is the Founder & President of Alignment Advising. With over two decades of career experience, she is dedicated to helping businesses by creating long-term strategy, growing sales and revenue, implementing process improvements, developing organizational infrastructure, and improving the client and employee experience. She also helps individuals advance their professional development and gain clarity, confidence, and direction along their career paths. She holds a Bachelors of ...
Mar 10, 2021•40 min•Ep. 219
Heather Bagshaw joined Greene County Tourism over seven years ago and loves being back in her hometown sharing all the great things she adored growing up. Her role in the tourism industry fostered over the past five years, from being an active board participant and President of both the Catskills and Hudson Valley Regions to sitting on the Board of Directors for New York State Tourism Industry Association and now her recent position as a Board Member on the Wine Water and Wonders Board of Direct...
Mar 03, 2021•48 min•Ep. 218
Taking an unusual path to the travel and tourism industry, Lisa’s background is in marketing and operations. Working for a large corporation in product marketing and then working as an Executive Director for a technology association set the groundwork for her current role as Executive Director for Travel Alliance Partners, a corporation owned by Tour Operators. Lisa leads the management team in developing operational and marketing strategies to help Travel Alliance Partners strengthen their part...
Feb 24, 2021•32 min•Ep. 217
Jennifer Lazarz has worked with the City of Gallup for over five years, four of which have been as the Tourism and Marketing Manager. Jennifer’s projects with the City of Gallup include the execution of the 2015 LEDA Grant for Historic Theatres at the historic El Morro Theatre, serving on the team for design and implementation of the GallupRealTrue tourism brand, coordinating the Gallup Native Arts Market with the Native Artists Commission, design of gallupnativeartsmarket.org . In addition, she...
Feb 17, 2021•45 min•Ep. 216
Kerri Green is the President & CEO of Commerce Chenango, beginning August 2019. She is a US Army Veteran and has a marketing degree from SUNY Delhi. Kerri has an extensive background in economic development, sales, and in administration. Her background includes a tenure at CDO Broadcasting as Sales Manager for over ten years, and five years in Higher Education working as the Senior Assistant to the President and Secretary to the Board of Trustees at Hartwick College as well as the Director o...
Feb 10, 2021•36 min•Ep. 215
Husband and wife team, Tim and Janine Caschette, own Avvino which opened in 2013. The restaurant focuses on seasonal, American cuisine with an International twist and is known for its expansive and highly-curated wine program. Destination on the Left is joined by the husband and wife team, Tim and Janine Caschette. They are the owners of Avvino, a contemporary American restaurant in Rochester New York boasting locally sourced ingredients and an eclectic, rotating seasonal menu. On our podcast, T...
Feb 03, 2021•49 min•Ep. 214
Tim Midgley has over 15 years of technology strategy consulting experience in both corporate and startup environments. He enjoys working in a variety of roles that require modern knowledge of solution creation, business analysis, and product design. Tim is a highly sought after resource for friends and family when they are seeking motivation, guidance, or feedback across a variety of work-related or wellness-focused initiatives. Destination on the Left is joined by Tim Midgley, co-founder of Die...
Jan 27, 2021•36 min•Ep. 213
Eric Patrick is a lifelong marketing professional earning a degree in Advertising from Washington State University. He spent the first 10 years of his career working for small advertising agencies in Portland, OR and central Washington State. Through that experience, he started marketing fruits and vegetables extensively around 2000 and has been at it ever since. Working for one of the largest shippers of apples/pears/cherries in the U.S. and currently at a large distributor based in Oakland, CA...
Jan 20, 2021•42 min•Ep. 212
A marketing strategist for over 30 years, Susan Baier founded Audience Audit in 2009 to help organizations understand their best audiences based on attitudes and needs rather than just demographics or purchase behavior. She develops custom segmentation research for marketers and agencies around the world, supporting their efforts to create marketing initiatives that are more relevant, more efficient, and more impactful. Destination on the Left is joined again by Susan Baier to discuss the impact...
Jan 13, 2021•38 min•Ep. 211
Tammy Blount-Canavan has a passion for elevating leadership and team performance. She has had a standout career developing high-performance teams of staff, boards, and community organizations. Tammy provides relatable and innovative leadership to bring out the best in organizations and individuals. Tammy’s career has spanned 30+ years and two countries, including executive leadership at Tourism Vancouver, CEO of the Tacoma Regional CVB, architect and inaugural Chair of the Washington Tourism All...
Jan 06, 2021•43 min•Ep. 210
Twenty years ago, Pascale Bernasse fulfilled a lifelong dream and began a career in the travel industry. Today, that dream remains a reality for her as the co-owner and President of French Wine Explorers. Bernasse started working in the travel industry in 2000 after leaving a corporate career that had left her uninspired. Taking a leap of faith, she started her career at two of the first internet-based cruise retailers, then moved on to gain experience with a small niche tour operator and a bric...
Dec 16, 2020•39 min•Ep. 209
As a tourism professional for over 25 years, David Holder co-founded Clarity of Place with a hands-on understanding of what destination leaders need to be successful. David leads stakeholder engagement efforts and crafts tactical plans to ensure destinations are equipped with the data and industry insights to react to changing environments but still attain their strategic vision. In leading a variety of destinations, David proved himself to be an industry innovator, taking new perspectives on wh...
Dec 09, 2020•46 min•Ep. 208
With transformation and culture change in her DNA, Judy McKinney-Cherry is a seasoned leader and successful entrepreneur recognized for her expertise in economic and community development. She is sought after and known for her ability to balance a strategic focus with boots on the ground pragmatism that she leverages to help emerging businesses forge growth trajectories and create sustainable and successful futures. Ms. Cherry is currently the Executive Director for SCOPED, the Schuyler County P...
Dec 02, 2020•51 min•Ep. 207
In our solocast episode of Destination on the Left, we share some exciting new content in an episode format we’ve never done before. Nicole Mahoney does an exclusive table read of her keynote speech about world-changing collaborations. During the podcast, She provides a refined perspective on the importance of collaboration in the travel and tourism industry. Collaboration will play a significant role in the recovery of our industry, and we compiled numerous conversations with other industry exp...
Nov 18, 2020•43 min•Ep. 206
As America’s Road Trip Expert, Dr. Forbes has traveled by car in all 50 states, enjoying hundreds of scenic byways and scenic drives passing through thousands of historic towns. Her love of the road trip began at age 7 and even her High School was on a Scenic Byway. After a career in architecture and facility management, ending at The World Bank in Washington, DC, she was able to transform her love of the road trip into a successful career. Since beginning to develop road trips and driving trave...
Nov 11, 2020•36 min•Ep. 205
While owning an ad agency was never in her dreams, Ginna Royce can’t think of a better way to spend her life–with the exception of being the next Food Network star! The opportunity to experience different industries, personalities, and technology through her clients is an amazing part of every day; the chance to share this with her husband–my partner–is a blessing. She has deep West Virginia roots but was raised in northern Virginia. WVU provided a phenomenal Journalism education and she landed ...
Nov 04, 2020•31 min•Ep. 204
Greg DeShields currently serves as the Executive Director at PHLDiversity a business development division of the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau. As Executive Director of the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau PHLDiversity, Greg is responsible for developing and implementing plans, strategies, and initiatives specifically designed to raise Philadelphia’s image as a diverse multicultural destination leading to hotel room nights and economic impact for the region. Greg is a gr...
Oct 28, 2020•42 min•Ep. 203
Cindy Rodriguez is the Co-Founder of Adirondack Diversity Solutions, a Human Resources consulting firm focusing on diversity and inclusion within the workforce and beyond. Adirondack Diversity Solutions works with organizations to create and execute initiatives that share the organization’s vision, support its mission, and live its values through forward-leaning innovations that materialize the social and economic benefits of a diversified workforce and client base. With over ten years of Human ...
Oct 21, 2020•30 min•Ep. 202
Melissa Cherry serves as the Chief Operating Officer at Destinations International. She is responsible for the development and execution of the overall marketing and communications, product engagement, information technology, meetings, and education strategies to promote and elevate the Association’s mission and brand to drive awareness of its impact to advance the success of the destination marketing industry worldwide. Prior to joining Destinations International, Melissa was senior vice-presid...
Oct 14, 2020•53 min•Ep. 201
In Destination on the Left’s 200th episode, we kick off October’s theme of equity, diversity, and inclusion. Nicole Mahoney shares experience with these issues, and she talks about the different ways her team is working together to live out the ‘equitable’ core value within their company. Learn what we can do to explore, understand, and act on the topic of diversity in the travel and tourism industry. What You Will Learn in This Episode: Host Nicole Mahoney’s experience with the challenges of eq...
Oct 07, 2020•16 min•Ep. 200
Rick Antonson is the author of the travel narratives: To Timbuktu for a Haircut: A Journey Through West Africa , Route 66 Still Kicks: Driving Americas Main Street , and Full Moon Over Noah’s Ark: An Odyssey to Mount Ararat and Beyond . He is the co-author of Slumachs Gold: In Search of a Legend . He was president and CEO of Tourism Vancouver, is past chair of the board for the Destinations International, based in Washington, DC, and served as deputy chair for the Pacific Asia Tourism Associatio...
Sep 30, 2020•43 min•Ep. 199
Living in Southern Africa for 12 years, Thomas has 20 years of experience in the Hospitality and Tourism sector while working for brands like TUI and Thomas Cook in 8 countries and cultures. His focus on digital marketing and distribution, the turnaround of Hospitality and Tourism businesses, and the opening of Hotels has made him a Digital Native Hospitality and Tourism professional. Before that, he started his career with the largest commercial company, METRO, in Europe and IBM, where he evolv...
Sep 23, 2020•41 min•Ep. 198
James is Partner and Co-founder of Rove Marketing, a leading tourism data, analytics, and consulting firm. They are focused on helping tourism organizations become more data-driven, so they are better positioned to navigate change, maximize travel visitation, and ultimately drive revenue growth. He brings over 20 years of strategic knowledge in CRM, customer experience management, data and analytics, branding, and digital marketing strategy. Destination on the Left is joined by James Sauter, a p...
Sep 16, 2020•40 min•Ep. 197
In Destination on the Left’s solocast episode, we share the process that our team recently developed to reset our forward-thinking mindset. We found that when you challenge yourself and your team to move past the perceived limitation of uncertainty and stay focused on the future, many opportunities will appear. This solocast is an opportunity to discuss our company’s experience and the tools we used to get back on track during the pandemic’s challenging times. What You Will Learn in This Episode...
Sep 09, 2020•15 min•Ep. 196
Sanger is the leading ambassador and advocate for museums in New York. She produces programs that promote best practices and deepen connections with members and constituents. She seeks new programs and funding opportunities for museums and the organization; maintains and develops relationships with stakeholders including museum professionals, industry partners, state and federal funding agencies, private foundations, local, state, regional, and federal government officials, and leaders of peer i...
Sep 02, 2020•33 min•Ep. 195
