2021 Summit Theme
DEI in Action
Advancing Travel Together
Note: All attendees are required to provide proof of vaccination and be properly masked.
Click here for our COVID-19 policy and FAQ.
Questions? Contact [email protected] or (212) 923-7704
How to get to Lake Placid
Bus from NYC – 11a departure, 6:30p arrival
Gold/Hosting Sponsor
Silver Sponsor
Bronze Sponsors
Sponsors and Partners
Missed the Virtual Sessions?
Access to recorded sessions available for members of the 2021 Travel Unity Alliance.
Join the Alliance!
Virtual Session Speakers included:
In-Person Schedule
In-Person Speakers include:
Penny Peters
Akwesasne Tourism – St. Regis Mohawk Tribe
Thurs, Nov 4, 5:30 PM – Invite-only roundtable sessions focused on the question “How do we make people feel comfortable in the Adirondacks?”
Discussions will be lead by Jason Thurston of John Dillon Park, Bethany Garretson of Paul Smith’s College, and Leslie Karasin of Northern Forest Center.
Interested in attending the roundtable sessions?
Email Executive Director Roni Weiss – [email protected]
Friday, Nov. 5, 2021
Saturday, Nov. 6, 2021
Golden Arrow Lakeside Resort
Lake Placid, NY
Note: All attendees are required to provide proof of vaccination and be properly masked.
Click here for our COVID-19 policy and FAQ.
Questions? Contact [email protected] or (212) 923-7704
8-9 AM
Breakfast and Networking
11-11:15 AM
Break
1:30-2:30 PM
Lunch
Marketing To Diverse Audiences
Moderator: Nicole Mahoney
Featuring: Linda Ayares and Romey Louangvilay
Featuring: Nicole Mahoney, Karen Kuhl, and Jessica Lewis
Happy Hour @ Generations Tap & Grill at Golden Arrow Lakeside Resort
8-9 AM
Breakfast + Networking Activities run by Dr. Damien Duchamp
11-11:15 AM
Break
Friday, Nov. 5, 2021
8-9 AM Breakfast and Networking
Join fellow conference participants for a relaxed beginning to the day.
9-9:30 AM Welcome from ROOST and Travel Unity
Roni Weiss
Travel Unity
Mary Jane Lawrence
ROOST
Roni Weiss, Executive Director of Travel Unity, and Mary Jane Lawrence CEO of ROOST welcome participants to Lake Placid and share their goal for this Summit of making DEI real with experienced speakers from many sectors of the travel industry showing how organizations, destinations, attractions and individuals have put DEI into their lives, work, hiring and marketing.
9:30-11 AM Nuts and Bolts of Implementing DEI Plans
Roni Weiss
Travel Unity
Everyone is talking about DEI but what does it really mean for the tourism industry? What specific actions can travel companies take now to put DEI into their goals, planning and day-to-day work. Long term benefits including helping to increase visitation, reach new audiences, broaden teams, build productive partnerships and achieve greater tourism success.
11-11:30 AM Break
11:30 AM- 12:30 PM DEI in Organizations: Case Studies and Discussion
The NYS tourism industry understands that it needs to increase DEI in its appeal, education, partnerships, marketing and hiring. Leaders from regional destinations will share their DEI journey, discussing the plans and actions that they have taken to implement DEI, share results achieved to date and next steps. Featuring MJ Lawrence from ROOST, Karen Kuhl from Cayuga County Tourism, Hillarie Logan-Dechene from The Wild Center, and Penny Peters from Akwesasne Tourism – St. Regis Mohawk Tribe.
12:30 PM- 1:30 PM Professional DEI Journeys
Travel professionals share their personal stories of how DEI has impacted their career paths featuring Savannah Doviak from Roost and Jason Thurston of John Dillon Park.
1:30-2:30 PM Lunch at Golden Arrow
2:30-4 PM Marketing to Diverse Audiences
Strategic marketing planning and a wide range of tactics are necessary to reach new and more diverse audiences. This panel will discuss ways to make your marketing welcoming, avoiding offense and insincerity, as well as reach specific DEI audiences.
With Linda Ayares and Romey Louangvilay
4-5 PM Cayuga County Case Study
Learn the nuts and bolts on how Cayuga County is reshaping their marketing strategy to embrace the Harriet Tubman’s connection to the area and become a more welcoming destination to a broader array of visitors.
Featuring: Nicole Mahoney and Karen Kuhl
5:30 PM Happy Hour @ Generations Tap & Grill at Golden Arrow Lakeside Resort
Hang out with fellow attendees for a happy hour gathering. Cash bar.
Saturday, Nov. 6, 2021
8-9 AM Breakfast + Networking Activities Run by Dr. Damien Duchamp
Dr. Damien Duchamp leads activities for attendees to get to know one another more, both personally and professionally.
9-9:30 AM Introduction and Roundtable Recap
Introduction by Roni Weiss of Travel Unity and Recap of Thursday’s Roundtables on “How do we make people feel comfortable in the Adirondacks?”
9:30-11 AM How the New York State Travel Industry is Stepping Up to Address DEI
A series of speakers addresses how the travel industry across NYS is stepping up to the challenges of making the travel industry more welcoming to a wider array of visitors and staff, along with maximizing its positive impact on local communities. With Bob Provost (NYSTIA), Nicole Mahoney (Break the Ice Media), and Penny Peters (Akwesasne Tourism – St. Regis Mohawk Tribe),
11-11:30 AM Break
11:30 AM- 1:30 PM What it Means to be Welcomed and Welcoming
Nicole Hylton-Patterson and Kelly Metzgar reveal how the Adirondacks can continue down a path toward being welcoming to all, sharing their personal experiences.
A World Shared by All: Elevating local voices and stories for co-creating inclusive travel, and belonging, and development
When we elevate local voices, including marginalized voices, frustrated voices, wise voices—to collectively learn from each other we gain perspectives and forms and traditions of knowledge that remain otherwise lost and blind to us. This enriches cultural exchanges and learning. It enriches our ability to cultivate spaces of belonging. It enriches our ability to genuinely learn from one another. All of this should be part of any meaningful diversity, equity, and inclusion curriculum for organizations – including indigenous-led tourism. It is also vital for how we are impacting local populations and communities, and our consideration of what is meant by development. Development for whom? In our session we explore systemic issues of oppression. This enables us to name, reflect, and act upon such systems so that decision making, authority, responsibility, and accountability are equally shared by design and from the start.
1:30 PM Conference Sendoff and Invitation to our March 2022 Summit
Travel Unity Executive Director Roni Weiss wraps up the conference and invites everyone to Travel Unity’s first event outside of New York State, taking place March 2022.
Testimonials from prior Travel Unity Summits
“Thank you once again for selecting an excellent group of people. The Summit was brilliant!”
Elizabeth McAndrew
Marketing Specialist for New York State Canal Corporation
“Excellent content at the Travel Unity Summit. Informative, motivational, moving.”
Greg Marshall
Former Sr. Vice President/Director of Marketing Visit Rochester