3:00-5:00 PM

Roundtable: DEI and Tourism in the Finger Lakes

A dialogue around how DEI is and can be part of tourism strategies in the Finger Lakes Region.

Limited free spots for this session available to local community members. If you’re interested, please e-mail [email protected].

6:00 PM

Opening Reception at Refinery – Hilton Garden Inn Auburn

Join us in a relaxed environment to say hello to past and returning attendees!

Cash bar.

Interested in sponsoring the Opening Reception?

E-mail [email protected]

All attendees can receive a voucher for breakfast that can be used any time between 6:00am-10:00am

8:00-9:00am

Registration

9:00am

Mayor Mike Quill

City of Auburn, NY

Welcome: Mayor Mike Quill, City of Auburn, NY

Mayor Mike Quill of the City of Auburn, NY welcomes attendees to the 2022 Travel Unity Summit Northeast.

9:05-9:30am

Hilina D. Ajakaiye

Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau (GBCVB)

Keynote Speaker: Hilina D. Ajakaiye, Greater Boston CVB

Hilina D. Ajakaiye, Executive Vice President of the Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau (GBCVB), dives into the deliberate work that goes into the All Inclusive Boston campaign and more around GBCVB’s DEI work.

Keynote session sponsored by Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau.

9:30-10:30am

Panel: DEI Approaches from Across the Northeast

Rachel Vandenberg

Accelerate Women Leaders in Travel

Lynn Tillotson

Visit Portland (Greater Portland CVB)

A deep dive from visitor-facing organizations of multiple sizes from across the NE, touching on their efforts to diversify storytelling, grow industry workforce, and engage with their communities.

Moderated by Rachel Vandenberg of Accelerate Women Leaders in Travel.

Jason Meredith

NYC & Co.

David Contreras Turley

New York State Division of Tourism at Empire State Development

Sean O’Connor & Daniel Cano Restrepo

Newport Out

BREAK

10:50-11:50am

Access, Accessibility, and Outdoor Experiences

Laura DiBetta

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

Connor McGough

ARISE

Loren Penman

Autism Nature Trail at Letchworth State Park

Katy O’Reilly

Open Doors Organization

Laura DiBetta of NYS DEC discusses initiatives to make outdoor spaces more welcoming to people of all backgrounds and abilities.

Then, a series of brief presentations:

Katy O’Reilly of Open Doors Organization gives practical advice on how visitor-facing organizations can be more accessible to travelers with disabilities.

Loren Penman from the Autism Nature Trail at Letchworth State Park shares the path to their success.

Connor McGough of ARISE shares his thoughts as a traveler who uses a wheelchair, an adaptive tools professional, and a Syracusan passionate about making the outdoors welcoming to everyone.

11:50am-12:50pm

Understanding Overlapping Identities

Dr. Rhoda Overstreet Wilson

Facilitator

Tim James

Visit Rochester

Kelly Metzgar

Adirondack North Country Gender Alliance

Jacob Ornelas

Oneida Nation Enterprises

We all navigate the world with multiple identities. Dr. Rhoda Overstreet Wilson leads dialogues with our thoughtful and open speakers, then invites attendees to participate in an exercise to learn more about how they see themselves in the world.

12:50-2:00pm

LUNCH

2:00-3:00pm

DEI Case Studies

Karen Kuhl

Tour Cayuga

Olivia Khristan

Corning Museum of Glass

Evan B. Hill

Corning Museum of Glass

Karen Kuhl of Tour Cayuga shares the process of leaning into Cayuga County as the chosen home of Harriet Tubman.

Evan B. Hill and Olivia Khristan of the Corning Museum of Glass discuss CMOG’s work with schools, teachers, and communities to create a welcoming, educational, and inclusive space for visitors.

3:00-3:20pm

Carol Watson

General Manager of Kimpton Hotel Palomar Philadelphia

Fostering Enduring Equality in Visitor-Facing Organizations

Carol Watson, the General Manager of Kimpton Hotel Palomar Philadelphia, will dive into how to integrate DEI practices across an organization with a focus on recruitment, representation in marketing, and partner accountability creating a system of enduring equality in an organization.

3:20-4:30pm

Workshop: Integrating DEI into Your Organizational Foundation

Vandana Agrawal

Travel Unity

David Naczycz, CDTP

WeVenture

This workshop will offer participants the opportunity to take what they have learned today and apply it to their own organizations. Participants will go through a process of thinking about their organizations and how DEI is currently reflected and what more needs to happen to embed DEI into the foundations of the organization. Vandana Agrawal and David Naczycz will provide insights, tools and ideas for participants on how they can effectively integrate DEI into their organization.

4:45pm

NYS Equal Rights Heritage Center Visit

After the day’s sessions, participants are invited to take a 5-minute walk to the NYS Equal Rights Heritage Center for an exclusive after-hours visit. The Taste NY Market will remain open for participants, as well, for those looking to purchase an array of products grown, produced, or processed in New York State.

7:00-9:00pm

Dinner Reception at Prison City North

251 North St, Auburn, NY 13021

Don’t miss a special networking dinner event at Prison City North (251 North St, Auburn, NY 13021). If you like craft beer, you will love Prison City.

Delight yourself to 5 tasting menus, think “5 mini dinners”, each paired with a different brew while you network with your peers.

The setting will be within Prison City’s tap room and brewing facility, so you will get a special behind-the-scenes look!

Shuttles will transport attendees to and from the event. It will run in a loop from 5:30 PM until 9:30 PM.

Dinner Sponsors

All attendees can receive a voucher for breakfast that can be used any time between 6:00am-10:00am.

8:00-9:00am

Registration

9:00-9:30am

Carrie Simmons

Go Stowe (Stowe Area Association)

Keynote Session: DEI and Destination Stewardship

Carrie Simmons, Go Stowe (Stowe Area Association)

Carrie Simmons from Go Stowe (Stowe Area Association) shares the organization’s work on DEI through their destination stewardship strategy.

9:30-10:30am

Panel: Authentic Representation: How to Avoid Performative DEI Marketing

Nicole Mahoney

Break the Ice Media

Nikita Jankowski

Belesai Communications

Olga Luz Tirado

O Communications & Solutions

Lisa Kribs

TGW STUDIO

What separates authentically communicating with diverse groups from performative marketing? The panel will dive head-first into this crucial topic.

Featuring Olga Luz Tirado and Nikita Jankowski.

Moderated by Nicole Mahoney

BREAK

10:50-11:50am

Workforce Development & Education

Helen Horsham-Bertels

Bago Consulting, LLC

Sara Douglass

ARISE

Victor B. Younger

The Nolan Hotel School SC Johnson College of Business

Cornell University

Christopher Guidone

Tourism Diversity Matters

The travel industry is struggling to attract and retain quality staff. Discover strategies and initiatives around recruitment, development, and retention from a diverse group of speakers.

Moderated by Helen Horsham-Bertels.

11:50-12:50pm

Community Engagement

Dr. Juhanna Rogers

CenterState CEO

Ruthnie Angrand

City of Syracuse

Elder Melody R. Smith Johnson

Penny Peters

Akwesasne Tourism

How do you go from broadcasting to communities to having dialogue and collaboration? How do you make sure that communities have the opportunities to take part in their storytelling? How do we address the unique needs of specific groups within communities? The panel will share their insights that will help travel industry professionals toward authentic, sustained relationships with diverse communities.

Moderated by Dr. Juhanna Rogers.

1:00-1:45pm

Networking and Presentations by Local High School Students

Meet the local high school students who took part in a concurrent program during the morning of Fri Dec. 9.