The highly successful and well attended first joint American Tourism Society (ATS) and New York SKAL seminar focused on meetings and conference opportunities in new as well as established markets. Welcome and opening remarks were given by David Parry, chairman, ATS and chairman, Academic Travel Abroad, and Juan Sepulveda, president, NY Skal and director of International Sales, Highgate Hotels. The Panel was comprised of representatives from Turkey, China, Poland, the Czech Republic and Egypt, with Nico Zenner, president of Travel Bound and ATS Executive Committee member as moderator. The seminar, organized by ATS/SKAL member, Jeff Posner, Coastal Communications Corporation, was held at the Down Town Association and followed by a Skal lunch and Czech Tourism reception.

The panels speakers included Mirjana Sebek-Heroldova, CzechTourism, Canada; Magdy A. Keryakos, vice president – Marketing, Wings Tours Inc. for Egypt; Larry Kwan, president, Pacific Delight Tours for China; Nihan Bekar, director, Turkish Culture & Tourist Office, New York; and Jake Wolosz, Polish National Tourist Office, North America. NY Skal President Sepulveda said “NY Skal was most pleased to be part of this initiative as this was also an added benefit for SKAL members. We thank ATS for bringing this program to SKAL and look forward to more joint programs in the future.

ATS Chairman Parry noted that this “joint initiative with SKAL is part of the ATS strategic plan to provide our members with more platforms and programs in the US for marketing and promotion. Based on this success, we are already planning future marketing activities and collaborations, which will also include a strong ATS Tourism College component.” A group of tourism students from Kingsborough Community College and The Wood Tobe-Coburn School, as well as students and faculty from New York University’s Tisch School of Tourism, Hospitality, and Sports Management, participated in the Seminar as part of the ATS Tourism College initiative.

ATS will follow up on this great interest in the MICE market with the April launch of a comprehensive guide promoting meetings and conferences in “Tomorrow’s Destinations.” According to Jeff Posner, Coastal Communications, publisher of the guide, “distribution of this ATS / MICE market planner will be to over 70,000 senior level US meeting & incentive travel planners who are responsible for selecting destinations and facilities. Additionally, a summary of the guide will appear on www.themeetingmagazines.com.” In support of the ATS MICE program, the Corinthia Hotel Prague, one of the leading luxury conference hotels in the Czech Capital, and host of the ATS Fall Conference 2005, provided a three-night stay as a door prize. Alice Tillem of Hillside Travel was the lucky Winner.

Pictured here from left are Posner, Keryakos, Zenner, representing China, Kwan, Parry, Sepulveda, Representing the Czech Republic, Sebek-Heroldova, Bekar, Don Reynolds, executive vice president, ATS. (Missing from photo is Wolosz.)