Speakers

Anna Pollock
CEO
DestiCorp
UK

Anna Pollock has over 30 years’ experience working in the tourism sector as a consultant, strategist, futurist, change agent and entrepreneur. Described as an irrepressibly curious “renaissance woman”, her strength derives from an ability to dig beneath surface trends to find and make sense of the real drivers of change combined with a creative capacity to develop innovative responses.

Having made seminal contributions to many aspects of tourism development (resource development, sustainable tourism, health tourism, adventure travel and digital marketing) over her long career, Anna’s current preoccupation is helping clients understand the full scope and likely impact of moving from a high carbon, industrial economy to a low carbon, networked economy. She recently co-founded The Icarus Foundation (http://www.theicarusfoundation.com/), a not-for-profit agency formed to encourage the Canadian tourism industry become climate friendly and is now exploring how social media can be deployed to accelerate behavioural change and enrich experience delivery.

Marian Goodell
Director of Business and Communication
Burning Man
USA

Marian Goodell has been a member of the 6-person ownership structure of Burning Man since late 1996 and the Director of Business and Communications for Burning Man since 1997. Since 2003 Goodell’s responsibilities have included also oversight of the Black Rock City Department of Public Works production team which sets up and takes down the event site.

Goodell holds a BA in Creative Writing from Goucher College in Baltimore, Maryland and an MFA in photography from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. She has previously done sales and public relations, and was working as a project manager for a software cum web development firm producing ford.com when she first arrived as a participant at Burning Man in 1995.



Stephen Joyce
President
Sentias Software Corp.
Canada

Stephen Joyce has been working as a travel & tourism technology consultant since 1995. In 2005 Stephen and his company, Sentias Software Corp., began development on Rezgo.com, a next generation Web 2.0 tour and activity booking engine for SME travel suppliers and tour operators. In June of 2007, Rezgo.com was officially released and now boasts a user base of 750+ companies.

Stephen is also very active in fostering tourism technology and is the founding President of the North American Chapter of the International Federation for IT and Travel & Tourism (IFITT North America). He is the publisher of the Tips from the T-List books, a series of ground-breaking books that bring together travel industry bloggers from around the World. The success of the book has resulted in workshops and speaking engagements on Social media and User generated content around the World.

Stephen is a graduate of Capilano University, is a certified Commercial Pilot, and holds a certificate in IT Management.

Pål K. Medhus

Creative Director

Høve Støtt AS

Norway

Pål started with two empty hands and a head filled with creative ideas. The basis for everything he has created is being outdoor with the customers. Høve Støtt is setting the standard for most of the experience-production in Geilo today, situated in one of Norway’s biggest tourist regions. As an entrepreneur, Pål has been very profound and patient, especially after the Experience Pyramid and the theories from Pine & Gilmore has become a part of the company’s daily routines.

Pål is a highly asked for lecturer with specialities such as ecotourism, creative prosesses and the Experience Economy. You can expect a colourful and truthfully honest lecture, where ecotourism, design, Experience Economy and lots of appropriate examples from the real world will be presented to you.

Ilkka Länkinen

Entrepreneur

SantaPark

Finland

Mikko Sääskilahti

Entrepreneur

Juju Innovations

Finland

Mikko Sääskilahti is an owner of JUJU Innovations Ltd. which is an agency specialized in innovation management, creativity and design. Sääskilahti is also a professor of industrial design in the University of Lapland in Finland. His background is in industrial design and at these days he is leading courses and projects concerning product and service design in the university.