For Immediate Release: Oct. 27, 2011

Economic Forecast Conference Examines SoCal Travel Industry

2011 Southern California Visitor Industry Outlook Conference:
Nov. 10, Disneyland Hotel, Anaheim

Just when the economy seemed to be stabilizing and growing, the economic roller coaster screeched around a sharp curve. Will the economy be headed into a big dip, coast along or find itself facing another steep climb? How will the travel industry fare during this turbulent time, and what is expected in 2012?

Please join us at the 23rd Annual Southern California Visitor Industry Outlook Conference and hear from noted experts representing a range of travel sectors as they offer their best assessments of the economic situation and how it may affect Southern California’s tourism industry. The event will take place on Nov. 10 from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim.

Attendees will enjoy a full day of panel discussions from industry experts and receive PKF Consulting USA’s extensive lodging forecast report with detailed analyses of markets throughout Southern California. These markets include: Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Ventura, San Luis Obispo and Kern counties as well as the Inland Empire and Coachella Valley.

Cal Poly Pomona’s Collins College of Hospitality Management and PKF Consulting are partnering to present the conference. In addition to receiving a copy of the lodging forecast, guests will be among the first to see the newly renovated Disneyland Hotel.

Panelists and speakers will include:

  • Charles Ahlers, President, Anaheim/Orange County Visitor & Convention Bureau
  • Don Anderson, Director, Center for Entertainment and Tourism Communications, Cal State Fullerton
  • Bruce Baltin, Conference Chair and Senior Vice President, PKF Consulting
  • Brandon Feighner, Vice President, PKF Consulting
  • Skip Hull, Vice President, CIC Research, Inc.
  • Kerri Kapich, Senior Vice President of Marketing, San Diego Convention & Visitors Bureau
  • Margie Jones, Associate Professor, The Collins College
  • Mark Liberman, President & CEO, LA INC. The Los Angeles Convention & Visitors Bureau
  • Jeff Lugosi, Senior Vice President, PKF Consulting
  • Kathy Mangum, Executive Vice President and Producer, Disney Imagineering
  • Dan Mishell, Research Director, California Travel & Tourism Commission
  • Kimberly Ritter-Martinez, Associate Economist, Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation
  • Lauren Schlau, Senior Vice President, Horizon Consumer Science
  • Gary Sherwin, President and CEO, Visit Newport Beach Inc., Vice Chair, Orange County Tourism Council
  • Mark Van Stekelenburg, Vice President, PKF Consulting

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit http://www.csupomona.edu/~vioc/.

Media are welcome to attend the conference for free. They may also have a free copy of the forecast report upon request. Please contact Lisa McPheron, director of communications and external relations at The Collins College at (909) 869-3151 or lcmcpheron@csupomona.edu for more information.

About The Collins College - Founded in 1973, The Collins College of Hospitality Management is the first and largest four-year hospitality management degree program in California and the only hospitality management college on the West Coast. Approximately 1,000 undergraduate and graduate students receive a superior education in the state-of-the-art Collins College facilities, where they learn to apply hospitality management theories and concepts to real-world settings. Part of this unique academic experience includes managing and operating the full-service Restaurant at Kellogg Ranch.

 

 

Contact:

Lisa McPheron
Director of Communications and External Relations
The Collins College of Hospitality Management
(909) 869-3151 or lcmcpheron@
csupomona.edu