USA Shopping & Tourism Conference – Orlando, FL

ONE Travel Conference for Shopping, Dining & Cultural Tourism

January 15-17, 2012, Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek, Orlando, Florida

Presented by

Shop America Alliance, US Cultural & Heritage Tourism Marketing Council and

The Cultural & Heritage Tourism Alliance

In Partnership with

Visit Orlando, VISIT FLORIDA and American Express

The 2012 ONE Travel Conference for Shopping, Dining and Cultural Tourism is open for registration at ONETravelConference.com.   The conference is being presented in partnership with Visit Orlando and VISIT FLORIDA at the Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek Hotel in Orlando, Florida, January 15-17, 2012.  American Express is the presenting sponsor.

Keynote presenters Roger Dow, CEO of the U.S. Travel Association; Helen Marano, Director, U.S. Department of Commerce/OTTI; Chris Thompson, CEO of VISIT FLORIDA, Gary Sain, President and CEO of Visit Orlando and Beverly Anderson, Vice President of American Express Business Insights will be joined by more than 25 influential presenters for executive level idea exchange and partnership development.  In addition, the conference will present the SASI-ONE Awards for innovative marketing and Mobile Workshop Tours featuring shopping, dining and cultural destinations in the Orlando area.  New this year is a pre-conference tour of Sarasota’s cultural highlights on Saturday, January 14.

The theme of the conference is “Creating Coopertition and Connections.”  With the recent establishment of Brand USA charged with increasing international inbound travel to the US, along with the ongoing economic recovery fueling domestic travel, the conference will focus on addressing the new opportunities for business development and growth for the travel industry.

Along with the presenting sponsor, American Express, Visit Orlando, VISIT FLORIDA, TravelMole, TravMedia, Sarasota Convention & Visitors Bureau, CenterCal Properties, Gray Line Orlando, The Florida Mall, Las Vegas CVA, Shop America Magazine, The Cultural Traveler Guide and Mandala Research are sponsors of the ONE Travel Conference.  For sponsorship opportunities contact [email protected]. 

“The ONE Travel Conference is a win/win for all involved,” states Rosemary McCormick, President of Shop America Alliance and co-producer of the ONE Travel Conference.  “Shopping, Dining and Cultural Heritage Travel are the top three tourism activities in the USA. At ONE Travel Conference, we explore and celebrate the best practices in promoting these important travel sectors. The program, developed with input from our advisory committee of industry leaders, will focus on delivering ROI through the power of partnerships.”

“Our goal is to continue to unify these powerful travel industry segments to speak with ONE voice on the importance of promoting the top travel experiences.  They are the key economic drivers and job providers, “states Sheila Armstrong, Executive Director of the US Cultural & Heritage Tourism Marketing Council and co-producer of the ONE Travel Conference.  “The establishment of the Corporation for Travel Promotion offers new and exciting national and international marketing opportunities.    Delegates at the ONE Travel Conference including destination marketing organizations (DMOs), shopping, dining and cultural-heritage leaders along with international tourism partners will learn of new opportunities to shape their future marketing initiatives.” 

“The Cultural & Heritage Tourism Alliance (C&HTA) is pleased to take a lead role in planning and promoting the ONE Travel Conference,“ states Jo Ann Haden-Miller, ­­­­­Director of Consumer Markets of the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau and the C&HTA Steering Committee Co-Chair.  “Our cultural and heritage partners are industry leaders who look forward to sharing their expertise and best practices with this expanded audience and developing new partnerships.”

Gary Sain, President and CEO of Visit Orlando states, “We are pleased to welcome the ONE Travel Conference to Orlando and to be a partner in the planning and promoting of this important industry event.  Orlando is internationally known for its world class theme parks.  Hosting the ONE Travel Conference is an opportunity for us to showcase Orlando’s wide array of superb shopping, trend setting dining and rich collection of cultural and heritage treasures.” 

Shopping, Dining and Cultural & Heritage Travel are consistently ranked as the top three travel activities in the USA, according to data tracked by the U.S. Department of Commerce/Office of Travel & Tourism Industries (OTTI) and the U.S. Travel Association.

Women in Travel & Tourism (witti) will hold a special Meeting, Reception and Dinner in Orlando immediately following the ONE Travel Conference on Tuesday, January 17, at the Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek. All ONE delegates are invited to attend the witti meeting at no cost and evening reception/dinner at a nominal cost to help launch this new organization committed to promoting, connecting, and celebrating women in travel and tourism.  witti is an exciting new organization whose mission is to enhance the success of women in the travel and tourism industry through peer-to-peer networking, mentoring, lead sharing, and giving back to the global travel community in meaningful ways.  Contact [email protected] for more witti information

Registration is open at OneTravelConference.com with the program, sponsorship opportunities and special hotel rates along with SASI-ONE Awards Entry and Silent Auction Information.  The Silent Auction will benefit the Destination & Travel Foundation’s Educational Initiatives and the Arts and Culture Alliance of Central Florida.   The Conference delegate fee is $595 per person through December 31, 2011, and $695 thereafter.

For more information, contact the ONE Travel Conference producers:  Rosemary McCormick, Shop America Alliance, 707-224-3795, [email protected] or

Sheila Armstrong, US Cultural Heritage Tourism Marketing Council, 843-341-6392, [email protected] or visit ONETravelConference.com