The CMA regularly hosts breakfast sessions to explore different areas of content marketing so that our community can learn from experts in the industry to improve their content plans and knowledge. This breakfast is being hosted as a virtual webinar series and the topic is TRAVEL!

We will focus on the travel industry and call on experts from within the sector to talk about the challenges faced in our industry right now.

Travel has always played a large part within the content marketing space, and over the years we’ve seen incredible work submitted to our ‘Best Travel’ category at the International Content Marketing Awards.

Join our upcoming virtual content breakfast and find out how the travel industry has been affected by COVID-19, more importantly, what a ‘new normal’ will look like, and how we as an industry work together to see the travel sector flourish.

This content breakfast is sponsored by VERB Interactive (Canada).

REGISTER HERE

Brunch Speakers

VERB CEO and Founder Andy MacLellan and VP Stephanie McGrath walk through the guiding principles they’re using to create integrated marketing recovery plans for clients in the Travel and Hospitality sector, while discussing the trends and insights they’ve uncovered to date.

Andy MacLellan   
Founder and CEO, VERB Interactive

Andy graduated from Dalhousie University with a degree in Commerce and Marketing in 2001 and quickly immersed himself in the world of digital strategy, founding VERB Interactive in 2004. For over 15 years, Andy has been immersed in digital marketing for the tourism and hospitality industry. 

In 2018 Sightseer Magazine named Andy Travel Marketer of the Year and VERB is now recognized as one of North America’s leading digital marketing agencies, specializing in delivering targeted solutions to tourism and hospitality companies around the world. In the process, Andy has increased his portfolio of clients from prominent Atlantic Canadian travel-related companies to global industry leaders, including international cruise lines like Royal Caribbean International and Azamara Club Cruises, renowned destinations such as Nassau Paradise Island and Hilton Head Island, and luxury golf resorts and hotels such as Pebble Beach Resorts, CordeValle, and Sea Island.

Stephanie McGrath
VP of Strategy, VERB Interactive

Stephanie graduated from the University of King’s College with a Bachelor of Journalism Honors degree in 1999. She continuously grows her skillset and creative background with courses such as Video Storytelling at the Berkeley School of Journalism and Writing with Style at the Banff Centre for the Arts. In 2018, she completed Seth Godin’s altMBA program.

Stephanie joined VERB in 2017. Stephanie has spent her career working on and leading creative teams, whether at online magazines, in television newsrooms, or at marketing agencies. She has written about pop stars, worked on marketing strategies for large pharmaceutical companies, pumped out clever radio scripts and imagined (and realized) large-scale creative brand campaigns. Under Stephanie’s direction, the VERB team tells travel brands’ stories through innovative, trendsetting digital content, influencer and brand partnerships, campaign ads and immersive videos.

Phil Young, Travelling While Black
TCO London / MightyMighty

Phil Young heads up Mighty-Mighty, the sports and events side of TCO and has spent his adult life immersed in outdoor culture. Having grown up as a skateboarder and snowboarder, Phil carved out a career as an event producer, marketer, television presenter and film director and is one of only a handful of black people to have built an important and visible role within the UK outdoor and action sports industry.

Kate Bray, When It Pays to Be Under the Influence

Influencer Strategist, VERB Interactive

VERB Influencer Strategist Kate Bray shows you how to vet requests for free rooms in exchange for Instagram posts, how to spot a fake and when it pays to partner with a really big deal.

Kate graduated from Dalhousie University’s Fountain School for Performing Arts with a Bachelor of Arts Honours in Theatre in 2014. She joined VERB Interactive in 2018. As an Influencer Manager, Kate works with all of VERB’s social media clients to implement influencer programs and make expert recommendations for new content partnerships. Ever the trendsetter, Kate stays ahead of the curve when it comes to the ever-evolving world of influencer marketing and makes sure our clients do, too. A writer and blogger in her own right, Kate shares her joie de vivre and travel stories at LoveKateBray.com. You can also find her on LinkedIn and Instagram.

Jonathan Plutzik, When Hotels Go to the Dogs: The Petsy at The Betsy

Jonathan Plutzik, owner of luxury hotel The Betsy on Miami Beach’s iconic Ocean Drive, explains how to beloved retrievers are helping the hotel stay connected with guests during lockdown.

Jonathan Plutzik and his wife Lesley Goldwasser own The Betsy-South Beach, a boutique luxury hotel located on Miami Beach’s iconic Ocean Drive with extraordinary on property cultural and community programming, including the Betsy Writers’ Room program that has welcomed more than 1000 artists in residence at the Betsy. He retired as a Vice-Chairman of Credit Suisse in 2002, after a 24-year financial services career. 

In 2017, The Betsy was included as one of only three hotels in the State of Florida on Condé Nast’s Gold List, named Travel and Leisure’s Top-Rated Resort Hotel on Miami Beach and recognized by Americans for the Arts as one of ten businesses in America doing pacesetting work building community in and through the arts. Jonathan is Chairman of Fannie Mae’s Board of Directors in Washington, DC, a founding board member of Planet Word, a new Museum in Washington, DC, dedicated to the written word, Vice Chairman of nationally celebrated poetry festival O, Miami and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Jonathan operates the hotel with his son Zachary, Betsy’s Managing Director.  All are ably assisted by the property’s two golden retrievers, Betsy and Rosa. Jonathan holds an MBA from Wharton School of Business and a Bachelor’s Degree from Brandeis University.

Kim Willis, How Covid transformed travel content marketing
Group Strategy Director – Travel, Cedar

Remember when sustainability was the biggest theme in travel? Drawing on Cedar’s work with BA, Mandarin Oriental and Eurostar, as well as Cedar’s original research, this webinar will share an insider perspective on how Covid has transformed travel content marketing in 2020, and how organisations can use content to support tourism, provide reassurance, and support sustainability as the world reopens.

Kim Willis is the Group Strategy Director at Cedar, the global content marketing agency with travel clients including British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Mandarin Oriental and Eurostar. As a journalist, she writes about travel and content trends for The Guardian, City AM and the Independent. Kim is also the founder of Heroine’s Journey, London’s only speaker series dedicated to extraordinary female-led stories.

Jodi DiSalle, Inspiring Fans and Followers with Content During Lockdown
Experience Kissimme

Experience Kissimmee’s VP of Marketing and Communications walks through the data-influenced content her team brought to life to engage and entertain their audiences while COVID-19 grounded travel plans and shuttered the area’s famed theme parks.

Jodi is the Vice President of Marketing and Communications with Experience Kissimmee, Florida and is passionate about empowering her team and partners to develop original creative campaigns and results-driven marketing tactics. In her role, Jodi works closely with a team of brand strategists, content marketers, social media strategists and media partners to create integrated work that ranges from a brand-driven chatbot named Mimi to an award-winning original mockumentary designed to showcase the. Jodi has a Bachelor of Education and a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing. Her previous credits include Director of Marketing and Public Relations for the Gaylord Palms Resort and Director of Big Ideas with Blue Water Communications. Under Jodi’s leadership Experience Kissimmee has won numerous marketing and communication awards including a GlobalTrend Gold Award for Content Marketing.

REGISTER HERE