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Jamaica to host TD Jakes Caribbean Leadership Conference

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Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett, says internationally acclaimed Bishop TD Jakes is looking at staging his flagship leadership conference in Jamaica next year.

The announcement was made at a special brunch, organized by Jamaica Vacations at Royalton Resort, for Bishop Jakes who docked in Trelawny with over 1800 guests as part of his Faith and Family Caribbean Cruise.

Thomas Dexter Jakes, more popularly known as TD Jakes, is a pastor, author and film maker. As pastor of the Potter’s House, Bishop TD Jakes’ conferences draw over 30,000 people.

“As Jamaica continues to diversify its product offerings to suit the passion points of our visitors, developing faith based tourism is high on our priority list. Many people travel for religious reasons.

I am therefore honoured that Bishop TD Jakes has indicated his interest to host his mega conference in Jamaica which will attract thousands locally and overseas,” said Minister Bartlett.

It is estimated by the World Tourism Organization, that 300 to 330 million people travel for religious purposes every year.

Bishop TD Jakes’ church services and evangelistic sermons are broadcast on The Potters Touch, which airs on lightsource.com, the Trinity Broadcast Network, Black Entertainment Television, the Daystar Television Network and the Word Network.

“We are excited about the possibilities of having some events in Jamaica that i think would be of interest not only to Jamaicans.

We are interested in leadership development, where business and faith can collaborate to create a more wholesome atmosphere,” said Bishop TD Jakes.

Minister Bartlett added that, “Jamaica will be the ideal location for this mega conference given the island’s Christian and religious culture.”

MEDIA CONTACT: Jamaica Ministry of Tourism, Corporate Communications, 64 Knutsford Boulevard, Kingston 5, Tel: 920-4926-30, Fax: 920-4944

IMEX America Association Leadership Forum to provide leadership skills training as boards face an unprecedented rate of change

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Future-proofing is among the topics explored at the Association Leadership Forum, a free half-day of education and networking at IMEX America, exclusively for association leaders and created by the American Society for Association Executives (ASAE).

According to ASAE, the world in which associations operate is changing fast, and organizations need to understand the external forces that could make or break their future success. Future-proofing is crucial and forms the backbone of major industry initiatives, including ASAE ForesightWorks, an evidence-based research initiative to create a culture of foresight among associations.

Taking place the day before the show on September 9, the Association Leadership Forum is designed to enhance leadership skills, address the current disruptive business environment, and ensure that associations are nimble enough to achieve results in a competitive landscape.

Participants will be inspired and challenged by visionaries and role models from a variety of professional and trade association backgrounds. Developed as an interactive format, the forum leverages strategic conversations and collaborative peer learning to help senior association members apply advanced leadership concepts. Participants will leave inspired, motivated, and ready to embrace change to drive their association forward.

Offerings to Drive Change

The Association Leadership Forum, which is followed by an Association Evening reception, will cover the following topics:

• Susan Robertson, CAE, Executive Vice President, ASAE President, ASAE Foundation will deliver the Chairman’s opening remarks: Focus on the future for associations, discussing the importance of developing a long-term view of the opportunities and threats on the horizon and using scanning and forecasting to anticipate members’ future needs and preferences. She will provide an overview of ASAE research on the leading drivers of change in the association industry.

• Hannes Combest, Chief Executive Officer, National Auctioneers Association will introduce ASAE’s foundation’s ForesightWorks initiative to reveal how foresight can help drive change in Drivers of change affecting the future of your association. Combest will also discuss how artificial intelligence, evolving workforce dynamics, and shifts in content delivery and consumption are altering the association environment.

• Technology and the future of work will explore how technological advances are disrupting the traditional definition of work and outline what to expect from the impact of flexible working schedules, outsourcing and the gig economy.

• Picking up on that theme, in The societal impact of work redefined, Lynda J Patterson, President and Owner, AMPED, will discuss the impact of growth in the freelance economy on organizational success. Attendees will take away an understanding of how working culture has developed over the years and what to expect in the future.

• Perhaps the critical question executive directors must ask themselves is: “How do you have the right conversation with your board about the future?” In The CEO perspective: Prime your board to probe the future, Shawn Boynes, FASAE, CAE, Executive Director, American Association of Anatomists will identify principles and practices to guide future-focused strategic conversations and decision making. Boynes will also offer tips to instill foresight as a discipline and cultural element and how to support a board’s effectiveness using research and tools from ASAE ForesightWorks.

• This year’s Panel Discussion, Using foresight and imagination to address leadership challenges, will address the trials and opportunities that come from engaging the boards of various organizations in conversations about how to face expected and unexpected challenges.

Making new connections at the Association Evening

Attendees can then network and celebrate the start of IMEX America at Association Evening. Association professionals can unwind with their peers, reconnect with old friends and forge new connections ahead of the show which runs September 10 – 12, 2019 at the Sands Expo and Convention Center at The Venetian® | The Palazzo® in Las Vegas, NV.

“Associations face challenges that are often vastly different from those of a typical business. Facing an unprecedented rate of change from factors such as changing workforce dynamics and advances in technology, association leaders must proactively embrace change. The ability to adapt and respond to these forces is critical to an association’s future,” says Carina Bauer, CEO of the IMEX Group. “Given the importance of associations to the meeting industry, and the importance of meetings to associations, we’re committed to offering the Association Leadership Forum as a way to examine and collaborate on some of these issues.”

The Association Leadership Forum takes place on Monday September 9. It is created by ASAE and sponsored by Meet Hawai’i.

IMEX America takes place September 10 – 12, 2019, with Smart Monday, powered by MPI on September 9. Registration for the show is free of charge and open to all who work in the meetings, events and incentive travel industry.

MEDIA CONTACTS: Emma Blake (UK): [email protected] ; Norman Birnbach (US): [email protected]      

IMEX exhibitors invited to make Sustainable Exhibiting Pledge

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IMEX in Frankfurt has invited exhibitors at this year’s show (21 -23 May) to make a Sustainable Exhibiting Pledge as it continues to increase its commitment to demonstrating and leading through best practice in sustainability.

Carina Bauer, CEO of the IMEX Group, said: “Our approach to sustainability is to lead by example, to encourage others to aim higher and to shine a spotlight on key industry campaigns. This year I’m inviting exhibitors to make a sustainable exhibiting pledge, to implement three simple green initiatives to help reduce their environmental impact at the show. A list of ideas on how to do this features in our IMEX in Frankfurt 2019 Sustainable Exhibiting Guide.”

In January the IMEX Group highlighted its commitment by making sustainability the third ‘pillar’ of this year’s IMEX Talking Point “Imagination.”

Carina Bauer explained: “We’re asking everyone in the global meetings industry to imagine a new beginning: to ask what if we all really committed to cutting down waste?

“We’ve continued to improve our own sustainability performance at both of our shows each year and we’re proud to say that our Frankfurt show is now 100 per cent hydro-powered. Thanks to our waste donation program plus the responsible recycling systems at Messe Frankfurt, we now send zero waste to landfill. This is virtually unheard of in the exhibition business!

“Our work to reduce and recycle more waste generated by both exhibitors and visitors is explained in our first ever IMEX in Frankfurt sustainability report which joins our annual IMEX America sustainability report.”

In line with its determination to lead the industry forward, IMEX was a launch partner when the Events Industry Council introduced its Principles of Sustainable Events in January after hosting two forums at IMEX in Frankfurt and IMEX America in 2018 when these principles were formulated.

A further element of its commitment to leading the industry, the IMEX team believes in sharing what it knows and has learned through experience. At IMEX in Frankfurt, learning about sustainability will feature prominently throughout the show. Starting on EduMonday, 20 May, there will be more than 20 opportunities to learn about sustainability among the 250 plus sessions in the extensive education program at the Inspiration Hub. What’s more, the first ever Sustainability Policy Round table, supported by Edmonton, will bring together industry leaders and experts to share insights at the InterContinental Frankfurt on 21 May.

Furthermore, in partnership with the Events Industry Council (EIC), IMEX will salute an organization making a significant commitment to reducing its environmental impact by announcing the winner of the IMEX-EIC Innovation in Sustainability Award at the IMEX Gala Dinner on 22 May.

Carina Bauer, CEO of the IMEX Group, says: “At both shows we continue to work closely with our partners including Meet Green, EIC, The Venetian®| The Palazzo® and the Sands Expo®, Messe Frankfurt and GES. We are wholeheartedly committed to providing education, inspiration and leadership on sustainability issues. The business events industry still has a long way to go before thinking green is the first thought, not the last.”

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Seychelles Minister for Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine visits Shannon College graduates

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The Minister for Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine, Minister Didier Dogley accompanied by the Principal Secretary for Tourism, Anne Lafortune and the Director for Tourism Human Resource Development, Diana Quatre visited graduates of Shannon College at their current place of employment as part of a mentoring initiative, following a resolution at the last committee meeting held in December 2018.

The visit was conducted at four different hotels, namely the Four Seasons Resort Seychelles, Kempinski Seychelles Resort, AVANI Seychelles Barbarons Resort & Spa and the Constance Ephelia Seychelles on Monday 15th April 2019.

The purpose of the visit was to meet with graduates of Shannon College who are working in the hotels of Seychelles and establish a communication channel between the graduates and the Ministry.

The first hotel to be visited was the Four Seasons Resort Seychelles employing the largest cohort, comprising of 7 Shannon graduates. This was followed by Kempinski Seychelles Resort & Spa with two graduates, Avani Seychelles Barbarons Resort & Spa with one graduate and the Constance Ephelia Seychelles with 3 Shannon graduates.

During the visit, graduates were given the opportunity to express their views, in the presence of their hotel managers. The main point of discussion was centred on the minimum salary and career progression within the hospitality industry. Overall the graduates in the four hotels were satisfied with their working condition and the opportunity offered to develop their career further.

Minister Dogley stated that “The visits of the Shannon graduates in their workplace and the meetings held with their General Managers provided an excellent opportunity for me to learn about the progress they have made as professionals in the hospitality industry.  Most of them had clear career paths and personal development programs.

It was a real pleasure and an eye opener to discover that the majority of them are already working as managers in some of our top brand hotels.  This in itself shows that the vision government had for more well-trained and highly skilled Seychellois to take leadership roles in our hospitality industry is becoming a reality.”

 

The Ministerial delegation will also be visiting graduates from the other tourism establishments in order to provide similar opportunities for interaction. These visits are in line with the goal of the Ministry to ensure that the tourism sector is equipped with qualified individuals and shall endeavour to continue to assist graduates in achieving their dreams of progression to senior positions within the hotel industry.

 

To date, there are 74 Shannon College graduates who have gone through this programme.

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eTN becomes a SUNx SDG 17 Partner calling for Climate Sanity in Tourism on Earth Day

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In nature, nothing exists alone is the message for Earth Day 2019. Announcing the public launch of its “SDG17 Partners Program” on Earth Day 2019, Professor Geoffrey Lipman co-founder SUNx, calls and president of the International Coalition of Tourism Partners (ICTP) asks the Travel & Tourism sector to join its “Plan For Our Kids” and take the “Climate Sanity” Pledge.

Professor Lipman, former Executive Director at IATA, President of WTTC and Assistant Secretary-General UNWTO, said:

“I’m confident that Travel & Tourism will play a leadership role in the global shift to a New Climate Economy: we just need a pathway for change and that lies in our faith in the next generation”

SUNx a legacy for Planetary Champion Maurice Strong has created a “Plan For Our Kids”, aiming to recruit 100,000 STRONG Climate Champions to advance its vision of a no Carbon 2050 sector totally compliant with the evolving goals of the Paris Accords.

He added “During the past year we have seen a welcome intensification of the pressures for a new commitment to Climate Sanity, which stops discussing whether climate change is existential and just gets on with solutions. That’s the common message from Greta Thunberg’s Friday’s for Futures and AOC’s Green New Deal: it’s the message from Earth Scientists and Nobel Economists: it’s the plea from Sir David Attenborough.

”Lipman concluded “SDG 17 Partners will share our long-term vision on the fact that Climate Change is eXistential and that we have to act NOW, as if this Earth Day is the first day of the rest of our lives. We all have different starting positions, based on our separate realities: but we have a shared goal of meeting the Paris Agenda and together taking a “No Carbon 2050 moonshot”. We can deliver Climate Friendly Travel ~ measured plans: green growth: 2050 no carbon proof “

Juergen Steinmetz president of the eTN Corporation said “We are proud to become a SUNx SDG 17 Partner and provide preferential support for this great cause. As long as I have known Geoffrey Lipman, he has been drumming home the message that Climate Change is eXistential and that if we don’t fix it now, it will fix us. We are in, and will use all our links, like ICTP and the African Tourism Board to support Climate Friendly Travel. going forward”.

For more on SUNx and its SDG 17 Partnership Program please contact: go to www.thesunprogram.com

What is Earth Day?

The first Earth Day on April 22, 1970, activated 20 million Americans from all walks of life and is widely credited with launching the modern environmental movement. The passage of the landmark Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act and many other groundbreaking environmental laws soon followed. Twenty years later, Earth Day went global, mobilizing 200 million people in more than 190 countries and lifting environmental issues onto the world stage.

On April 22, 1970, millions of people took to the streets to protest the negative impacts of 150 years of industrial development.

In the U.S. and around the world, smog was becoming deadly and evidence was growing that pollution led to developmental delays in children. Biodiversity was in decline as a result of the heavy use of pesticides and other pollutants.

The global ecological awareness was growing, and the US Congress and President Nixon responded quickly. In July of the same year, they created the Environmental Protection Agency, and robust environmental laws such as the Clean Water Act and the Endangered Species Act, among many.

One billion people

Earth Day is now a global event each year, and more than 1 billion people in 192 countries now take part in what is the largest civic-focused day of action in the world.

It is a day of political action and civic participation. People march, sign petitions, meet with their elected officials, plant trees, clean up their towns and roads. Corporations and governments use it to make pledges and announce sustainability measures. Faith leaders, including Pope Francis, connect Earth Day with protecting God’s greatest creations, humans, biodiversity and the planet that we all live on.

Earth Day Network, the organization that leads Earth Day worldwide, has chosen as the theme for 2018 to End Plastic Pollution, including creating support for a global effort to eliminate primarily single-use plastics along with global regulation for the disposal of plastics.  EDN is educating millions of people about the health and other risks associated with the use and disposal of plastics, including pollution of our oceans, water, and wildlife, and about the growing body of evidence that plastic waste is creating serious global problems.

From poisoning and injuring marine life to the ubiquitous presence of plastics in our food to disrupting human hormones and causing major life-threatening diseases and early puberty, the exponential growth of plastics is threatening our planet’s survival.

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