Webinar: Connect THRIVE Summit Day 1: Afternoon Sessions by Connect Travel

About This Webinar

The rest of today features:

1:15 – 2:15 pm: DJ Doran Podcast

2:15 – 2:55 pm: LGBTQ Tourism & Hospitality in the Age of COVID: Research Key Findings, Thomas Roth, CMI

2:55 – 3:15 pm: Orbitz’s Journey to Make Travel More Inclusive, Michael Scheinman, Orbitz and CheapTickets

**3:15 – 3:45 pm: Break - Grab a drink and snack and then come back to join us for today's last session**

3:45 – 5:00 pm: The Daily Best with David Downing, United Landmark Associates

Joel Silver

DJ Doran

CEO, Doran Omnimedia and Aequalitas Media

Mr. Doran currently serves as the CEO of Doran Omnimedia and Aequalitas Media. He also serves as the Executive Director of the AEQUALITAS Advisory Board. Mr. Doran’s background and experience include a 23-year military career as a United States Air Force Reserve Pilot; and a business career that spans over 25 years as owner and CEO of multiple corporations across various media companies. Mr. Doran has held key leadership roles throughout his career in LGBTQ Media and his management and leadership qualities as CEO have given Mr. Doran a unique ability to evaluate opportunities and successfully negotiate agreements that support the mission statement of the company, board of directors and investors. Such experience and insight have allowed Mr. Doran to work with his team toward the profitable acquisition of media assets ahead of the competition.

Mr. Doran continues to be actively involved with the local/national LGBTQ community as well as an ambassador to the business and political leaders of Chicago and beyond.

Thomas Roth

President and Founder, Community Marketing & Insights

Thomas Roth, President and Founder of Community Marketing & Insights, launched the company in 1992. Tom is primarily dedicating his industry-leading expertise to head up Community Marketing’s Research & Development division. Tom and his team produce the annual LGBTQ Community Survey (45,000 participants in 150 countries; 14th year), and the annual LGBTQ Tourism & Hospitality Survey (24th year), as well as custom surveys and focus groups for a variety of market leaders in tourism, hospitality, retail, finance, beverages, real estate, insurance, health care, government, etc., and conducts educational training seminars for corporations and organizations.

Tom earned his MBA at Maharishi International University in 1985. He is a long-time instructor of the Transcendental Meditation program, and volunteers teaching meditation to people living with HIV.

David Paisley

Senior Research Director, Community Marketing & Insights

David Paisley is the Senior Research Director with Community Marketing & Insights (CMI). He has been with CMI for 25 years. With decades of experience, organizations utilize his expertise that comes from coordinating over 200 LGBTQ-specific research initiatives. His research clients include many industries but David has a tourism specialty and has coordinated the LGBTQ research for over 30 destinations and tourism offices around the World. Other clients include companies like Wells Fargo, Target, Absolut, AT&T, the United States Census Bureau and AARP.

Michael Scheinman

General Manager of the Orbitz and CheapTickets brands for Expedia Group

Michael Scheinman is general manager of the Orbitz and CheapTickets brands for Expedia Group. Orbitz’s vision is to be the champion of inclusion and diversity in travel, and in July 2020, it launched the Travel With Pride initiative to support the LGBTQIA travel community. Prior to leading Orbitz and CheapTickets, Michael has spent over 10 years at Expedia Group and served in a variety of roles across hotel partner relations, product management, operations, and e-commerce strategy. He has an undergraduate degree in Hotel Administration from Cornell University, and an MBA from University of Chicago Booth School of Business, where he focused in revenue management and corporate strategy, respectively.

David Downing

President of Brand, United Landmark Associates

David Downing CDME is the President of Brand for United Landmark Associates, a Tampa Bay-based full-service advertising, branding and marketing agency specializing in hospitality development and luxury lifestyle brands. Downing’s previous experience includes 10 years in NYC with Random House/Fodor’s and Zagat Survey, followed by 12 years at Visit St. Pete Clearwater, including the last five as President & CEO.
A former member of the board of directors of both the U.S. Travel Association and Visit Florida, among others, Downing was named one of the Top 25 Extraordinary Marketing Minds in 2019 by Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International.

His advice for marketing during a pandemic is three fold: 1) don’t give your brand coronavirus; 2) stop showing grown adults what 6 feet looks like; and 3) keep the faith.