Off-the-Beaten Path Incentives: Exploring Emerging Destinations

Mark is an accomplished tourism sales and marketing professional whose career spans the industry from DMC to DMO. An active member of SITE, he is well-versed in the global incentive market and Canada’s incentive travel infrastructure and value proposition.  Having sat on industry advisory councils for several years, Mark is a published author, an industry advocate, and volunteers time to present at neighbouring universities on the value of DMOs, NTOs, and the Business Events market.

Benoit is the Vice President of Global Sales at Global DMC Partners, the largest worldwide network of independent destination management companies (DMCs) and specialized event service providers. Leveraging its exclusive partnerships, GDP provides a one-stop, global solution for total event success in more than 500 destinations worldwide. Prior to joining Global DMC Partners, Benoit was Director of Sales, North America for a European Destination Management Company where he worked on different markets including the USA, Latin America, and Europe. Although he hails from France, throughout his years in the travel industry Benoit has lived in Paris, London, New York and now calls Boston home.

An event industry professional for over 20 years, Kristal currently leads an extraordinarily talented team that primarily focuses on global sales incentive events for Liberty Mutual Insurance. Kristal earned her master’s in education from the Temple University’s School of Hospitality Management and spent the early portion of her career managing higher education events for Temple and then the University of Rhode Island. She then transitioned to corporate events in the financial and insurance sector and has been focused on incentive programs for the last ten years. Kristal currently sits on the research committee for the Incentive Research Foundation. Her passion is creating the ‘moments that matter’ in events that are beyond the tangible and leave the attendee with a lasting impression, drive brand loyalty and ensure ROI. Kristal resides in Boston but spends much of her time in Rhode Island with her family.