‘HAPPY TRAILS’ Annnual Meeting Sept. 21 in Huntsville

The 2017 Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association Annual Meeting will be held on Thursday, Sept. 21 in the new Grand Hall at the Huntsville Botanical Garden.
Registration fee for the annual meeting is $75 per person and includes and all events the day of the annual meeting. Registration deadline is Friday, Sept. 8, 2017.
“The theme for this year’s conference is ‘Happy Trails’ which will provide us with the opportunity to showcase the vast array of themed-trails we’ve developed to market the destinations across North Alabama,” said Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association (AMLA) President/CEO Tami Reist.
“I encourage all of the region’s tourism professionals to attend the conference. It will be the perfect time to network with your fellow professionals, receive a comprehensive recap of the year, expand their tourism knowledge with an excellent line-up of speakers, and gain insight into what the future holds as we move closed to Alabama’s bicentennial year,” she said.
The Hilton Garden Inn Huntsville/Space Center has reserved a special block of rooms at a discounted conference rate of $129 per night for the event. Call 256-430-1778 by Aug. 31 to reserve your room.

SEMINARS/SPEAKERS
An exciting group of speakers and seminars will be held at the 2017 Annual Meeting. The day’s events will begin at 9 a.m. with welcoming messages from AMLA Chair Thereasa Hulgan, Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle, and Huntsville-Madison County Convention & Visitors Bureau President/CEO Judy Ryals.
Session 1 of the day will be lead by Steve Chandler, owner and Brand Strategist at Chandlerthinks, a place marketing and digital strategy company. Topic for the session will be ““Using a Destination Brand to Create Connectivity.”
Chandler is a career marketing man with almost two decades of experience in strategic planning and brand development for local, regional and national brands. His experience emphasis is connected to the hospitality industries and place marketing.
Prior to starting Chandlerthinks, he enjoyed stints at a few of the southern U.S. premiere advertising agencies such as hospitality-focused BOHAN Advertising, and international branding agency BBDO. His “digital make-over” occurred in the role of Director of Business Development for Paramore Online Marketing.
Chandler extends his professional passion outside of the office by serving as the professor on “Destination Branding” for the Southeast Tourism Society’s Marketing College. He is also a recent past board member for the Nashville American Marketing Association and past board member and past-President for the American Advertising Federation – Nashville.
Session 2 features John Croyle with a topic of “Trail To Home.” Croyle was a defensive end for the University of Alabama’s 1973 National Championship football team, playing for the legendary Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant. At 19, he felt he had been given a gift to work with young people. His dream was to have the best children’s home in America. On the advice of Coach Bryant, Croyle declined opportunities for professional football to pursue his dream of helping children in need. Since 1974, nearly 2,000 children have called Big Oak Ranch home.
In addition to his work on-site at the Ranch, Croyle speaks across the nation. Audiences range from corporate, motivational events to Christian based organizations. Having learned a lifetime of lessons helping raise nearly 2,000 children, his vision is to help people everywhere be better parents.
Session 3 will be headed by Sean Miller speaking on “Adventures of A Lifetime.” Miller is the owner of Miller Fitness. With over 16 years experience in individual and team training, Sean Miller brings his insight and knowledge to North Alabama. Through this presentation series, you will be taken on the adventure of your life! Defining your journey and sharing his, Miller will ignite your energy to improve your overall lifestyle with his captivating insight. Engage with Miller as you learn the essential “how-to’s” of working within your community to promote a life rich in health, happiness, and longevity.
Following a brief break Jay Lamar, executive director of the Alabama Bicentennial Commission, will provide an update of progams and events planned for the state’s 200th birthday celebration. Appointed in early 2014, Lamar previously worked at Auburn University, most recently as the director of Special Programs for the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Studies and managing editor of Auburn Speaks, an annual publication of the Vice President for Research.
The 2017 PEAK Awards Luncheon will begin at noon with Joseph Dabbs,
Director of Digital Agency and Tourism, serving as emcee. The event will also include the presentation of the 2018 Southeast Tourism Society Tourism College scholarships.
Special entertainment during the luncheon will be provided by the Briana & Garrett Dean. Dean is a husband/wife duo out of Athens. Both have been involved in music from an early age and their musical paths brought them together. Dean offers a variety of music from country to classic rock to several songs written by both from their current album self titled “Dean” they released last year. They pride themselves in a fun, family friendly, energetic show with an emphasis on musicianship, professionalism, and harmony. Briana was a writer and artist for Warner Chapell in Nashville,Tenn. from 2006-2008. The husband and wife duo have shared the stage with Sammy Kershaw, Richie McDonald, Colin Ray, John Anderson, STARSHIP, and Buddy Jewell. They have headlined festivals in Alabama. They love music and love the opportunity to share it with others.
The AMLA Board Meeting at 3 p.m. will include the presentation of the 2017 Program of Work and Budget. Special Guest will be Kevin Bate, of the web development company Simpleview, who will be creating a new website for AMLA in 2018.
Bate, Senior Director of Business Development at Simpleview. was a brand manager in the world of collectible sports cards at Upper Deck before joining the company. As our most senior employee in business development, he has a wealth of experience helping DMOs translate needs and challenges into products and services.

Download the Annual Meeting Registration Form.