Terry Dale, newly named president of U.S. Tour Operators Association (USTOA), will serve as one of the opening keynote speakers at the Home Base Travel Agent Form on Monday, May 2, at the Venetian Resort Hotel Casino in Las Vegas. Dale, who has served for the last seven years as president and CEO of the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), will be leaving that post in January to become president of USTOA, relocating from Fort Lauderdale to New York City.

Dale’s appointment by the USTOA board of directors came after an extensive search following the death last May of Bob Whitley, who had held the top job at USTOA since 1978. Dale, who was a keynote speaker at the Home Based Travel Agent Forum in Miami on October, will focus his Las Vegas remarks on further bridging marketing strategies for the tour and cruise industries, as well as between the current crop of millennial consumers and the aging baby boomers. He will also scrutinize the challenges and opportunities currently facing the tour operator community. Prior to joining CLIA in 2003, Dale was executive vice president of NYC & Company in New York for five years, following a long stint as head of the Greater Providence Convention & Visitors Bureau in Rhode Island.

Other keynote speakers already scheduled for the three-day forum in Las Vegas May 2-4, include Chris Austin, vice president of global marketing for Starwood Hotels; Gary Sadler, senior vice president of sales for Sandals & Beaches Resorts; and Mike Leven, president and CEO of The Sands Corp., which includes the host Venetian Resort Hotel Casino.

The education-packed conference program also will offer more than two dozen timely seminars and panels, accredited training by CLIA, NCMA and the Outside Sales Support Network (OSSN), as well as sponsored evening receptions and daytime meal functions. Suppliers interested in applying for a booth or getting more information on sponsorships should contact Jim Cloonan at 617-337-5132 or emailing Jim@TravelSMG.com.

U.S. & Canadian travel agents, both home-based and brick-and-mortar, can sign up for the $50 early bird registration rate until Dec. 31, after which the rate rises to $80. They can also sign up for the $99 per night suite rate at the Venetian Hotel, a room block which is rapidly selling out. Agents can sign up for both the forum and the hotel by visiting the show website at www.lvtravelshow.com.