CINCINNATI, OH – OCT. 10, 2016 – The Cincinnati USA Convention & Visitors Bureau’s multicultural platform, Vibe Cincinnati, will host the 2016 Multicultural Travel and Tourism Forum on Thursday, Oct. 13.

The Multicultural Travel and Tourism Forum will focus on building a better understanding of how to improve recruitment, marketing and understanding of multicultural audiences within travel, tourism and other hospitality-oriented businesses.

“This is a great opportunity for businesses in our industry to better understand ways to improve their bottom line by creating a welcoming multicultural environment,” said Dan Lincoln, president and CEO of the Cincinnati USA Convention & Visitors Bureau. “The hospitality industry needs to create more diversity in our workforce, suppliers and customer base.”

The Forum lasts all day and will feature five discussion groups:
• The Power of Multicultural Travel and Tourism
• Economic Impact on Diverse Segments/Supplier Diversity
• LGBTQ Engagement Framework
• Diverse Talent for the Hospitality Sector
• Media Messaging for Multicultural Travel and Tourism
 
The forum will include national, regional and local experts who will lead panel discussions. Much of the focus will be how companies and institutions have been successful. They will also ask attendees to participate in creating new initiatives that are impactful for the industry.

The panelists include:
• Thomas Roth, president of Community Marketing and Insights
• Solomon Herbert, editor and chief, Black Meetings and Tourism Magazine
• Barbara Hauser, Ohio community relations, Procter & Gamble
• Matt Skallerud, president of Pink Banana Media
• Alexis Terry, senior director of diversity & inclusion, American Society of Association Executives
• Apoorva Gandhi, vice president multicultural affairs, Marriott International Inc.
• Jason Riveiro, CMO, National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals
• Julian Rodgers, CEO, JRodg Productions
• Iris Roley, owner, RhoSho Awards & Graphics, LLC
 
“The knowledge that our national and local panelists bring is immense,” said Jason Dunn, vice president of Multicultural and Community Development for the CVB. “Cincinnati USA has made such a huge step with the launch of Vibe, and I believe the learnings from this forum will really push our community forward.”

Each panel will be moderated by a member of the Cincinnati media.

To learn more about the event, visit www.CincyUSA.com/VIBE/forum.

ABOUT CINCINNATI USA CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU
The Cincinnati USA Convention & Visitors Bureau is an aggressive sales, marketing and service organization whose primary responsibility is to positively impact Hamilton County's and the City of Cincinnati's economy through convention, trade show and visitor expenditures. The travel and tourism industry traditionally has been a $4.4 billion industry in Cincinnati USA, employing 74,000 people in a variety of fields and bringing 24.1 million visitors to the region annually. Visit www.cincyusa.com for more.

ABOUT VIBE
Vibe Cincinnati is a way for the region to amplify the voice of our region's culture, to showcase our robust collection of multicultural experiences. Through art, entertainment, and immersive experiences, Vibe Cincinnati aims to create a welcoming and inclusive environment to diverse audiences, engaging our city's core and our region's visitors.