Meet two of our superstar speakers—and watch for more updates on our speaker’s page. There’s really a lot of talent and expertise in our lineup. Start here:
Eric Lipp is the founder and executive director of the Open Doors Organization (ODO), which commissioned groundbreaking research on accessible travel identifying the untapped market at 17.3 billion dollars in 2015. He started ODO after personally experiencing the restrictions that people with disabilities face in everyday life. (Eric was diagnosed with Von Hippel Lindau disease at age 30, which resulted in a tumor growth on his spinal cord, ultimately limiting his mobility.) In 2014, Open Doors launched Open Taxis, a centralized taxi dispatch for wheelchair accessible vehicles in Chicago with over 350 vehicles. Passengers can either call Open Taxis for service or use its smartphone app that includes key features such as estimated wait time and an estimated fare quote.
Marc Garcia is president and CEO of Visit Mesa. Under Marc’s leadership Visit Mesa has become the country’s first-ever destination marketing organization designated as a Certified Autism Center by the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES). As a parent of a child on the autism spectrum, Marc has raised the bar in the city of Mesa by requesting partner businesses in the hospitality community follow their lead to undergo autism training. Guest-facing staff at Mesa businesses are actively being approached and will complete autism sensitivity and awareness training within the next six months. Prior to joining Visit Mesa, Marc was vice president of Visitor Marketing & Community Development for the Greater Phoenix Visitors & Convention Bureau.
photo of Suzanne Boda courtesy American Airlines PR; photo of Marc Garcia courtesy IP Photography
You can find out more about all of the speakers on our site, here.
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