Featuring: 

Adam Sacks is president of Tourism Economics, an Oxford Economics company dedicated to analytically-based consulting to the tourism sector.

For more than two decades, Adam has worked with destinations, industry associations and companies around the world in the areas of opportunity and risk assessments, policy analysis and economic impact.

Adam’s work has provided the foundation for billions of dollars in capital investment decisions by hotel companies, developers and investors. Destination marketing organizations around the world rely on Tourism Economics data and scenario models to inform global marketing investment allocations.

Adam also supports trade associations in the aviation, hotel and broader travel arena with forecasts widely considered to be an industry standard. And by examining the economic merits of travel facilitation, taxation and tourism promotion initiatives, Adam’s work has influenced critical government policies. He is an authority on measuring the economic impact of visitor activity and has analyzed the impacts of cruising, gaming, timeshare, hotels, new attractions and destination marketing.

Adam regularly presents to corporate strategic planning teams on the threats and opportunities facing their businesses and is a member of the U.S. Department of Commerce, Travel & Tourism Advisory Board.

Awards: 
This year’s memorial and leadership awards will be presented to:

	Thad Eure Jr. Memorial Award:  J. Cole is an internationally-known, Grammy-winning artist and music producer who founded his own record label, Dreamville, in 2007. He is responsible for bringing the Dreamville Festival to Raleigh’s Dorothea Dix Park, as its first signature annual event.
	John B. Ross Jr. Leadership Award:  Cheetie Kumar is owner and chef at Garland, downtown Raleigh’s award-winning Pan-Asian restaurant, while still taking center stage as guitarist in her band, Birds of Avalon. She is a six-time James Beard Awards semifinalist and was a finalist for Best Chef: Southeast in 2020 and 2022.

Breakfast: 
A light breakfast including fruits, pastries and breakfast burritos will be available, beginning at 9am in the lobby of A.J. Fletcher Opera Theater. Please plan to arrive then to enjoy the meal as well as to catch up with your hospitality colleagues from around the county. 

Tickets: 
$40 each

Register and pay online by Thurs., Aug. 11, 2022, or call 919.645.2662.

Support for a cause:
Again this year, GRCVB will provide support to a worthy Wake County nonprofit organization. This year, $5 from each ticket will be designated for The 200 Club of Wake County, which supports local first responders and their families. The donation will be made in memory of Dave Olsen, former general manager of PNC Arena, who passed away in early 2022.

Event sponsors:

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^{J. Cole photo by Garrett Poulos}