Member Luncheon: Cruise Control: Economic Engine for Tourism
Date and Time
Wednesday Jul 5, 2017
11:30 AM - 1:00 PM PDT
Wednesday, July 5 2017
11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.
Location
Twin Lakes Golf & Country Club
3583 SW 320th Street
Federal Way, WA 98023
Fees/Admission
$25 Early Bird Discount to June 29
$30 Registration, June 30 to July 4
$35 At the Door Registration, July 5
$45 Non-Member
Description
The Cruise Industry at the Port of Seattle is a powerful economic engine for the pacific northwest, creating 4029 jobs and annual business revenue of $501 million in 2017.
Learn about the impact this industry in our region with keynote speakers from the Port of Seattle: Commissioner John Creighton; Marie Ellingson, Cruise Services Manager; and Ron Peck, Tourism Development Director. John Creighton: Commissioner Creighton has developed significant expertise in regional transportation and economic policy since becoming a commissioner, and in 2006 he was appointed by Governor Gregoire to the State Freight Mobility Strategic Investment Board. Since 2010, he has served on the advisory board of Visit Seattle. He has been active in the community as an attorney, past co-president of the Seattle World Trade Club and member of the boards of the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle’s Pathways Initiative, US-Japan Leadership Program and Chief Seattle Council. Creighton grew up on the Eastside of King County and is a graduate of Interlake High School in Bellevue.
Marie Ellingson: Joined the Port in 2005 and currently serves as the manager of cruise services and business development. She spent her early career working on board ships as purser with a small expedition cruise line. She then worked as a ship agent on the West Coast and Seattle. The ship agent serves as the cruise line’s local representative and is responsible for meets all the needs of the captain and the vessels in port, as well as coordination with the cruise terminal operator and the local port. These positions provided Marie first-hand knowledge of what it takes for cruise lines and their vessels to operate successfully. Her experience has been valuable and key to helping the Port of Seattle grow the cruise industry to the 1 million passenger mark in 2017.
Ron Peck: A native Washingtonian, Ron was raised in the Green River Valley. He has a substantial and diverse travel and tourism background, spanning 40 years. His career began as a reservations and customer service agent for Alaska Airlines in Juneau Alaska in 1977. He served in a variety of sales and marketing capacities in Alaska and Seattle, climbing the ranks to eventually become Director of marketing for Alaska, Russia and Canada. In 1996 he went to work as Director of sales and marketing for Princess Tours and Lodges, then Director of sales and marketing for Alyeska Hotel and Ski Resort. In 2002 he became President and COO of the Alaska Travel Industry Association. For over 10.5 years he successfully led the organization through periods of challenge, recovery and growth. He was responsible for a statewide tourism marketing budget that reached $16 million. While President, he spent four years serving on the US Travel Association Board of Directors, was co-chair of the tourism sector of the Taiwan Alaska Trade Investment Corporation Council, served as a board member of the Alaska Medallion Air Safety Foundation and a member of the National Parks Conservation Association, Alaska Region. He presently serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the Washington Tourism Alliance.
Ron and his wife Jane are enjoying living, working and recreating back in Seattle.