http://www.aianta.org/news/article.shtml?article_id=1079650740005139
2004 Conference Set for Sept. 25-29, Green Bay, WI March 18, 2004 Green Bay, WI. More than 700 representatives from tribal nations throughout the United States and Canada are expected to attend the American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Conference here this fall. The event will be held at the Oneida Radisson Inn & Conference Center in Green Bay, WI, Sept. 25-29, 2004. It will be hosted by the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin. The sixth-annual conference is sponsored by the American Indian/Alaska Native Tourism Association (AIANTA), representing the 588 affiliated tribes in the United States. Native American Tourism of Wisconsin (NATOW), which includes all 11 Wisconsin tribes, is serving as the regional host for the event. "The conference provides participants a wonderful opportunity to learn and exchange information about tourism, " said Gloria Cobb, Lac du Flambeau, WI., who is the national chair of the conference. Through networking, problem solving and relevant educational sessions the Native American tourism industry continues to grow and succeed, Ms. Cobb added. The conference brings invitees from federal and state governmental agencies, the private sector and a number of international tour operators. In addition to expanding the Indian business opportunities in domestic and international tourism, the conference seeks to identify benefits available to tribal communities and expand the collective voice on Indian tourism issues; to promote networking among tribal communities to establish unity and understanding of the tourism industry; to create a network that includes Indian tribes and individual organizations as well as representatives from the regions, state, national and international tourism industry. Kirby Metoxen, representing the local host, says that the Oneida Nation is planning a special welcoming ceremony on Mon., Sept. 27. The conference will begin with informal sessions and tours on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 25 and 26. Special familiarization tours will be scheduled for Monday along with a conference golf outing at the Stockbridge/Munsee tribe's Pine Hills Golf Course at Gresham. The conference will begin on Tuesday with the opening ceremony and day-long sessions for Tuesday and Wednesday. A closing ceremony will be held on Wednesday evening. Officers of AIANTA include Leslie Kedelty, Navajo Nation Tourism Department, Window Rock, AZ, president; Billy Cypress, Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, vice president; Walter Jackson, Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians, Shoreleine, WA, secretary; Daphne Richards-Cook, Alliance of Tribal Tourism Advocates, Lower Brule, SD, treasurer, and Gloria Cobb, Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Council, Lac du Flambeau, WI, conference chair. Other board members are Camille Ferguson, Sitka Tribe of Alaska, Sitka, AK, and Tia Jones, Apache Gold Casino Resort, San Carlos, AZ. Alternates are Brian Vallo, Sky City Tourism, Acoma, NM; Lee Tiger, Lee Tiger & Associates, Davie, FL; Dave Tovey, Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians, North Bend, OR; Karen Paetz, United Technical College-Tribal Tourism, Bismarck, ND; Al Paulson, Marketplace Productions LLC, St. Paul, MN and Nels Lawson, South East Alaska Indian Cultural Center, Sitka, AK Besides Native American Tourism of Wisconsin, other sponsors already committed include the Wisconsin Department of Tourism, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Seminole Tribe of Florida, Time Warner Cable Advertising, the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin, Pepsi Cola and Image Keepers, Inc. For additional information on the conference contact Gloria Cobb at [EMAIL PROTECTED] or call 715-588-3324.
