Maria Sheetz is Senior Director of Media Solutions at Amadeus Hospitality, supporting DMOs and state tourism offices in the U.S. and Canada with research data and digital marketing solutions. Previously, she was Senior Director of Partner Development at Brand USA, managing partnerships to drive inbound international travel. Maria also held leadership roles at Choice Hotels International, bringing extensive experience in tourism and hospitality marketing.
Brian Applegarth is the founder of the Cannabis Travel Association and Applegarth Strategies, a marketing consultancy focused on cannabis tourism. His expertise engages cannabis travelers to drive growth and ROI, earning recognition from the US Travel ESTO Awards, Visit California Poppy Awards, Clio Awards, and IAFE Awards. Brian is the sole advisor on the first US research into the cannabis travel audience and leads the Cannabis & Hemp work groups for Destinations International and the California Travel Association.
Gathan D. Borden is a seasoned tourism marketer with over 18 years of experience helping destinations tell their stories through data, creativity, and strategy. As Client Relationships & Insights Manager at Tourism Economics, he works with destination organizations across North America to synthesize data and translate insights into action. A thought leader in travel, marketing, and economic development, Gathan has led award-winning campaigns, served on industry boards, and regularly speaks at national conferences.
Amelia Lincoln has a background in destination marketing & event management, including six years with the Catalina Island Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau (Love Catalina). She holds a master’s degree in Tourism Marketing from the University of Surrey. A native of CT, she currently resides in Arizona, where she enjoys spending time with her family outdoors & traveling.
Alexea joined Visit COS in February 2020 after spending five years at a public relations agency. She oversees internal and external communications, including media and influencer relationships, crisis communications, social media strategy and editorial content. An innovator and breaker of the status quo, Alexea was awarded a Colorado Inno "Inno on Fire" award in 2019 for her work on several Colorado-based PR campaigns. When she’s not coordinating media visits and building out content calendars, you can find her hitting the hiking trails or grabbing a bite at her favorite local restaurants.
Evan Saunders founded the Tourism and Hospitality division of Azira in 2018. Azira delivers actionable insights on consumer behavior at a global scale, empowering Marketing and Operational Leaders to confidently reach, understand, market to, and measure highly targeted audiences, with over 400 destinations leveraging the company's solutions. Azira has partnered with Zartico since the company's inception. Prior to Azira, Evan founded Attract China, a tourism marketing company focused on Chinese travelers coming to America, and ran it as CEO over a four-year period, servicing 250 clients, speaking at over 30 conferences worldwide, and winning multiple industry-leading awards, including HSMAI’s Top 25 Most Extraordinary Minds. An avid traveler and club sandwich enthusiast, Evan documents his adventures on his blog, ClubSandwichReviews.com.
