Dear TTMA Members, Supporters, and Friends,

 

I have been a TTMA member for many years and am now very honored to serve as the new TTMA President.   I humbly follow in the footsteps of Sarah McCann and Carlos Montenegro who led TTMA through the challenges of the pandemic and on the road to recovery demonstrating how strong, vibrant, and resilient TTMA is.

 

One of the many lessons learned from the pandemic is that in-person events provide greater opportunities for deeper engagement, networking, and interaction, making them business-critical. TTMA’s goal is to enhance the effectiveness and knowledge of professionals working in all sectors of the Southern California travel, tourism, and hospitality industry by organizing events that educate, inform, and inspire. TTMA provides a community network serving as a forum for the exchange of ideas and development of life-long contacts and friendships.

 

2023 was a year of recovery with TTMA leading the charge providing events covering a wide range of topics and speakers starting with Adam Burke, CEO and President of LA Tourism, who set the stage for the upcoming year. Other topics included a concierge panel sharing experiences and discussing how to work with them, a LAX status report, an update on the LA restaurant industry, and the return of Asia travel. Our highly successful AKM awards lunch honored the Petersen Auto Museum as the landmark recipient and Javier Cano, the first hotelier TTMA has honored. We ended 2023 with a fun holiday party at the Godfrey Hotel in Hollywood.

 

It is now my privilege to work with our incredible board of directors and our amazing executive director Natacha (aka Tacha) Vilson whose enthusiasm and dedication to TTMA has energized all of us. We have an exciting calendar of events planned for 2024 at new and familiar venues. As you all know, membership is a huge component of our success. Thank you to all our members who supported TTMA in the past few years and to our new members. TTMA is strong and vibrant because of you.

 

Wendy Kheel

2024 President, TTMA – Travel & Tourism Marketing Association, Inc.