Over the years Gilbert has developed winning strategies for numerous organizations including Choice Hotels International, Walt Disney Travel Company, Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, SuperClubs, Xanterra, Best Western International, Yosemite and Shenandoah National Parks, Tourism Cares, Disneyland, HelmsBriscoe, ClickSqured (now Epsilon, Alabama Division of Tourism, Exotics Racing of Las Vegas, National Park Express, Bandwango and many more.

Bob has won 15 HSMAI Adrian marketing awards, ASTA supplier of the year, listed in the “Top 25 most influential travel industry executives”. He speaks multiple languages and has lived and worked internationally. His ‘pioneering’ thinking helped create the first booking engine in the lodging industry to offer real-time consumer access to a central reservation system and the first online group booking system. Bob also created Pow Wow Europe.

He is well connected and highly credentialed and has taken an active travel industry leadership role. He served on the NTA Board, Russian Heritage Highway committee, was elected as a Commissioner for Visit California, NAJ Advisory Board, Marketing Chair for National Parks Promotion Council, and was an official delegate to the China – USA Tourism Year launch in Beijing, plus multiple years as a Board Director for US Travel Association.

SKILLS

• Innovative and Creative Thinking
• Strategy
• Marketing Asset Management
• Integrated Marketing – Social/Digital
• Destination Management
• Partnerships & Sponsorships
• Business Development
• International Sales & Marketing
• Federal, State and County Experience

EXPERIENCE

• Winning over 15 HSMAI Adrian marketing awards
• Helped develop National Park Express tour operation
• Oversaw global marketing and sales launch for Atlantis Shuttle $100M attraction at the Kennedy Space Center
• Developed and executed USA market launch for Rezdy LLC
• Created “The World’s Largest Hotel Chain” global strategy for Best Western
• Developed first ever travel trade digital publication as publisher of Travel Agent Magazine

BOARDS

• Official Delegate, China – USA Year of Tourism 2016
• Marketing Chair: National Parks Promotion Council
• Board Director: National Tour Association – 2013/14
• Commissioner: Visit California – 2013/14
• Board Member: US Travel Association – Multiple Years
• Developed and Chaired Pow Wow Europe – Multiple Years

NETWORKING

• Pocaster, with 60+ episodes (Tourism Heads & Their Tales)
• Over 2800 active connections on LinkedIn
• Several hundred skill set endorsements
• Travel activities, Attractions, Tourism, Hospitality

Influencers

A POTTED HISTORY

CAPTIVATION MARKETING evolved over many years but was ignited in 2005 when I was EVP with Intrasight, (which later became ClickSquared) working with 2 brilliant minds; Jeff Walters and his partner Dave Tedesco. We were an integrated database marketing company, deep in analytics and complemented with a multi channel communication platform. This became the catalyst to leverage the many relationships I have made and kept over the years and still tap in to their deep knowledge to this day. I have been blessed to have worked with other game changers and creative visionaries such as Bob Hazard, Barry Smith, Bear Grylls, Sir Richard Branson, Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins and Genesis, Monty Python, Michael Douglas, Guo Dongjie (Ctrip) and former Russian President Mikhail Gorbachev. I am honored to have assisted NASA, Rezdy, Hilton Hotels International, National Park Service, Visit California, Visit Florida and the US Department of Commerce. Working with each of them has, without hesitation, influenced the way I think.

The Key to Success

It starts with family