Advancing an Equitable and Inclusive Recovery

September 15-17, 2020

Streamed live from the newly modernized Bell Harbor International Conference Center on Pier 66,

the virtual summit with top business and policy leaders will focus on strategies for an equitable and inclusive recovery for Washington’s business, hospitality and tourism industries

There has never been a more important time to bring people together to discuss where we go from here. The implications of a global pandemic, civil unrest, record unemployment and an uncertain future make it the optimal time to host the Puget Sound Economic Summit (PSES). With the goal of advancing an equitable and inclusive recovery, the three day Summit is bringing together business leaders, government officials, nonprofit organizations, meeting planners, and business owners to provide content that leads to more informed decisions as we move toward 2021.

The Summit is in partnership with the Port of Seattle, KOMO News Media and Puget Sound Business Journal.

Session Agenda At-a-Glance

Day 1 - Tuesday, September 15, 2020 Path to Recovery: Equity and Inclusion in the Economy
8:00 AM	Call to Order
8:05 AM	Welcome Remarks
8:15 AM	Keynote Speech
9:00 AM	Break
9:10 AM	The COVID-19 Economy: Challenges and Opportunities
10:00 AM	Break
10:15 AM	Moving Us Forward Together
11:15 AM	Break
11:30 AM	Town Hall
12:30 PM to 3:00 PM	Networking

Day 2 - Wednesday, September 16, 2020 Meetings and Events
8:00 AM	Call to Order
8:05 AM	Welcome Remarks
8:10 AM	Washington State and Living With COVID-19
8:30 AM	Break
8:40 AM	Interim Reality
9:30 AM	Break
9:40 AM	Protocols for a Pandemic: Meeting With Confidence
10:20 AM	Break
10:30 AM	Driving Digital Transformation in Events
11:10 AM	Break
11:20 AM	Behind the Scenes of Group Contracting
11:50 AM	Break
12:00 PM	The Art of Running Effective, Efficient and Inclusive Meetings
1:00 PM to 3:00 PM	Networking

Day 3 - Thursday, September 17, 2020 Tourism and Travel
8:00 AM	Call to Order
8:05 AM	Welcome Remarks
8:10 AM	State of the Industry
8:30 AM	Break
8:40 AM	Regional Recovery
9:30 AM	Break
9:45 AM	State of Aviation and Cruise
10:45 AM	Break
11:00 AM	State of the Port
11:45 AM	Break
12:00 PM	Creating Inclusive Cities Through Tourism
1:00 PM to 3:00 PM	Networking

Speakers Include:

John Hope Bryant

Founder, Chairman and CEO, Operation HOPE

Bookda Gheisar

Sr. Director of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, Port of Seattle

Mayor Jimmy Matta

City of Burien

Chris Mefford

CEO, Community Attributes

Lori Otto Punke

President, Washington Council on International Trade

Marie Kurose

CEO, Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County

Shannon Loew

Founder, FIX Impact Development

Brian McGowan

CEO, Greater Seattle Partners

Mayor Victoria Woodards

City of Tacoma

Lisa Brown

Director, Washington State Department of Commerce

Senator David Frockt

Washington State Senate

Commissioner Peter Steinbrueck

Commission President, Port of Seattle

Molly Shen

News Anchor, KOMO News

Vice Admiral Raquel C. Bono

Director, Washington State COVID-19 Healthcare Response

Leasa Mayer

Board Member, Opus Agency; Former CEO, CRG Events

Emily Parkhurst

Publisher and Market President, Puget Sound Business Journal

Kelly Saling

Vice President, Convention Sales & Services, Visit Seattle

Pradeep Fernandes

Managing Director of Strategy for Confident Travel Initiative, The Boeing Company

Dr. John Wiesman

Secretary of Health, Washington State Department of Health

Kim Bedier

Director of Venues & Events, City of Tacoma

Bob Bejan

Corporate Vice President: Global Events, Production Studios and Marketing Community, Microsoft

Greg Duff

Principal, Foster Garvey

Arden Clise

Founder, Clise Etiquette

Commissioner Sam Cho

Port of Seattle

Emily Cantrell

Director, World Trade Center Seattle

Ryan Yamamoto

News Anchor, KOMO News

Elliott Ferguson
President & CEO, Destination DC; Board Chair, U.S. Travel Association

Tom Norwalk
President & CEO, Visit Seattle

David Blandford
Executive Director, Washington State Tourism Alliance

Ali Daniels
Senior Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer, Visit Seattl

Carla Murray
Chief Operating Officer of The Americas - Western Region, Marriott Internationa

Stein Kruse
Group CEO, Holland America Group and Carnival UK

Ben Minicucci
President, Alaska Airlines

Commissioner Stephanie Bowman
Port of Seattle

Lance Lyttle
Managing Director, Aviation Division, Port of Seattle

Steve Metruck
Executive Director, Port of Seattle

Louise Chernin
President & CEO, Greater Seattle Business Association (GSBA)

Alejandro Grajal
President & CEO, Woodland Park Zoo

Tod Leiweke
CEO, Seattle Kraken

Commissioner Fred Felleman
Port of Seattle

John Oppenheimer
CEO, Columbia Hospitality

Agenda

September 15 - 17, 2020

Click a day for details.

Press Release:

Official Puget Sound Economic Summit Press Release

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Advancing an Equitable and Inclusive Recovery