Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourism Seminar

Amy has worked for the City of Suwanee for 17 years. She started as a part-time employee with 27 events and now oversees over 40 events a year. Unless there is a pandemic – then there were 3 events in person and 4 virtual events! Suwanee’s events have won many awards over the years and continue to grow and diversify. Amy is also responsible for creating community engagements by connecting residents with volunteer opportunities. When not at work, Amy and her husband Dan,who have lived in Suwanee 27 years enjoy spending time with their three children. In 2015, Amy earned one of her favorite titles, “survivor” as she battled and beat breast cancer! Amy has spoken at Southeast Festivals and Events Association one-day seminars and annual conferences for several years. She spoke at the Georgia Governor’s Tourism Conference and has worked with the Georgia Department of Tourism, Georgia Alabama Rural Tourism Conference, Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourism Association, and the Tennessee Department of Tourism Development as a speaker. She also speaks each year at the Southeastern Tourism Society’s Marketing College. Amy has spoken at one-day seminars in Georgia, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama and Kentucky. Amy has earned her Travel Marketing Professional certification in 2013 from the Southeast Tourism Society. Amy was also in the inaugural class of the Festival and Events Planner certification program with STS. Amy completed her Management Development Program Course with The University of Georgia in 2014. Amy loves to share her event and festival knowledge and experience. Amy also served on the Board of Directors of the Southeast Festivals and Events Association and even served as the board chair. Amy is also a graduate of Leadership Gwinnett Class of 2020 and was named the SFEA Event Director of the year in 2020. When not planning events or volunteering, she can be found reading, playing tennis, walking around Suwanee or eating all the tacos!

Greg has been helping clients understand their market through research for more than 25 years. He has managed studies for a number of national brands including Coca Cola, Starbucks, Walgreens, Lowes, Cisco Systems and the County Music Association just to name a few. His true passion however, is in travel and tourism including festivals and events. Greg has managed studies for over 160+ destinations across the US and Canada, helping them understand and develop their brand along with conducting numerous economic impact studies for festivals and events from Suwanee Fest in Suwanee, GA to the Pilgrimage Music and Cultural Arts Festival in Franklin, TN to the Seven Peaks Music Festival in Colorado. Greg and the Chandlerthinks team were recently awarded, for the second straight year, the Power of Research Award given by the Southeast Travel and Tourism Research Association. Greg is actively involved in the Southeast Tourism Society and is a past board member and board chairman of the Southeast Festivals and Events Association. When not working with clients, Greg speaks on a regular basis on the topic of place branding, tourism and festival and event economic impact. Needless to say, Greg understands data collection.