Amir Eylon
President and chief executive
Longwoods International
Amir, a 30-year veteran of the travel and tourism industry, leads the Longwoods International team responsible for the development and execution of all facets of the organization, from program development to customer acquisition and retention.
He joined Longwoods International in 2015 from his previous role as vice president, Partner Engagement, with Brand USA, the public-private partnership that is the destination marketing organization dedicated to increasing international visitation to the U.S. He led the team responsible for helping to increase Brand USA’s partnership base and ensuring that participants received excellent service throughout Brand USA’s deployment of joint marketing programs. During his tenure, Brand USA grew its base to 475 partners, made up of destination marketing organizations, convention and visitor bureaus, attractions, travel brands, airlines, and tour operators.
He has been recognized with several industry honors, including Top 25 Extraordinary Minds in Sales and Marketing award (2014) by the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International; the Ohio Tourism Industry’s Highest Honor, the Paul Sherlock Award; and the State of Ohio Distinguished Service Medal.
Amir holds a bachelor of arts degree in political science from the University of Dayton in Ohio.
Chip Conley
Strategic advisor for Hospitality and Leadership, Airbnb
Founder, Modern Elder Academy
Chip Conley, the iconic boutique hotelier who helped Airbnb’s founders turn their fast-growing tech start-up into a global hospitality brand, is a New York Times bestselling author of Wisdom@Work: The Making of a Modern Elder. It was inspired by his experience as a mentor and an intern in his 50s. After selling Joie de Vivre Hospitality, the company he started as a rebel entrepreneur at age 26, Chip wasn’t sure what was next. He could have retired at 52, but the young founders of Airbnb came calling. Chip served as Airbnb’s Head of Global Hospitality and Strategy for four years — while also serving as a mentor to chief executive Brian Chesky — and today acts as the company’s Strategic Advisor for Hospitality and Leadership. While writing Wisdom@Work, Chip was inspired to build the Modern Elder Academy, the world’s first “midlife wisdom school,” on a three-acre oceanfront campus in Baja California Sur, Mexico. Chip is an active mentor to six young CEO founders in the hospitality/tech world and serves on the board of Encore.org and the advisory board for the Stanford Center for Longevity. He believes curiosity is the elixir of life and started learning Spanish and surfing at age 58.