DAVE WIGGINS

235 Pawnee Drive                                                                           Office Phone (303) 554-8821
Boulder, Colorado 80303                                                                    Mobile Phone (720) 301-3822
E-mail: d.wiggins@comcast.net                                                     

Dave Wiggins PROFESSIONAL PROFILE

I am an adventure travel industry professional with over 30 years of management, marketing, media relations, communications, product development, supplier relations, and business and strategic partnership development experience.  Pioneered the brokering of active travel vacations in the 1970’s and built and managed the nation’s premier adventure travel wholesaler, American Wilderness Experience, Inc. (AWE!) until its purchase by GORP.com in 1999. Served on the travel management team of GORP.com and subsequently, Away.com as they transitioned the promotion and selling of adventure travel to an online medium. I served as General Manager and Director of Marketing and Communications for Austin-Lehman Adventures (2003-2007), small luxury tour operator specializing in multi-sport weeklong adventures in North, Central, and South America. I have displayed a proven ability to plan and implement all aspects of offline and online marketing and promotion to affect an increase in overall organization profitability.

 
•    Executive Management  
•    Strategic Planning
•    Budgeting and Financial Analysis
•    Marketing Plan Implementation
•    Catalog Management & Production
•    Copy Writing & Communications
•    Electronic Newsletter Creative & Copy
•    Comprehensive Media Relations & PR    
•    Strategic Partnership Building    
•    Website Production and Maintenance
•    Product Quality Control
•    Vendor & Supplier Relationships
•    Speaker, Facilitator, and Spokesperson
•    Advertising Campaigns & Creative
•    Email Marketing
•    Employee Motivation & Relations
 

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE and CAREER ACHIEVEMENTS

April 2007 to Present         

Widness & Wiggins PR - Partner  With associate Sara Widness, established a small, specialized Public Relations agency  that offers an affordable and personalized media contact and communications strategy expressly designed for adventure travel industry clients.

February 2007  to Present      

Trusted Adventures – Executive Director

General manager of a seven company marketing alliance responsible for                          administration, marketing and PR plan and fulfillment, budget, new member  recruitment and strategic partnership development. Members include; Austin-Lehman  Adventures, Euro Bike & Walking Tours, Myths & Mountains, ROW, The Wayfarers,   Western River Expeditions and Wildland Adventures.

June 2003 to  April 2007       

Austin-Lehman Adventures – General Manager / Director of Marketing

Responsible for the overall management and operation of a 20-year old, luxury active travel company based in Billings, Montana. Duties included the development and implementation of marketing and PR plans, employee and resource management, financial analysis and budgeting, business development, and strategic planning.

January 2003  to June 2003        Consultant and Advisor

Involved in advisory, project, and consulting work for various adventure travel companies including Austin-Lehman Adventures, Away.com, and GORPtravel. These services included copy writing, supplier relations, product development, media relations, and Internet marketing.
DAVE WIGGINS                                                                                 

July 2002  to June 2003            

Adventure Travel Media Source (ATMS) - Partner

 ATMS is a niche Public Relations firm for active travel companies, tourism boards, and destination management organizations. Involved in strategic planning, new client development, press release writing, website development, staff training, press trip orchestration, lead generation and follow-up, tradeshow seminars, and strategic partnership development.  

April 2002 to December 2002         

Away.com – Vice President of Supplier Relations

Managed relationships of 250 adventure travel suppliers, directed the product team
involved in the ongoing maintenance and input of data, wrote and assisted in the
creative concept and production of the annual vacation catalog, assisted the marketing director in the production and distribution of electronic newsletters, special promotions and email campaigns, produced a quarterly media newsletter, conducted telephone and radio interviews as spokesperson for GORPtravel, and assisted the technology team in a conversion and upgrade of the travel product database.

November 1999  to March 2002  

GORP.com – Divisional Vice President of GORPtravel

Assisted in the transition of AWE! to GORPtravel, a division of GORP.com.  In charge of expanding the product line from 125 operators to 300+, representing a comprehensive selection of top adventure vacations by activity and worldwide destinations. Responsible for all the product database input, quality control, and maintenance while managing a team of 6 data entry personnel. Involved in sales staff hiring, training, supervising, and incentive programs. Dealt with customer complaints and operator trouble-shooting. In charge of supplier relations. Worked with the GORP marketing team on electronic newsletter content, specials and promotions, sweepstakes, and advertising creative and placement. Managed the relationships with Maritz, American Express Incentive Services, Carlson Incentives, and others. Was the project director for all catalogs. Did all the copy writing and wordsmithing for GORPtravel.

December 1978  to November 1999       

American Wilderness Experience, Inc. (AWE!) - President
   

Oversaw all the activities, operations, and management of a $5.5 million dollar
1999    company.  Pioneered the promotion and brokering of adventure travel vacations direct to the consumer and via the travel trade. Successfully managed a team of three managers and ten employees with very little turnover. Handled all the marketing, product development, media relations, financial planning and analysis, and employee relations and support.  Wrote and produced all catalogs and collateral materials. Developed the company’s website and managed the transition and growth of the company from pen and paper to the electronic age. Acted as the company’s media spokesperson and appeared on numerous television and radio shows. Invited to be seminar leader and keynote speaker at national and regional meetings and tradeshows.

EDUCATION

  Bachelor of Science from Pennsylvania State University    1974 – College of Human Development

PROFESSIONAL AFFILLIATIONS

        Associate Member of the Society of American Travel Writers
        Lifetime Associate Member of the Dude Ranchers’ Association
        Member of the Adventure Travel Trade Association
    

adventure travel, biography, blog, dave wiggins, ecotourism, podcast, PR, publicity, tim warren, Widness & Wiggins PR