Super Bowl champ to address Caribbean Tourism Conference

American football star, Dorsey Levens, will discuss how to beat the odds and become a champion, when he addresses the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO)’s State of the Tourism Industry Conference (SOTIC) in Grenada next month.

This Super Bowl victor overcame adversity – and the odds – to lead his team to the championship in American football, and he will share some of the secrets on what it takes to get up and succeed after being knocked down, when he addresses the conference.

Levin will keynote the October 10-13 event, described by Secretary General Hugh Riley as likely to be the most important conference ever organized by the CTO.

“I will focus on rapid rebound and will also touch on how to take control of life without excuses and how to navigate successfully through stressful situations and keep moving forward. I would like nothing more than to motivate and inspire delegates to get back on track after the damage caused by the hurricanes,” Levens said.

Speaking on the conference theme, Supercharging the Brand: Meeting the Needs of the New Explorers, the Super Bowl champion will address subjects such as breaking through the pain, what it takes to win against all odds, the true value of teamwork, tackling fierce competition, what it takes to get up after being knocked down, and the will to be number one.

“Mr. Levens has demonstrated throughout his career how to rebound from adversity and win against all odds,” Mr. Riley said. “Our members will welcome him as our keynoter for his sheer determination and valuable insights into what it takes to emerge stronger from the challenges that we face on the way to becoming winners.”

In both his collegiate and professional life as an athlete, Mr. Levens developed a reputation for defeating the odds. He set a school record as a running back after sitting out a year due to a knee injury, and despite being considered a marginal pick – he was chosen 149th overall in the 1994 National Football League draft – he would go on to lead his Green Bay Packers to its first championship in 29 years in 1996.

Levens’ current entertainment roles and accomplishments include writing and serving as executive producer for Bell Rung, an insightful documentary focused on bringing to light the long-term effects and life-altering health issues suffered by many former professional football player, and co-writing and serving as the executive producer of Stripped, a hit stage play. Recently he has appeared in Tyler Perry’s hit stage play Madea On The Run, Tyler Perry’s sitcom For Better Or Worse, and British comedy Gridiron UK. Film credits also include We Are Marshall and Three Can Play That Game.

Mr. Levens has recently joined The Empowerhouse Group as senior sports consultant, presenting The BioCode System, described by the group as an innovative coaching program that provides simple yet powerful tools to develop stronger, more confident leaders and empowers the way leaders work and live.

In the wake of the catastrophic impact of Hurricanes Irma and Maria on some member countries, the CTO is adding a special session to the SOTIC program that will focus on how to recover and rebuild after a major disaster.

The three-hour session on Thursday 12 October is designed to explore and examine the issues and key recommendations to be considered as the Caribbean rebuilds after the monstrous category five storms, in particular, or other natural disasters it might face in the future.

It will focus on the economic cost of the disasters, including potential impact on gross domestic product, employment, the cost to rebuild and recovery time.

The State of the Tourism Industry Conference is being organized by the CTO in collaboration with the Grenada Tourism Authority and Grenada’s ministry of tourism, and will be held from 10-13 October at the Radisson Grenada Beach Resort. The conference will be preceded by business meetings on 9 and 10 October.

Key conference sessions include Infusing Dynamism in Caribbean Tourism, Who are the New Explorers, Business Models that Rock, Turning Our Waters Into Goldmines – Investing in the Blue Economy, Active Engagement: Riding the Technological Wave, and Spicing Up the Caribbean Brand.

The highly-anticipated tourism youth congress and a Stakeholders Speak Out session are also part of the program.