The PURE Conference 2011

Tom Skerritt debuted as a film actor in War Hunt, an independent 1962 anti-war film that also featured New York theater actors Robert Redford and Sydney Pollack. From his early role in Robert Altman's classic comedy, M*A*S*H, to a roster which counts several classics among the movies he has made, including; THE TURNING POINT, ALIEN, A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT, STEEL MAGNOLIAS, TOP GUN, CONTACT, Tom's work in an array of television and film productions continues to be a study in strength and subtlety. Golden Globe nominee and Best Actor Emmy winner for his Emmy Award series, PICKET FENCES, and one of the most versatile and acclaimed American actors of both movies and TV, Skerritt is rapidly becoming one of film's noted educators. He is one of the top Hollywood creative multi-talents who founded The Film School in Seattle. A Mecca for learning and engaging the art of storytelling, The Film School has become synonymous with the forward-looking and brilliantly effective training for the film arts. Tom Skerritt's love and appreciation for the outdoors can be seen in his continued efforts on the board of American Rivers, a national conservation organization.

Many people know Chris Blackwell as the maverick music producer who founded Island Records, the entertainment industry's most critically acclaimed independent record label. (While at Island Chris signed, developed and produced artists including Bob Marley, U2, Grace Jones, Cat Stevens and Tom Waits, among others.) However, Chris is also one of the finest hoteliers. He is credited with pioneering the redevelopment of Miami's South Beach, where The Marlin, The Tides and The Kent were just three of the hotels in his portfolio. Today, Blackwell has turned his attention to his collection of legendary, landmark destinations in Jamaica. GoldenEye, Strawberry Hill, The Caves, and GeeJam are now all part of the Island Outpost group. Each hotel is active in its community, participating in the local social, economic, environmental, and educational sectors. Island Outpost initiatives range from coral restoration to local sports programming to education and health campaigns. Having brought the best of Jamaica to the world through music, Blackwell is now working to bring the best of the world to Jamaica through travel. More than a business, Island Outpost is Chris Blackwell's way of reawakening the sophisticated and responsible traveler to the beauty and vibe of Jamaica today. A born story teller, Chris's life and achievements are a symbol of what PURE stands for.

Sophy Roberts is a British-born journalist and editor who has specialised in luxury travel for the last 15 years. Her increasing specialism lies in deep experiential travel, with a belief that great travel has the power to inspire and transform in positive ways. She is Editor-at-Large of Departures magazine in the United States, and a regular contributor to The Financial Times, for whom she writes a monthly column. She also runs a UK-based publishing company, New Vellum, providing high quality, editorial-style content to luxury brands for both on and offline ventures. She works with PURE Life as consultant Editor-in-Chief of the company's new B2B magazine soon to be launched. Sophy is an expert at telling stories about life changing journeys and has a unique insight in what constitutes a travel story worth writing about

Amos Nachoum is a wildlife photographer and explorer. He has shot just about everything there is to shoot, war, journalism, fashion, racing of cars and Motorcycles...but what he loves most is wildlife photography. Especially if it's in the water. And he has become world-famous at it. So much so, in fact, that he has been asked to lead National Geographic expedition teams especially related to Great White Shark, and Killer Whale photo expeditions. His commitment to wildlife led him to co-found Israel's Marine National Park on the Red Sea. He works tirelessly to bring attention to some of the most fragile regions of the underwater realm, with preservation of the environment foremost in every encounter. Amos's photos and essays have appeared in hundreds of publications around the globe, including National Geographic, Time, Life, The New York Times, Condé Nast Traveler, Le Figaro, Terra Sauvage, Airone, Mondo Somerso, Der Spiegel, Unterwasser, and many more. His work has also been included in the books The Living Ocean, The World of Nature, and Oceans. He has been profiled in television appearances on National Geographic Explorer, Today, and Good Morning America, as well as featured in People, Esquire, and Money magazines. Amos's photography has won Nikon, Communication Arts, Lucie award and twice the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year awards. Based in San Francisco, California, Amos operates and leads the cutting-edge adventure-travel program Big Animals Expeditions. His voyages take him and his guests all over the world to observe, photograph, understand and revere the most magnificent creatures on the planet, their pattern of behavior and survival. Therefore he is called "the Ambassador of the Big Animals".

Michael's many lives started in television (appearing in more than 100 television shows and films) and by the time he was a teenager, he was as well known as any actor could possibly be in Germany. His second incarnation was as a businessman building an impressive business in the IT sector. In 1997, Michael began his third life focusing on photography His Starship Millennium Voyage had journalists and photographers join him to cruise around the globe and document the state of the world's wild locations. And that's where his publishing experience began: the book of the voyage quickly became a bestseller of more than 50,000 copies. The voyage over, Michael moved to Cape Town and turned his attention to the game reserves and nature parks of southern Africa. The resultant book AFRICA was launched to massive acclaim in 2006. Other truly amazing booked followed: EYES OVER AFRICA, ANTARCTIC. In December 2009, he was named as an ambassador of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Michael is now also a Private Travel Designer running Michael Poliza Experiences where he takes wealthy clients on experiential journeys scripted with the mastery of genuine story-teller. All his experiences are genuine adventures where customers do not always know what to expect but the certitude of a transformational and unique journey.

Kate has been crafting extraordinary journeys for discerning travelers for more than two decades. Shortly after joining GeoEx in 1989, she led one of the first groups of top executives to visit China after the Tiananmen Square protests. Since 1991 she has been working closely with the Disney Company, managing numerous international location expeditions to Nepal, Bali, and East and Southern Africa. In 1992 she helped launch GeoEx's Southeast Asia programs as Vietnam and Cambodia were just opening for tourism, and in 1996 she spearheaded the launch of Africa offerings in seven countries. Overseeing the Africa department, Kate established GeoEx's presence on the continent, created best practices that have become a model for other operators, and designed compelling, action-packed itineraries in uncharted expanses. Today GeoEx offers journeys in 17 African countries. In the late 1990s GeoEx tapped Kate to create its new customized journeys department. In her capacity as Managing Director of Private Client Services, Kate's goal is to individually tailor every journey to meet the dreams of each traveler. These efforts have included arranging a private audience with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, choreographing private New Year's Eve celebrations at the Giza Pyramid and the Library at Ephesus, and orchestrating an evening of entertainment in Oman's Empty Quarter that featured an incense caravan and overnights in luxuriously appointed traditional goat-hair tents.

Niel has a rich and varied background. Born in England with a direct maternal bloodline to the last king of Burma and a history of nomadic predecessors, Niel has spent most of his life exploring remote and exotic places. In 2000, travelling completely by natural power from England to Antarctica - cycling, sailing, kayaking and climbing the entire way. Central to this two-year project was a passion for motivation and raising funds for orphaned children across the world. With a background in marketing, he developed his own communications business that managed a number of key global sports brands as some of its core clients. He has also developed other business concepts including a youth adventure travel/personal development business. With a passion for experiencing life at it's most extraordinary, he's as at home in inhospitable far-flung jungles entertaining shamens, as he is sailing luxurious super-yachts. This passion extends to sharing these unique experiences with others, which is what led to the founding of 'Based On A True Story'. Based On A True Story (BOATS) has taken some of the world's wealthiest individuals to some of the most remote and beautiful places on earth. "Based On A True Story is a philosophy of living and enjoying life at its most extraordinary. Our ambition and passion sets a new frontier in travel allowing us to share the beauty of the world and the wisdom of its cultures. With the help of clients, we strive to support environmental issues and the preservation of indigenous cultures around the world."

Serge Dive is the CEO & Founder of PURE Life Experiences. Serge is largely acclaimed for his capacity to foresee the next paradigm shifts in High End Travel and to build successful markets place around it. In 2001 he launched ILTM (International Luxury Travel Market) in Cannes at a time where only few believed that the luxury market was sizeable enough to exist in its own right and turn it into one of the most successful travel trade shows ever created. In 2008, after realizing the need for a travel offering more responsible and more authentic, he launched a new ground breaking and even more high end travel trade show focused on a philosophy of "High Emotion / Low Impact" and turned it in a record time into the most exclusive and forward thinking community and market place for the experiential and transformational travel sector (which according to him responds to very different mechanisms from the classic luxury travel sector). Serge believes that the Travel industry is now facing new challenges and that most businesses will need to undertake radical changes in their business approach. He will explain his views about this subject and why he believes that this industry need to turn itself into a story making factory to succeed in a "Dream Society".