At Accelerate 2026, we look forward to creating an inspirational in-person retreat experience and safe space for women in travel to connect, build relationships, share experiences and learn new leadership skills together.
Schedule of Events
April 8 - 10, 2026
von Trapp Family Lodge & Resort
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Wednesday, April 8th
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Activity
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Location
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3:00pm - 4:00pm
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Registration
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Stowe Bowl (at the Sun & Ski Inn and Suites)
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4:00pm - 5:00pm
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The Stories that Shape Us
Davonne Reaves - Founder Vesterr & The Vonne Group |
Stowe Bowl (at the Sun & Ski Inn and Suites)
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5:00pm - 6:00pm
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Welcome Reception & Networking Event
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Stowe Bowl (at the Sun & Ski Inn and Suites)
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6:00pm
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Dinner on Your Own
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Thursday, April 9th
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Activity
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Location
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7:30am - 9:00am
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Breakfast on your Own
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9:00am - 10:00am
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Yoga or Morning Exercise (optional)
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St. George's Hall
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10:30am - 11:45am
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von Trapp Family Lodge & Resort Tour (optional)
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Outdoors - Trails/Woods
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11:00am - 12:00pm
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Registration
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Hotel Lobby
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12:00pm - 12:20pm
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Welcome & Introductions
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Dining Room
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12:20pm - 1:00pm
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Lunch
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Dining Room
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1:00pm - 1:15pm
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Transition & Break
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1:15pm - 2:00pm
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Opening Session - CLARIFY
Rachel Vandenberg - Founder & Executive Coach |
Mozart Room
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2:00pm - 3:00pm
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Session #1: Plenary Workshop
Unmuted: Amplifying the Voice you've kept Silent- Rachel Vandenberg, Founder & Executive Coach |
Mozart Room
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3:00pm - 3:15pm
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Transition & Break
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Mozart Lobby
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3:15pm - 4:45pm
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Session #2: Concurrent Workshops
Choose one of the following to attend Decision Making with Clarity, Courage and Confidence - Kam Unninayar, Executive & Leadership Coach Leading Boldly through Career Transitions - Jessica Platts, Career Coach & Leadership Facilitator Own the Room: How to Elevate Your Leadership Confidence, Presence and Impact with Your Authentic Personal Style - Katie Hardy, Confidence Coach & Personal Stylist |
St. George's Hall
Mozart Room Schubert Room Strauss Room |
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4:45pm - 5:00pm
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Transition & Break
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5:00pm - 5:45pm
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End of Day Session: EXPLORE
Ann Fogolin, Executive & Leadership Coach |
Mozart Room
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5:45pm - 6:30pm
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Leisure Time
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6:30pm - 8:30pm
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Dinner & Dessert
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Dining Room
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8:30pm -
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After Dinner Drinks, Free Choice, Rest
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Friday, April 10th
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Activity
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Location
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6:30am - 7:15am
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Morning Exercise or Rest
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7:00am - 8:00am
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Breakfast
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Dining Room
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8:00am - 8:15am
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Welcome Back
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Mozart Room
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8:15am - 9:00am
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Coffee & Conversation
Lan Elliott - Co-Founder & Principal Acacia Hospitality Holdings & Accelerate Advisory Board Member Leora Halpern Lanz - Associate Professor Boston University & Author |
Mozart Room
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9:15am - 10:15am
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Session #3: Group Coaching & Facilitated Networking
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Mozart Room
Other Spaces |
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10:15am - 10:30am
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Break
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Mozart Library
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10:30am - 11:30am
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Session #4: Group Coaching & Facilitated Networking
All Facilitators |
Mozart Room
Other Spaces |
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11:45am - 12:45pm
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Closing Session: CONNECT
Ann Fogolin, Executive & Leadership Coach |
Mozart Room
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12:45pm - 1:00pm
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Closing Remarks
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SESSION / WORKSHOP DESCRIPTIONS
Clarify, Explore, Connect
Opening Session - Clarify (Clarify and Open the Conversation) Rachel Vandenberg
End of Day 1 Session - Explore (Allow for Exploration) Ann Fogolin
Closing Session - Connect (Check in, Connect and Hold) Ann Fogolin
Throughout our retreat we will guide participants through a deliberate arc of learning and reflection using the C.O.A.C.H model. This framework will serve as a backbone to help weave together our sessions, your overall experience and future leadership development.
Opening session: Clarify launches the retreat by helping participants articulate the purpose, values, aspirations, and/or challenges that are currently present. It will also help participants define what they would like to get out of the retreat and how the experience can support them in their leadership moving forward. This session sets the stage for our other workshops and sessions by giving participants a clear lens through which to interpret and personalize what they learn. The End of day 1 session: Explore invites participants to make sense of the day’s workshops and dialogue, opening space for deeper reflection, insight discovery, and thoughtful connection between new ideas and their own leadership patterns. Finally, Closing session: Connect closes the retreat by helping participants translate insight into action—connecting their discoveries to concrete commitments, personalized strategies, and next steps that extend well beyond the event. Together, these three sessions ensure that participants experience the entire retreat through a coach-approach framework that supports lasting personal and professional development.
Opening Session - Clarify (Clarify and Open the Conversation) Rachel Vandenberg
End of Day 1 Session - Explore (Allow for Exploration) Ann Fogolin
Closing Session - Connect (Check in, Connect and Hold) Ann Fogolin
Throughout our retreat we will guide participants through a deliberate arc of learning and reflection using the C.O.A.C.H model. This framework will serve as a backbone to help weave together our sessions, your overall experience and future leadership development.
Opening session: Clarify launches the retreat by helping participants articulate the purpose, values, aspirations, and/or challenges that are currently present. It will also help participants define what they would like to get out of the retreat and how the experience can support them in their leadership moving forward. This session sets the stage for our other workshops and sessions by giving participants a clear lens through which to interpret and personalize what they learn. The End of day 1 session: Explore invites participants to make sense of the day’s workshops and dialogue, opening space for deeper reflection, insight discovery, and thoughtful connection between new ideas and their own leadership patterns. Finally, Closing session: Connect closes the retreat by helping participants translate insight into action—connecting their discoveries to concrete commitments, personalized strategies, and next steps that extend well beyond the event. Together, these three sessions ensure that participants experience the entire retreat through a coach-approach framework that supports lasting personal and professional development.
Unmuted: Amplifying the Voice You’ve Kept Silent
Rachel Vandenberg
In every leadership journey, a moment comes when your voice becomes your most powerful instrument for impact. Yet many women hesitate to speak up— not because they don’t know how, but because they question why or if their voice matters, what they have to say, and whether it’s worth the risk. This workshop goes beneath technique and into the deeper work of developing your leadership voice. In this session participants uncover the fears that silence them—judgment, conflict, being wrong, and being fully seen—and learn how to release these patterns. Through guided reflection and meaningful dialogue, they explore the purpose of their leadership voice, the message they are meant to share, and the conversations they feel compelled to lead inside their organizations and across the industry. Participants will draft a personal Leadership Voice Statement, identify where they are on the pathway from silence to influence, and create a bold plan for speaking up with intention and courage. Whether your goal is to speak up more in meetings, express your ideas in writing or speak on stage to an audience this workshop equips all participants with clarity, conviction, and the agency to speak with boldness and influence.
Rachel Vandenberg
In every leadership journey, a moment comes when your voice becomes your most powerful instrument for impact. Yet many women hesitate to speak up— not because they don’t know how, but because they question why or if their voice matters, what they have to say, and whether it’s worth the risk. This workshop goes beneath technique and into the deeper work of developing your leadership voice. In this session participants uncover the fears that silence them—judgment, conflict, being wrong, and being fully seen—and learn how to release these patterns. Through guided reflection and meaningful dialogue, they explore the purpose of their leadership voice, the message they are meant to share, and the conversations they feel compelled to lead inside their organizations and across the industry. Participants will draft a personal Leadership Voice Statement, identify where they are on the pathway from silence to influence, and create a bold plan for speaking up with intention and courage. Whether your goal is to speak up more in meetings, express your ideas in writing or speak on stage to an audience this workshop equips all participants with clarity, conviction, and the agency to speak with boldness and influence.
Leading Boldly through Career Transitions
Jessica Platts
This session will explore the concept of building experience capital the skills, knowledge, and confidence gained through bold career moves, leadership opportunities, and strategic choices. With a focus on career transitions, we’ll examine how women in hospitality can earn, highlight, and leverage this capital to position themselves for growth, navigate systemic challenges, and translate their strengths into meaningful advancement. Designed to spark reflection and share practical strategies, the workshop will inspire participants to lead with clarity, courage, and purpose while shaping careers they’re proud of.
Jessica Platts
This session will explore the concept of building experience capital the skills, knowledge, and confidence gained through bold career moves, leadership opportunities, and strategic choices. With a focus on career transitions, we’ll examine how women in hospitality can earn, highlight, and leverage this capital to position themselves for growth, navigate systemic challenges, and translate their strengths into meaningful advancement. Designed to spark reflection and share practical strategies, the workshop will inspire participants to lead with clarity, courage, and purpose while shaping careers they’re proud of.
Decision Making with Clarity, Confidence, and Courage
Kam Unninayar
As leaders, the decisions we make shape our teams, work cultures, and how we experience our impact. In the travel and hospitality industry, many decisions are made swiftly, under pressure, and with visibility. Colleagues, guests, and outcomes are immediately affected. Whether you are an emerging leader, a seasoned operator, or a senior executive, the stakes can feel real and consequential.
This workshop helps leaders understand why decision making can feel hard and offers practical ways to move forward with greater clarity and confidence. Drawing on my experience as a leadership coach and former CFO, I bring a real-world perspective to decision making under pressure. Together, we’ll explore tendencies many leaders recognize in themselves, including fear of getting it wrong, perfectionism, and imposter thoughts. Participants learn to recognize these patterns and act with greater conviction and follow-through, especially during periods of uncertainty.
Next, we shift to a strength-based approach to decision making, using elements of design thinking to reframe decisions as informed, intentional, iterative steps rather than high-stakes cliffs.
Finally, because many bold decisions require conversation, alignment, and influence, participants practice communication tools they can use immediately in critical moments.
Participants will leave with sharper self-awareness and practical skills to make and stand behind decisions with more confidence, courage, and calm.
Kam Unninayar
As leaders, the decisions we make shape our teams, work cultures, and how we experience our impact. In the travel and hospitality industry, many decisions are made swiftly, under pressure, and with visibility. Colleagues, guests, and outcomes are immediately affected. Whether you are an emerging leader, a seasoned operator, or a senior executive, the stakes can feel real and consequential.
This workshop helps leaders understand why decision making can feel hard and offers practical ways to move forward with greater clarity and confidence. Drawing on my experience as a leadership coach and former CFO, I bring a real-world perspective to decision making under pressure. Together, we’ll explore tendencies many leaders recognize in themselves, including fear of getting it wrong, perfectionism, and imposter thoughts. Participants learn to recognize these patterns and act with greater conviction and follow-through, especially during periods of uncertainty.
Next, we shift to a strength-based approach to decision making, using elements of design thinking to reframe decisions as informed, intentional, iterative steps rather than high-stakes cliffs.
Finally, because many bold decisions require conversation, alignment, and influence, participants practice communication tools they can use immediately in critical moments.
Participants will leave with sharper self-awareness and practical skills to make and stand behind decisions with more confidence, courage, and calm.
Own the Room: How to Elevate Your Leadership Confidence, Presence and Impact with Your Authentic Personal Style
Katie Hardy
In a world where women’s leadership is still underestimated, presence matters. Research shows people form impressions in 7 seconds, and 55% of that is visual. This immersive workshop equips leaders with tools to own the room before they even speak, using color psychology, identity-driven style, and visual strategy to elevate their leadership impact. Participants will explore how intentional color choices can boost confidence, enhance credibility, and reinforce the message they want to send as leaders. By understanding elements of their personal style, attendees will begin to craft a signature look that feels both authentic and empowering. The workshop also emphasizes the connection between wardrobe clarity and overall well-being. When your closet aligns with who you are, you gain not only a cohesive personal brand but also a simplified, stress-free daily routine. This reduction in decision fatigue frees up mental bandwidth for creativity, leadership, and meaningful work. Participants will leave with a clear sense of how they’d like to be perceived in the workplace, practical tools for expressing themselves boldly through their personal style, and renewed empowerment to show up fully—every day, in every room.
Katie Hardy
In a world where women’s leadership is still underestimated, presence matters. Research shows people form impressions in 7 seconds, and 55% of that is visual. This immersive workshop equips leaders with tools to own the room before they even speak, using color psychology, identity-driven style, and visual strategy to elevate their leadership impact. Participants will explore how intentional color choices can boost confidence, enhance credibility, and reinforce the message they want to send as leaders. By understanding elements of their personal style, attendees will begin to craft a signature look that feels both authentic and empowering. The workshop also emphasizes the connection between wardrobe clarity and overall well-being. When your closet aligns with who you are, you gain not only a cohesive personal brand but also a simplified, stress-free daily routine. This reduction in decision fatigue frees up mental bandwidth for creativity, leadership, and meaningful work. Participants will leave with a clear sense of how they’d like to be perceived in the workplace, practical tools for expressing themselves boldly through their personal style, and renewed empowerment to show up fully—every day, in every room.
Coffee and Conversation
Leora Halpern Lanz is a globally respected hospitality strategist, award-winning marketer, and Associate Professor of the Practice at Boston University’s School of Hospitality Administration. With more than three decades of experience across global hospitality brands, consulting, and education, Leora has long been known for her ability to connect strategy, storytelling, and human-centered leadership. Most recently, she has made a bold move of her own by authoring two books that bring her voice, perspective, and hard-earned insights into the public arena — a courageous act of thought leadership that reflects both conviction and vulnerability. In the Coffee & Conversation session, Leora will share what it truly took to move from ideas to decisive action: the self-doubt, discipline, risk-taking, and belief required to put her thinking into the world. Her story offers participants an honest look at what it means to claim your voice, lead with intention, and take meaningful action in service of your values and impact.
Leora Halpern Lanz is a globally respected hospitality strategist, award-winning marketer, and Associate Professor of the Practice at Boston University’s School of Hospitality Administration. With more than three decades of experience across global hospitality brands, consulting, and education, Leora has long been known for her ability to connect strategy, storytelling, and human-centered leadership. Most recently, she has made a bold move of her own by authoring two books that bring her voice, perspective, and hard-earned insights into the public arena — a courageous act of thought leadership that reflects both conviction and vulnerability. In the Coffee & Conversation session, Leora will share what it truly took to move from ideas to decisive action: the self-doubt, discipline, risk-taking, and belief required to put her thinking into the world. Her story offers participants an honest look at what it means to claim your voice, lead with intention, and take meaningful action in service of your values and impact.
The Stories that Shape Us
Davonne Reaves is the Founder and Chief Hospitality Strategist of The Vonne Group, an Atlanta-based consulting firm reshaping access to hotel ownership and investment. Her story begins not in the boardroom, but at the front desk of the Hyatt Regency Atlanta, where her early experiences in service sparked a deeper curiosity about who gets to own, build, and benefit in the hospitality industry. Over the past 14+ years, Davonne has made a series of bold moves—transitioning from employee to award-winning hotel owner, consultant, and educator—while creating a clear pathway for more than 200 aspiring owners and investors to enter an industry that once felt out of reach. In 2022, she extended that vision by launching Vesterr, a real estate crowdfunding platform designed to democratize commercial property investment and challenge long-standing barriers to access. As a founder, mother, and industry change maker, Davonne’s story reflects how identity, purpose, and lived experience shape the way we lead. In the Stories That Shape Us session, she invites participants to reflect on their own turning points and consider what bold, values-driven action could make possible in their lives and leadership.
Davonne Reaves is the Founder and Chief Hospitality Strategist of The Vonne Group, an Atlanta-based consulting firm reshaping access to hotel ownership and investment. Her story begins not in the boardroom, but at the front desk of the Hyatt Regency Atlanta, where her early experiences in service sparked a deeper curiosity about who gets to own, build, and benefit in the hospitality industry. Over the past 14+ years, Davonne has made a series of bold moves—transitioning from employee to award-winning hotel owner, consultant, and educator—while creating a clear pathway for more than 200 aspiring owners and investors to enter an industry that once felt out of reach. In 2022, she extended that vision by launching Vesterr, a real estate crowdfunding platform designed to democratize commercial property investment and challenge long-standing barriers to access. As a founder, mother, and industry change maker, Davonne’s story reflects how identity, purpose, and lived experience shape the way we lead. In the Stories That Shape Us session, she invites participants to reflect on their own turning points and consider what bold, values-driven action could make possible in their lives and leadership.