The Woodlands (Houston), Texas, June 5, 2017 … Well respected leaders and innovators from the hospitality industry around the world will be giving a TEDx talk at TEDxWilmingtonSalon on Wednesday, June 7 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at The Queen, a historic theater located at 500 N. Market St., in downtown Wilmington, Delaware.  Alex Cabañas, chief executive officer of BENCHMARK®, a global hospitality company, will join distinguished colleagues in the TEDx Talks.

The TEDxWilmington theme for June 7 is, "Lust for Life: Adventure Travel Hospitality." In addition to Mr. Cabañas, speakers include Gerard Inzerillo, CEO of Forbes Travel Guide, Bill Walshe, CEO of the Viceroy Hotel Group, Mark Harmon, founder of Auberge Resorts Collection, Bashar Wali, president of Provenance Hotels, Gerard Greene, founder and CEO of Society, Joe Diaz, co-founder of AFAR, and Michael Keriakos, founder and CEO of Curacity.com.

“It is truly an honor to be invited by the Independent Lodging Congress and TEDx Wilmington to be a part of this talk,” said Mr. Cabañas.  “I’m really looking forward to it, and to sharing great ideas with my fellow industry friends.”

"Get ready to be inspired by some remarkable trailblazers from the hospitality and travel industries," says Ajit Mathew George, organizer and executive producer of TEDxWilmington. "These experts hold the secrets to living meaningfully through creating hotels with soul, conquering fear through travel, embracing pride as an organizational ideology, and more. We are excited to partner with Independent Lodging Congress on this TEDxWilmingtonSalon."

The Independent Lodging Congress is partnering with TEDxWilmington to produce the event.

"The Independent Lodging Congress (ILC) is thrilled to partner with TEDxWilmington, which is curating a lineup of some incredibly provocative thought leaders from the areas of hospitality and travel," said Andrew Benioff, ILC founder and chairman. "The ILC, taking place October 4 - 6, 2017 in Brooklyn, New York, strives to continuously break barriers, incite innovation and create connections. Through this TEDxWilmingtonSalon, we hope to expand the stage upon which we explore creativity in independent lodging."

Tickets are $100, and are available at www.tedxwilmington.com.