"Managing and Marketing Tourism in the International Environment," a conference designed to help hospitality-based businesses and organizations attract and serve international visitors and manage multicultural workforces, will be held Friday, Nov. 1 and Saturday, Nov. 2 at the Embassy Suites at Kingston Plantation in Myrtle Beach.

The cost of the conference, which is sponsored by Coastal Carolina University and the Myrtle Beach Area Hospitality Association, is $50 until Oct. 23 and $65 thereafter.

The conference's keynote speaker is Horst Schulze, who was president and chief operating officer of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company from 1983 to 2002. During Schulze's tenure, the Ritz-Carlton expanded from one property to more than 40 worldwide in 41 countries and twice won the prestigious Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award. A recognized leader in the service world, Schulze has been instrumental in reshaping the concept of customer service in the hospitality and the service industries.

Other featured conference speakers include: Chinny Carothers, director of marketing for Travel South, USA, an organization that promotes tourism in 12 southeastern states; Dwight Falkner, a member of the Immigration and Naturalization Service in Atlanta; Jay Kirkpatrick, responsible for European marketing and tour packaging for the southern United States for Unique Tours, a Tennessee-based group travel company; Lawrence J. Needle, an attorney specializing in business immigration, labor and employment matters; and Rand Romaine, international sales manager responsible for the United Kingdom, Ireland and Scandinavian markets for the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism (SCPRT).

The conference is made possible through a Title VIB Grant for Business and International Education from the U.S. Department of Education that Coastal Carolina University received for the time period 2001 to 2003.

For more information about the conference, contact Darla Domke-Damonte, director of international programs for Coastal's E. Craig Wall Sr. College of Business Administration, at 349-2455. For a registration form, visit the Web site at www.coastal.edu/business.