OLYMPIC VALLEY, Calif. — Directors with the Mountain Travel Symposium announced Tuesday that registration for the 38th annual week-long conference scheduled April 15-21 at the Resort at Squaw Creek is up 16 percent compared to last year.

Only a few slots remain for participation in the Trade and Group exchanges — the high impact tradeshow sessions where buyers and sellers of mountain travel components such as lift tickets, lodging, air and rental cars, meet to negotiate business for the following season, officials said in a press release Tuesday.

More than 1,000 mountain travel professionals attend each year to meet with clients and prospective partners during the Exchanges, officials said. They also participate in an educational forum that includes two days of general sessions with nationally renowned speakers and a series of small group workshops in six separate travel-specific specialty tracks.

Featured presenters this year include Carl Sparks, CEO of Travelocity, who is expected to share insights on what to anticipate in leisure travel trends; and Alison Levine, team captain of the first American women's Everest expedition and currently the president of DareDevil Strategies.

The long-awaited change in the weather patterns and recent snowfall in Lake Tahoe has fueled anticipation for the upcoming meeting. The

“It seems like the economic challenges of the past few years have made attendance at Mountain Travel Symposium more vital than ever,” said Michael Pierson, a symposium partner, in a statement.

For information, visit www.mtntrvl.com.