2021 Agenda

Registration

Las Vegas Convention Center, West Hall, 311-313

IPW Opening Reception

ResortsWorld

Registration

Las Vegas Convention Center, West Hall, 311-313

Coffee + Tea

Las Vegas Convention Center 

Tim Ash Opening Keynote – Unleashing The Primal Brain: Tapping the unconscious to move people to action

Drop a rock. It falls and hits the ground.

Once you understand brain evolution, many of our decisions will become easily predictable. To a scary degree, we are walking robots with knee-jerk responses, and not the rational geniuses with free will that we like to imagine.

What if you understood how the brain really makes decisions, and could consistently influence it? In this dynamic keynote, bestselling author and neuromarketing expert Tim Ash will teach you key strategies for influencing the primitive and irrational parts of the brain that are really in charge of our actions. You’ll learn how to tap powerful universal motivations and automatic responses to deliver your marketing message on-target every time.

Walk in with questions, walk away with a new perspective. Most importantly, understand your audiences and you’ll understand how to message them.

Keynote Speaker:

• Tim Ash, Keynote, Author and Advisor

Moderator:

• Evan Saunders, Vice President, Global Tourism & Hospitality, Near

Sponsored by

10 Things I Hate Love About You

Winning During The Storm: A Rising Tide Lifts All Boats

These Photos of Puppies Are Downright Shocking!

Morning Break + Networking

The perfect time to get hydrated and visit the eTourism Summit Tech Pavilion and Networking Room where you can meet with current and future clients/vendors, catch up with friends, and discuss sessions with peers. 

Glorious Purpose: How Visit North Carolina Stays A Step Ahead

Workshop: Strategies for a Post-Cookie World

Lunch at Marketing & Technology Pavilion at IPW

Emerging Tourism Stars: Q&A Panel & Lightning Round

Let’s fast forward five years to find out what the emerging tourism stars of 2021 might predict about DMOs in 2026. This quick-thinking panel of seven winners will respond to that question, tackle other questions, and take your questions in a lightning round. Bring yours!

Speakers:

• Moderator: Justin Farmer, SVP Business Strategy, MMGY
• Jake Brown, Content Manager, Visit South Bend
• Sabrina Dueñas, Digital Marketing Manager, Visit Oakland
• Cody Gray, President & CEO, Louisiana’s Cajun Bayou Tourism
• Kyle Johnson, Digital Communications Specialist, Indiana Destination Development Corporation
• Maria Skrzynski, Marketing Coordinator and Office Manager, Destination Ann Arbor

In partnership with

American Traveler Sentiment Surveys Reveal Wants and Needs

Longwoods International has had their finger on the pulse since “pandemic” appeared in the headlines. By talking with American travelers in waves of surveys, they’ve learned about prevalent attitudes toward travel and tracked those changing responses week after week. Let’s dig in.

Speaker:

• Andria Godfrey, Senior Vice President, Longwoods International

The Future is Now: Ad Engagement Through Virtual Tour Display Ads

Threshold 360 and seven DMOs have tested an innovative new ad unit—an interactive virtual tour embed into a display ad. Let’s see it in action in this demo to show how it works and how it performs.

Speakers:

• Seth Lawson, Director of Sales, Threshold360
• Josie Llado, Associate Vice President, Advertising & Digital Marketing, Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau

Burn to Earn: Thai Fit Challenge

Thailand is a Southeast Asian country that is best known for its nightlife, Bangkok, beaches, and plenty of delicious street food. The Tourism Authority of Thailand wanted to showcase the country as a health and wellness destination in order to capture a larger audience as well as educate others that Thailand offers travelers different experiences that few may know Thailand for. Instead of treating influencers like VIP celebrities, we wanted them to compete for prizes and upgrades in Thailand by burning calories.

Learn how Thailand leveraged YouTubers and brand collaborations with Adidas and Go Pro to inspire travel amongst a wave of millennials.

Speakers:

• Tida Harnpanpongse, PR Manager, Tourism Authority of Thailand
• Romey Louangvilay, Head of Communications & Creative Strategy, ELMNTL

Why Your Destination (Also) Needs a Podcast

Get started today! The host of Destination Marketing Podcast and co-host of The Travel Vertical Podcast dissects the importance of creating a piece of owned media. That’s just what Visit Laredo has done with the “Hola Laredo Podcast” for this Texas destination.

Speakers:

• Aileen Ramos, Director, Laredo CVB
• Adam Stoker, President & CEO, Relic and Destination Marketing Podcast

Afternoon Break + Networking

The perfect time to get hydrated and visit the eTourism Summit Tech Pavilion and Networking Room where you can meet with current and future clients/vendors, catch-up with friends, and discuss sessions with peers. 

Shark Tank 2021: Bright, Shiny, New Objects

Necessity is the mother of Invention. Five startups present their bright, shiny new objects — ideas that they believe the industry cannot do without. Channel your inner Mark Cuban and put your shark tank hat on. Which idea would you fund?

Speakers:

• John Mark Eberhardt, CEO, Stroll
• Bob Gilbert, Chief Travel and Tourism Strategist, Tourism Alchemy
• Jason Holic, Vice President of Business Applications and Insights, Experience Kissimmee
• Chris Lukenbill, Co-founder, Shrpa
• Ian Ross, Head of Civic, Placer.ai

When Hotel Metrics Meet Location Data

As destination marketers, we all know the feeling of awaiting our regular hotel metric report and reacting to RevPar. But how can a DMO take decisive, nuanced action on hotel metrics without understanding its hotel visitor? Find out what happens when we combine industry standard lodging metrics with the power and accuracy of location data, cracking the code on vacation rentals and the ever-elusive VFR visitor. Once you see our LED, you’ll never go back to incandescent again. Join Mike Rudowski of Visit Dallas and Ktimene Axetell of Arrivalist to explore a new frontier of actionable insights.

Speakers:

• Ktimene Axetell, Vice President Insights and Client Partner, Arrivalist
• Michael Rudowski, Vice President of Research & Insights, Visit Dallas

Four Platforms Uniquely Connecting Destinations to Their Customers

From creating local advisory groups to spur content creation to combing the worlds of a publisher and OTA, to using audio (curated radio stations and podcasts) to drive road trips, hear this panel highlight fun and creative ways to reach consumers.

Panelists:

• Moderator: Leroy Bridges, Vice President Digital & Communications, Visit St. Pete/Clearwater
• Ariel Azoff, Executive Director, Brand Partnerships, Atlas Obscura
• Michael Daniels, Client Director, Destination Marketing, Culture Trip
• Laura Fernandez, VP Head of Industry, Travel + Tourism, SiriusXM Media
• Dustin Woehrmann, CEO and Creative Director, Communify

Open Night

Help Desk

Las Vegas Convention Center, West Hall, 311-313

Coffee + Tea

Expedia Presents: Traveler Insights to Create & Capture Demand

Join Expedia Group Media Solutions for the latest insights from exclusive traveler data and research. We’ll explore how travel is returning—and shifting—to help travel marketers capture and drive demand on the recovery journey. Through data and actionable insights, gain deeper knowledge into the changing mindsets and expectations of travelers and, through industry case studies, learn how to apply learnings to inform destination marketing strategies and reconnect with travelers who are researching, planning and booking again.

Speaker:

• Derek Price, Director of Business Development North America, Expedia Group Media Solutions

Local Road Appeal: How Nevada Gets Visitors to Explore Their Home State

It’s not easy to get residents excited about traveling in their own backyards, but Travel Nevada and Noble Studios created an immersive, multimedia experience with local road appeal. Coupled with the wildly successful pandemic-era “Discover Your Nevada” campaign, this is a formula that works.

Speakers:

• M.E. Kawchack, Chief Deputy Director, Travel Nevada
• Jarrod Lopiccolo, CEO + Co-founder, Noble Studios

Help Wanted: Leveraging Destination Tools to Address a Community Challenge

Stealing talent is a thing? Communities facing workforce shortages are looking at recruiting from other cities to address operational needs. This need for talent creates new opportunities for destination organizations to forge a supportive role based on marketing expertise and programs. DMOs can leverage their outreach programs to help enhance perceptions of a community’s appeal.

Speakers:

• David Holder, CEO, Clarity of Place
• Andria Godfrey, Senior Vice President, Longwoods International

Zoom Boom: Now What? The Future of Work, Remote Work, and Talent Attraction

We’ll focus on the remote work opportunity, digital marketing tactics and challenges tackled head-on by forward-thinking destinations from Barbados, Miami and Chattanooga to Cleveland and Tucson. Moderated by Development Counsellors International, a leader in remote work and talent attraction marketing efforts for destinations, this session will explore new remote work research and trends, as well as dive into case studies (with a live Q&A with Visit Tucson) that have positioned destinations across America as harbingers of hope – both as places to visit and places to live.

Speaker:

• Steve Duncan, Senior Vice President, Paid Media & Lead Generation, Development Counsellors International
• Felipe Garcia, EVP, Visit Tucson

Morning Break + Networking

The perfect time to get hydrated and visit the eTourism Summit Tech Pavilion and Networking Room where you can meet with current and future clients/vendors, catch-up with friends, and discuss sessions with peers. 

Uh-Oh. No Business Travel. How Visit Irving Succeeded Anyway.

Visit Irving needed to reinvent itself for the leisure traveler while still generating future meetings business. With the help of Simpleview’s Strategy & Insights Team and CARES Act funding, they pulled it off with “Staycation” and “Safe Meetings” campaigns that are continually optimized for long-term results throughout 2021.

Speakers:

• Aaron Nissen, Director of Digital Strategy, Simpleview
• Monty White, Director of Marketing, Visit Irving

For Visitor Centers of the Future, Doug Ralston Is the Man to Know.

Go digital at the last frontier. TrueOmni and the State of Maine Tourism transformed traditional visitor centers into interactive experiences. Find out how and why visitors love it. (Lobster dinner not included.)

Speakers:

• Tony Cameron, CEO, Maine Tourism Association
• Douglas Ralston, CEO, TrueOmni

Get Owned Before You Get Owned

The pandemic placed a renewed sense of importance and focus on a destination’s owned digital platform. In this session you will hear the latest results from the 2021 Destination Marketing Technology Survey followed by a panel discussion around all things website, email and marketing technology.

Speakers:

• Robert Patterson, SVP, Marketing Technology, MMGY
• Will Seccombe, President, Connect Travel
• Jason Swick, VP of Strategy & Insights, Simpleview

Lunch at Marketing & Technology Pavilion at IPW

Winners Announced: 4th Annual eTSY Awards

Turn up the spotlight! We never have to look far in the search for excellence in digital tourism marketing. True to the longstanding spirit of eTourism Summit, it’s time to share some of the very best examples in 12 original categories.

Emcees:

• Derek Price, Director, Business Development – North America, Expedia Group Media Solutions
• Adam Stoker, President & CEO, Relic Agency and Destination Marketing Podcast

Sponsored by

Case Study: Responsibly Cultivating Passion for Santa Fe

Promoting a destination requires sharing something meaningful, however small, to entice people to visit. It may be a visual or a soundscape or a signature to-do, to provide a minute fraction of the real, in-person experience. We’ll show by example our attempt to engage visitors authentically and responsibly to Santa Fe, balancing representation of a destination with fueling a targeted, iterative digital marketing ecosystem.

Speakers:

• Jordan Guenther, Director of Marketing for TOURISM Santa Fe
• Meredith Vaughan, CEO, Vladimir Jones

That’s So Random! Sometimes Crazy Marketing Works Out Really Well

From putting masks on cars, to driving unannounced 10 hours to grab the right domain name, hear about unexpected activations and beyond-the-ordinary tactics in unconventional marketing strategies. Surprise…they actually worked!

Speakers:

• Ed Harris, President & CEO, Discover Lancaster
• Greg Star, Co-founder, Carvertise

Something Different: How GRIT Got You Through the Pandemic and Why It is The Most Important Skill for Success

Dr. Lawrence did his dissertation on grit, investing thousands of hours researching what he believes is the most important skill for professional and personal success. The pandemic has meant that DMO’s were forced to increase their grit —both individually and as a team—in response to pressure from funding sources and stakeholders. What practices and skills can be improved, so that grit becomes your superpower?

Speaker:

• Alex Lawrence, Ph.D, Co-founder and CEO, Datafy

Driving Mid-Week Overnight Stays: How Visit Savannah drove specific visitor demand by retargeting and modeling past visitors that vacationed during the middle of the week

It’s essential for destination marketers to reach high-value, high-yield potential visitors. We need to understand the impact of every marketing dollar and use data to optimize efforts that drive visitation while maximizing economic rejuvenation.

Let’s share how to understand individual behaviors, travel intent data and transactional spend to develop the right targeted marketing strategy.

Speaker:

• David Chastain, Vice President, Travel & Tourism, Epsilon
• Lauren Cleland, Director of Data Intelligence & Digital Marketing, Visit Savannah

Afternoon Break + Networking

The perfect time to get hydrated and visit the eTourism Summit Tech Pavilion and Networking Room where you can meet with current and future clients/vendors, catch-up with friends, and discuss sessions with peers. 

Good News / Bad News / No Time to Lose

The good news is we’re getting more visitors back. The bad news is we don’t have enough hospitality professionals to provide the service they seek. Get a 360-degree perspective on how DMOs can (and must) rise to the occasion to beat visitors’ expectations.

Speakers:

• Paul Berry, Vice President, Sunseeker Resorts
• Josh Collins, Head of Product, Community & Education, Zartico
• Patrick Lennon, Director of Marketing, Visit Fairfax County
• Shelby Mras, Account Manager, Streetsense
• Ralph Thompson, Operating Partner, Streetsense

Eavesdropping on the Best Marketing Conversations

What are DMO leaders and top CMOs talking about? With help from CRANT, we decided to “listen in” using artificial intelligence to identify the most relevant topics in their online conversations. The objective was to reveal the most engaging territories, topics, key words and phrases and to discover some surprising misses as well.

Speaker:

• Alvaro Melendez, Co-founder & CEO, CRANT

From a Junk Drawer to a Destination Evolution

What do shivering hockey fans, Niagara Falls fireworks and a founder’s journey have in common? They all start with a question… How do I grow our visitor economy, align our community values and support a thriving ecosystem of residents, visitors, and businesses, all while transforming my DMO?

In a world focused on the ‘what’, come and discover the why.

Speakers:

• Julie Gilbert, VP Sales and Marketing, Destination Niagara
• Jay Kinghorn, Founder, Zartico
• Tony Lyle, VP Tourism Development, Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority

Unlock Your Inner Pirate!

Dive into this “Unlock Your Inner Pirate” campaign to find out how Visit Tampa Bay leveraged strong and punchy visual assets, sophisticated media strategy and activations for top-of-mind awareness.

Let’s talk through: identifying opportunity audiences, aligning audience culture to brand creative and media mix, setting up a successful media sequencing strategy, and how to use micro-conversions to track engagement.

Speakers:

• Hannah Chute, Madden Media
• Patrick Harrison, CMO, Visit Tampa Bay
• Sarah Hupp, VP of Destination Strategy, Madden Media

Open Night

Help Desk

Las Vegas Convention Center, West Hall, 311-313

Coffee & Tea

Fireside Chat: How Destinations Can Make an Authentic Connection Through the Power of Podcasts

Podcasts are exploding. Over 116 million Americans are listening monthly. Let’s explore how DMOs can bring their destination to life and drive visitation through the power of podcasts.

Speakers:

• Ariel Azoff, Executive Director, Brand Partnerships, Atlas Obscura
• Laura Fernandez, VP Head of Industry – Travel + Tourism, SiriusXM

Destination Optimization – Bridging the Gap Between Management & Marketing

The changing role of destination organizations in their local communities was accelerated by COVID-19. Today’s DMOs must look beyond paid, earned and owned media to drive visitation and truly bridge the gap between destination marketing and destination management. In this session, we’ll look at how several destinations are meeting consumers where they are and, in the process, creating a more inclusive, equitable tourism economy and empowering their local businesses to be part of an accelerated recovery.

Speaker:

• Kim Palmer, Destination Optimization Program Director, Miles Partnership

Travel Metasearch and the Path to Purchase

It’s critical to know that the online traveler journey for consumers has a multitude of touch points. Let’s dive in and take a deeper look at the important role of metasearch and what destination marketers can glean from this understanding.

Speakers:

• Craig Baldino, Manager, Ad Sales, Kayak
• Daniel Wiener, Director of Ad Sales, Kayak

Break: eTourism Summit Tech Pavilion and Networking Room

The perfect time to get hydrated and visit the eTourism Summit Tech Pavilion and Networking Room where you can meet with current and future clients/vendors, catch up with friends, and discuss sessions with peers.

Prove Your Value to Stakeholders – The Metrics and Story You Must Sell for Job Security

The reality is there’s never been more pressure on DMOs to provide concrete proof for their stakeholders that the work they are doing creates economic impact. What an opportunity! This panel will discuss the specifics of how to use data to inform advertising decisions that result in measurable outcomes. If you are a DMO that wants to know some specific strategies and tech tools that will help you keep your job, increase budgets, and grow your overall team and efforts (even during a pandemic), this is a must attend session. DMO panelists will share about specific success stories they’ve had, and how they’ve created this success, during the last 12 months. Let them help you now too!

Speakers:

• Moderator: Dr. Alex Lawrence, Co-Founder & CEO, Datafy
• Dean Burke, President & CEO, Travel Tacoma
• Susan Bruinzeel, Sr. Director Planning and Research, San Diego Tourism Authority
• Micheal Martelon, President & CEO, Visit Telluride

Better Decision Making: Hudson Valley Tourism + Rove’s Destination Insights Platform

Where are my visitors coming from? Who are they? What do they do in-market? How does this change by season? Just a few of the questions every destination needs to answer as quickly, accurately, and easily as possible.

Speakers:

• Heather D. Bagshaw, Tourism Director, Greene County Tourism & Film Office
• James Sauter, Partner & Co-founder, Rove

Lunch at Marketing & Technology Pavilion at IPW

How the Pandemic Has Shown Us that Quality Data is More Critical Than Ever

The pandemic has been a crazy time for us digital marketers and if that wasn’t enough, Google is going to take away third party cookies and Apple is changing how location data works!! Let’s compare notes on how destination marketers are using data to validate our efforts, adapt to change and survive crazy times? Join us as we discuss the most innovative uses of data and share tips on how to navigate an uncertain future.

Speakers:

• Zeek Coleman, Senior Director Product Marketing, ADARA
• Becky Keeney, Tourism Operations and Marketing Director, Utah Office of Tourism
• Jonathan Smithgall, VP of Digital Marketing & Media, Love Communications

A Rising Tide Lifts an Industry: Flexible Co-ops Driving Recovery

As Georgia Tourism sought to support its stakeholders and restore visitation, implementing a solution for all that was highly measurable was key. Learn how a multi-tiered strategy leveraging self-serve tools as well as managed services allowed over three dozen stakeholders to be part of the solution.

Speaker:

• Gabby Martinez, Director, Commercial Strategy + Expansion, Tripadvisor
• Regan Young, Director Consumer Tourism Marketing, Georgia Department of Economic Development

Case Study: Wide.Open.Fun. – Daytona Beach Area CVB and The Brandon Agency

Nobody is ever ready for a pandemic. However, by repositioning the destination five years ago, that strategy paid off big when the pandemic hit. How is Daytona Beach continuing to deliver results as the campaign evolves?

Speakers:

• Kay Galloway, Marketing Director, Daytona Beach Area CVB
• Shelby Greene Selner, VP, Media Director, The Brandon Agency
• Andy Kovan, VP, Director of Strategy and Research, The Brandon Agency

Data & DMOs: Leading a Fragile Recovery

What can DMOs do to establish themselves as leaders of the recovery? Tourism Economics presents compelling examples of how DMOs are successfully leading their destinations through the recovery using current and predictive market insights. Practical takeaways on using data analytics for more effective decision making as well as for advocacy and community engagement.

Speaker:

• Erik Evjen, Director of Data Analytics,Tourism Economics

Afternoon Break + Networking

The perfect time to get hydrated and visit the eTourism Summit Tech Pavilion and Networking Room where you can meet with current and future clients/vendors, catch-up with friends, and discuss sessions with peers. 

TikTok to Instagram Reels: Reaching Travelers with the Story Format

Facebook, Instagram Stories and Reels, and of course, TikTok. The story format is captivating both consumers and content producers.

What makes a travel-focused story memorable, engaging, and actionable? Should you use photos, videos, or both? And, most importantly, how can you make the most of the story format to attract interested travelers to your destination?

Speakers:

• Jacquie Garcia, Publications Specialist, Montana Office of Tourism
• Rachel Semik, Communications and Social Media Manager, Tempe Tourism
• Zoë Weldon, Community Engagement Lead, CrowdRiff

IPW Closing Party

rand USA Marketplace Hall and Brand USA Luncheon Hall