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A free bi-monthly series of 60-minute online conversations with eTourism Community friends and colleagues sharing insights into the current climate and future direction.

Why? Because for more than 20 years, eTourism Summit has looked beyond today to “See Tomorrow” in an intimate setting that stimulates exchanges and ideation. We’re dedicated to providing a year-round forum to facilitate a continuing real-time exchange of ideas in this fast-changing environment. We hope you’ll join us as both presenters and audience.

See you there!

Upcoming Conversations

How an Evolving Marketing Strategy Drives Value-Based Visitors to Your Destination

Wednesday, March 10, 2021 | 1:00 pm ET

Let’s face it. 2021 continues to be the year of change. As marketers, we’ve implemented our strategic vision, however we find ourselves pivoting to adjust to the changes within the ever-evolving marketing landscape. But one thing remains constant – our goal of attracting the highest yielding visitors to our destinations. Join Visit Tampa Bay’s Chief Marketing Officer, Patrick Harrison, Gulf Shore & Orange Beach Tourism Advertising Manager, Morgan Barna and Epsilon’s Vice President of Travel & Tourism David Chastain as they share with you how to best create an “always-on” marketing strategy.

You’ll learn:

  • How a consistent digital media strategy drives positive outcomes
  • New strategies for reaching individuals with a means to travel and how to prioritize these value-based visitors
  • How Gulf Shores & Orange Beach was able to pivot and succeed through impacts of COVID-19, natural disasters and more
  • Insights learned from Visit Tampa Bay’s recent hosting of Super Bowl LV

Moderator:
David Chastain, Vice President of Travel & Tourism, Epsilon

Panelists:
Morgan Barna, Advertising Manager, Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Tourism
Patrick Harrison, CMO, Visit Tampa Bay

Sponsored by Epsilon

Register

Taking a Closer Look: There’s Nothing Like Having 20/20 Vision in 2021

Wednesday, March 24, 2021 | 1:00 pm ET

Many books will be written. Historians tell us that the world will be seen as ‘Before Covid’ and ‘After Covid.’
One year after everything stopped, it’s clear that this interruption was a defining moment. As the bottom fell out after 10 years of record growth, what are the new questions and who will answer them? What do DMOs need to ask themselves: teams, stakeholders, and communities?

Moderator:
Will Seccombe, President, Connect Travel

Panelists:

  • Valerie Bradley, Vice President of Marketing, Visit Macon
  • Justin Bresler, VP Marketing and Business Development, Visit Denver
  • Liz Mabe, Digital Marketing Director, Discover Puerto Rico
  • Jackie Saunders, AVP of Marketing, National Harbor
Register

Past Conversations

To start watching, click play on any of the videos listed below.

Balancing Resident, Sustainability, and Tourism Business Needs: Risks & Rewards

Wednesday, February 24, 2021 | 1:00 pm ET

Leading up to 2020, more and more destinations struggled with – and introduced new approaches to managing – excess demand. At their core, destination organizations exist to strengthen quality of life and sustain the very things that make a destination appealing were at risk. As the world moves towards recovery, destinations are once again tackling the issue of effective management. This lively discussion will dive into differing views on the approaches, as well as the risks and rewards.

Moderator:  Steve Paganelli, Head of Destination Marketing, Americas,TripAdvisor

Panelists:

  • Amir Eylon, President & Partner, Longwoods International
  • Cathy Ritter, Director, Colorado Tourism Office
  • Jennifer Wesselhoff, President & CEO, Visit Park City
  • Kalani L. Ka‘anā‘anā, Director of Hawaiian Cultural Affairs & Natural Resources, Hawai‘i Tourism Authority

Sponsored by Tripadvisor

See the Forest AND the Trees: Top Learnings From 2020 as Guideposts for 2021

Moderator: Adam Stoker, President & CEO, Relic Advertising + EKR
 
Panelists:
  • Cheryl Shallanberger, Vice President of Sales & Marketing, Ventura Visitors & Convention Bureau
  • Robb Wells, President & CEO, Greater Beaufort – Port Royal Convention and Visitors Bureau
  • Rachel Brown, Executive Director, Visit Durango Colorado

Sponsored by Relic

DMO Data Hoarding and How to Declutter (an industry self-help group discussion)

Clutter is nothing more than decisions you will never make. Hoarding is the persistent difficulty discarding or parting with possessions, regardless of their actual value. In our DMO industry, we often hoard data.  We’ve had to justify our existence for decades so we’ve created this fear if we don’t report the same metrics we did last year we may lose our budget.  We experience distress at the thought of getting rid of the items we have in our spreadsheets. There is so much data out there: Marketing attribution, STR reports, Surveys, website statistics, jobs data, relocations…  and tons more. We need to declutter! DMOs are spending too much money and they don’t need everything available. Together we can create a method using the correct insights and best data to make a better case to our stakeholders much easier and more compelling in the future. 
 

Moderators:

  • Ted Sullivan, CMO, Entrada Insights
  • Esra Calvert, Chief Data Advisor, Entrada Insights

Panelists:

  • Zeek Coleman, Director of Data Intelligence, Visit Savannah
  • Mitch Whitten, Executive Vice President for Marketing & Strategy, Visit Fort Worth
  • Janette Carter, Director of Marketing & Communications, Visit Tampa Bay
  • Andria Godfrey, Vice President, Longwoods International 
 
Sponsored by Entrada Insights