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
Metrics Don’t Equal Strategy: The Rise of Destination Intelligence
Wednesday, April 14, 2021 | 1:00 pm ET
It is the ‘Golden Age’ of data in the DMO industry. However, this bounty of insights and information has arrived at a challenging time; while the need for destination intelligence has never been greater—the budgets to invest in and sustain those resources have reached historic lows. Join Madden Media’s Matt Clement and a panel of DMOs for a frank discussion on how the pandemic and societal challenges have shaped the role of destination intelligence for the DMO industry. How should DMOs tailor their approach to research and destination intelligence? Which information streams are critical and which are ‘nice to have’? How can destination intelligence platforms supplement the work of a research director or help make up for the loss of that FTE on staff? How can destination intelligence platforms make sense of the data ‘noise’ and enable enhanced decision making, more effective communication and improved advocacy efforts? Join the discussion for upfront answers to these critical questions as well as insights on how to best utilize destination intelligence to prepare for the coming recovery.
Moderator:
Matt Clement, Managing Partner, Madden Media
Panelists:
- Matt Borud, Marketing & Innovation Administrator, Idaho Department of Commerce
- Kalene Griffith, President/CEO, Visit Bentonville
- Brett Stawar, President & CEO, Visit Port Aransas
Sponsored by: Madden Media
Recovery Requires More Than Marketing
Wednesday, April 28, 2021 | 1:00 pm ET
With the recovery from COVID-19 gaining momentum, marketing to drive demand is only half of the equation for bringing visitors back to our markets. The destinations that recover fastest are going to be the ones that can inspire consumer confidence to push interest into action. Miles Partnership has supported hundreds of DMOs to look beyond their own channels to the power and reach of major platforms from Google to Facebook, Apple to TripAdvisor. CA Clark and Kim Palmer will first summarize three strategies your DMO can take to create the critical holistic balance between marketing and optimization to prepare your destination and support the recovery of local businesses. We’ll talk with Nerissa Okiye, Tourism Director in Martin County on Florida’s East Coast about her experience in leveraging these platforms to support the community – the tips, lessons, and suggestions from the ‘front line’ of destination marketing during this crisis.
CA Clark, VP of Technology and Kim Palmer, Destination Optimization Program Director are two of the industry’s most experienced and well-known authorities on the trends and challenges facing DMOs, as well as the ever-changing opportunities across platforms such as Google in the travel industry. CA and Kim lead the development of the Destination Optimization Program and each brings decades of experience working around the world with destinations and their tourism and hospitality partners.
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CA Clark, VP of Technology, Miles Partnership
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Kim Palmer, Destination Optimization Program Director, Miles Partnership
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Nerissa Okiye, Tourism Director, Martin County Florida Office of Tourism & Marketing
Past Conversations
To start watching, click play on any of the videos listed below.
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
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
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
- 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)
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
