Eligibility
You are eligible to attend Educational Seminar for Tourism Organizations (ESTO) if you are a destination professional from a State or Territory tourism office, DMO, CVB, or statewide/regional tourism industry association. ESTO is unique in that it is created by and exclusively for this specific target audience. ESTO is not open to other industry sectors.
Official ESTO sponsor companies are the exception to this. If you have questions about whether your organization qualifies, please reach out to [email protected].
Registration Categories
- Attendee: Destination marketing professionals from City, Regional and State/Territory tourism organizations.
- Sponsor representative: Sponsor organizations may register representatives as outlined in the Sponsorship Letter of Agreement.
- Agency representative: DMO and State Tourism Offices may apply to register representatives from their agency of record.
Agency of Record Representatives-Eligibility Guidelines
U.S. Travel Association understands that some state tourism offices and DMOs/CVBs view their agencies of record as an extension of their staff. The agency of record must be under contract or retainer for advertising or marketing services. The attending representative must be in an account manager capacity and specifically assigned to the state/destination client.
Agencies and firms that serve multiple states and/or DMO/CVB clients (national in scope) should consider participating at ESTO as a sponsor. For sponsorship information, please contact Shari Bailey.
ESTO is designed for educational purposes only.
Job titles that include business development, new business, publisher, or executive staff (president, CEO, vice president, chief operating officer, etc.) are typically not the key account managers and are not allowed to attend ESTO under this policy.
To ensure the program is not misused, U.S. Travel has instituted an application process. The agency applicant must have a sponsoring state tourism office or DMO/CVB, and both parties must adhere to the following criteria:
- The state tourism office or DMO/CVB must initiate the application process, providing a signature that signifies that both parties consent to the ESTO Attendance Policy, and submit the application to U.S. Travel for review (application is not a guarantee of attendance).
- The account representative must clearly understand the attendance policy and agree not to solicit business from other states or DMOs/CVBs nor entertain ESTO delegates during the event.
- A state or DMO/CVB may invite no more than five representatives to ESTO. These representatives may work for different agencies.
- A staff member from the state tourism office or DMO/CVB must attend ESTO in order for the agency representative to attend.
- Agency representatives will have the sponsoring state tourism office or DMO/CVB listed on their conference badge.
- Approval to attend previous ESTO events does not guarantee approval for ESTO 2026.
- The application window closes two weeks before the conference. The deadline to submit applications for consideration is Thursday, August 6, 2026. Please note that applications will not be accepted over email.
Registration Fees and Policies
The registration fee covers all official conference sessions, activities, meal functions, and sponsored events. Fee excludes hotel, travel, and personal expenses. You must be a current U.S. Travel member to be eligible for the member rate.
Attendees registering at the member rate must have paid their 2026 membership dues in full on or before March 31, 2026, to be eligible for the member rate. Anyone who registers at the member rate but is not a member in good standing (i.e., fully paid) will be re-registered at the non-member rate and billed the price difference.
Registrations will only be processed online with a credit card. Registrants must agree to event Terms & Conditions. Registration confirmations will be emailed.
To secure the team rate, all registrants from your organization must register in a single transaction; individual registrations will not be refunded to reflect team pricing. If you need assistance, please contact [email protected].
Badge Policy
- Each registrant will be issued an official badge at the onsite registration desk.
- No admission will be granted to any session or function without this badge.
- Badges may not be shared or exchanged in any way; violators’ badges will be confiscated.
- Lost badges will be re-issued upon the registrant’s presentation of proper identification. A $250 fee will apply.
Payment Policy
- Where possible, payment in full should accompany applications for registrations.
- Accepted credit cards include American Express, Discover, MasterCard and Visa.
- State Tourism Office registrants may opt to pay by check or bank wire transfer by July 23, 2026. Instructions for submitting payment by check or bank wire transfer will be included in registrant confirmation materials. After July 23, credit card payment is required for all new registrations.
- Pre-registered attendees must submit payment on or before July 23, 2026, or make special arrangements with the ESTO registration team to bring payment to the on-site registration desk. No credentials will be distributed without full payment.
- Attendees who do not check in onsite and who have not submitted the required cancellation request (i.e., who are considered a "no-show" for the event) are fully responsible for any unpaid registration fees and will be billed accordingly.
Cancellations and Substitutions Policy
All cancellations must be submitted in writing to [email protected]. You may cancel for a full refund minus a $200 administrative fee until July 23, 2026. Cancellations received and time-stamped on or after July 24, 2026 are not eligible for a refund. No refunds will be issued after that date.
To transfer your registration to another individual within the same company, please send an email to [email protected] before the start of the event.
In the event the conference is cancelled, U.S. Travel liability is limited to the refund of the conference registration only.
Attendee Terms and Conditions
Acceptance of the U.S. Travel Event Terms and Conditions is required as part of the registration process.
Event Code of Conduct
The U.S. Travel Code of Conduct for Events establishes minimum expectations of behavior for individuals attending U.S. Travel-sponsored events such that all participants may feel safe and are treated with respect. The Code is strictly enforced.
Organized Events
Participants may not organize or sponsor any activities that conflict with the official program or sponsored events during official conference hours. Our partners have made significant investments in specific parts of the program, and we want all delegates to be able to enjoy this annual, one-of-a-kind experience without distraction.