We Can’t Wait to Welcome You to Phoenix
Rooted in the power of Ideas That Travel, ESTO 2025 is thoughtfully curated to spark bold ideas and innovative strategies you can take home to shape the future of your destination.
As we continue build out the program, we’ll keep this page updated with fresh sessions designed to transform the way you approach destination marketing.
All sessions will be held at the JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort & Spa.
Conference Credentials: All delegates are issued a non-transferable name badge at registration, which is required for admission to all official ESTO functions. If you lose your name badge, please visit registration.
Sessions
Take a peek below to see a few of our sessions we’ve already started working on. Stay tuned for more!
Decoding Traveler Sentiment: What’s Changing & How to Adapt
Traveler sentiment is evolving fast—are you keeping up? This session dives deep into the latest research on how American consumers are feeling, thinking and planning their travel and trips. Discover how shifting motivations and expectations can shape your marketing and messaging strategies as we look ahead to 2026 and beyond.
Through fresh data, real-world insights and practical takeaways, you’ll gain the knowledge to keep your destination or brand ahead of the curve.
Destination Discourse LIVE: Unfiltered Insights on the Future of Travel Marketing
Join Stuart Butler and Adam Stoker, hosts of the Destination Discourse podcast, for a candid conversation on the future of destination marketing, from shifting consumer behavior to emerging technologies. In this interactive live session, they’ll explore the industry’s most pressing challenges and opportunities for today's DMOs—and spotlight the strategies that matter most. With live polling and audience Q&A, you’ll walk away with practical takeaways and a deeper understanding of how to navigate disruption, push boundaries and lead with impact.
Crisis Control: Mastering the Art of Stakeholder Communication Under Pressure
When crisis strikes, how you communicate can make or break public trust, stakeholder confidence and event continuity. This session explores how destination leaders navigated high-stakes situations — from a terrorist attack in a major city to devastating hurricanes in North Carolina — while ensuring large-scale events moved forward and visitors felt safe.
Through real-world case studies, you’ll learn how DMOs, public officials and partners aligned messaging, managed uncertainty and maintained confidence among residents, travelers and media.
Key takeaways include:
- Enacting proven communication practices during emergency situations
- Aligning messaging across tourism, public safety and government partners
- Striking the right balance between speed, transparency and sensitivity
- Building proactive communication plans before a crisis hits
Whether you’re responding to immediate threats or preparing for the unexpected, this session will equip you with practical tools to lead calmly, clearly and effectively under pressure.
How to Market to a Meeting Planner
When targeting meeting planners and group business to your destination, marketers often face the challenge of balancing sales priorities with traditional leisure-focused messaging. So, what actually moves the needle?
In this session, you’ll hear directly from marketers, sales professionals and meeting planners to uncover what truly resonates — and what falls flat. Walk away with insights on messaging and creative that hook meeting planners, support your sales team and ultimately drive bookings.
Rethinking Tourism: Stewardship That Sustains People, Place & Progress
As destinations navigate a rapidly evolving world, the pressure to balance tourism growth with sustainability, cultural integrity and community well-being has never been greater. This session explores how leaders can champion destination stewardship that drives economic impact while preserving what makes a place thrive.
Through real-world case studies and proven best practices, you’ll gain actionable strategies in collaborative governance, visitor management, climate action and community engagement — key pillars for building resilient, future-ready destinations.
Leave inspired to rethink tourism’s role with a model that prioritizes people, planet and shared prosperity.