10:15am - 10:45amBreak
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Sponsored byWarner Bros. Discovery
Break Menu
Smoothie Station
-Strawberry Banana (V, GF)
-Pineapple Mango (V, GF)
-Blueberry, Lime, Cashew Smoothie (V, GF, CN)
Beverages
Regular Coffee
Decaffeinated Coffee
Assorted Hot Teas & Condiments
GF = Gluten Free; DF = Dairy Free; CN = Contains Nuts; Veg = Vegetarian; V = Vegan
10:30am - 10:40amExperience
10:30am - 10:45amExperience
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Get inspired in just 15 minutes! Join us in the AI Playground for quick, high-impact demos showing how AI can spark ideas, solve problems, and supercharge your work. See real-world examples in action, ask questions, and leave with practical tips you can use right away.
10:45am - 11:10amConcurrent Session: Take Off Talk
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Creative partnerships can transform any event into a memorable brand experience. In this session, Choose Chicago Chief Marketing Officer Lisa Nucci shares how the DMO collaborates with local artists and designers to craft bold, unexpected moments that connect visitors to the heart of the city. From large-scale conventions to seasonal campaigns, artist-led activations—like murals, custom postcards and branded merchandise—offer a fresh way to express your destination’s identity. You'll leave inspired to engage your local creative community and rethink how your destination shows up when it matters most.
10:45am - 11:30amConcurrent Session: Peer-to-Peer Roundtable
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Pre-Registration Required
Promoting U.S. destinations abroad takes creativity, coordination and constant learning. This peer-to-peer roundtable is a chance to exchange ideas, share best practices and explore how destinations are engaging international audiences. Come ready for an open, energetic discussion—complete with real-world wins, hard lessons and new ideas to take home.
To foster more focused, meaningful conversation, registration is capped at 60 participants.
Advance RSVP required through your personalized schedule.
10:45am - 11:45amConcurrent Session: Presentation
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As traveler expectations evolve, content strategy has to evolve with them. This session offers a practical framework to help destination marketers turn evidence-based search data and audience trends into smarter content strategies that drive engagement and revenue. U.S. News & World Report will share exclusive insights—from fresh survey findings and site traffic patterns to how their rankings data reveals consumer preferences across not only travel but where to live and retire. You’ll learn how to identify emerging audiences, uncover high-opportunity gaps and create content that meets travelers where they are and where they’re headed.
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Marketing to meeting planners isn’t the same as marketing to leisure travelers—and striking the right balance between sales goals and brand storytelling can be tricky. So what actually gets their attention?
In this fast-paced session, go beyond the guesswork with straight talk from marketers, sales professionals and meeting planners themselves. You’ll dig into what messaging breaks through, what creative actually converts, and how to align your brand with the needs of the group business market. Leave with actionable insights to elevate your approach—and help your sales team seal the deal.
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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.
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Streaming platforms aren’t just for entertainment—they’re fast becoming a powerful tool for destination storytelling. In this session, explore how tourism boards are teaming up with brands like Rivian and Jeep to create compelling content that moves audiences, featuring campaigns from Illinois Tourism and Travel South Dakota, both distributed on Roku through Matador Network partnerships. What you’ll learn:
- How to leverage streaming media for high-impact destination marketing
- The power of cross-industry brand partnerships to elevate your message
- Ways to measure success and ROI in this new media frontier
11:15am - 11:40amConcurrent Session: Take Off Talk
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Touchdown, Laurel Highlands! By partnering with two powerhouse NFL teams—the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers—GO Laurel Highlands turned fandom into brand fuel. Co-branded sweepstakes and smart campaigns delivered 20+ million impressions and 60% growth of their CRM database. Unpack the strategy behind the hype and learn actionable ways for your DMO to play in the big leagues in this session.
12:00pm - 12:45pmConcurrent Session: Presentation
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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.
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The world of meetings and group travel marketing is constantly in flux. With data-driven insights and bold strategies, you can turn market shifts into next-level growth opportunities. Dive into real-world examples where sustainable strategies are winning traveler loyalty. Learn how to adapt your marketing efforts and leverage partnerships with tour operators and event planners to remain competitive in this ever-evolving landscape. In the session attendees will hear about:
- Understanding Travel Managers: Learn how their sourcing objectives and preferences can enhance targeted engagement.
- Buyer Priorities: Discover evolving priorities to align offerings with market demands and boost competitiveness.
- Effective Sourcing Strategies: Stay updated on buyer trends and tailor your approach with proven sourcing methods to meet travel managers' expectations.
- Adaptation to Market Changes: See how AI and automation can help you outpace demand changes.
To foster more focused, meaningful conversation, registration is capped at 60 participants.
Advance RSVP required through your personalized schedule.