Program Schedule

Pre-Registration Required

About the Immersion: Immerse yourself into the breathtaking landscapes of the Lower Salt River for an experience that blends adventure with impact. This one-of-a-kind journey through the stunning Sonoran Desert waterways combines outdoor recreation with hands-on environmental stewardship.  

Start your morning with a guided paddle along the Salt River, gliding past towering, saguaro-studded cliffs — you may even spot the famous wild horses that roam the area! While taking in the natural beauty, attendees will also take part in a cleanup effort alongside local sustainability advocates.  

By integrating environmental, social, and economic sustainability into your tourism strategy, you’ll gain insight into how your destination can grow their visitor economy while leading the way in preserving its unique ecosystems and promoting sustainable travel.    

Check-in: 8:00 a.m. – 8:15 a.m. at the JW Desert Ridge lower level Convention Center 

Buses will load at 8:15 a.m. and depart at 8:30 a.m.

Limited to 100 participants. Hosted by Visit Mesa

Questions? Please contact [email protected].

Advance RSVP required through ESTO 2025 registration.

Pre-Registration Required

About the Immersion: The internationally acclaimed Heard Museum in central Phoenix is one of the best places to experience the myriad cultures and art of the Indigenous peoples of the Southwest.  Join us for an unforgettable journey through this world – renowned museum, home to a collection of nearly 2,000 treasures and masterpieces. This guided experience will showcase how the Heard Museum weaves history and contemporary Indigenous expressions to educate visitors on the 22 Native tribes of Arizona.  

Through this immersive tour, you’ll gain insights into how destinations can blend past and present storytelling to foster deeper connections and drive visitor engagement. Don’t miss this opportunity to engage, learn, and be inspired! 

Check-in: 9:00 a.m. – 9:15 a.m. at the JW Desert Ridge lower level Convention Center

Buses will load at 9:15 a.m. and depart at 9:30 a.m.

Limited to 50 participants. Hosted by Visit Phoenix

Questions? Please contact [email protected].

Advance RSVP required through ESTO 2025 registration.

Pre-Registration Required

About the Immersion: What if a cocktail could tell the story of your destination? In this interactive and flavorful session, discover how Visit Phoenix turned local ingredients into a powerful branding tool with The Phoenix, the city’s official signature cocktail.    

Learn how tourism leaders, mixologists, and community partners collaborated to craft a drink that captures the city’s spirit—literally—and how it now serves as a tool for storytelling and visitor engagement.    

Enjoy a tasting of The Phoenix cocktail, get behind-the-scenes insights into the creative process, and take part in a hands-on exercise to uncover how your destination’s natural flavors, cultural roots, and signature vibes can be transformed into meaningful, marketable experiences that travel far and wide.    

Check-in: 9:45 a.m. – 9:55 a.m. at the Kembara restaurant at the JW Desert Ridge

Limit to 32 participants. Hosted by Visit Phoenix and JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge

Questions? Please contact [email protected].

Advance RSVP required through ESTO 2025 registration.

Pre-Registration Required

About the Immersion: What if a cocktail could tell the story of your destination? In this interactive and flavorful session, discover how Visit Phoenix turned local ingredients into a powerful branding tool with The Phoenix, the city’s official signature cocktail.     

Learn how tourism leaders, mixologists, and community partners collaborated to craft a drink that captures the city’s spirit—literally—and how it now serves as a tool for storytelling and visitor engagement.   

Enjoy a tasting of The Phoenix cocktail, get behind-the-scenes insights into the creative process, and take part in a hands-on exercise to uncover how your destination’s natural flavors, cultural roots, and signature vibes can be transformed into meaningful, marketable experiences that travel far and wide.     

Limit to 32 participants. Hosted by Visit Phoenix and JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge

Questions? Please contact [email protected].

Advance RSVP required through ESTO 2025 registration.

Pre-Registration Required

Start your ESTO 2025 experience with confidence and connection New to ESTO or attending solo? Or maybe it’s been a while, and you’d like a quick refresher? Join us for a dynamic pre-conference welcome session designed to set you up for success. You’ll get the inside scoop on what to expect throughout the event, explore a variety of session formats, and discover can’t-miss networking opportunities. Connect with fellow first-time attendees, gain valuable tips from seasoned ESTO veterans, and start building your ESTO community from the very beginning. We can’t wait to welcome you!

Advance RSVP required through ESTO 2025 registration.

Pre-Registration Required

Creating meaningful travel experiences starts with meaningful relationships. This roundtable session brings together industry leaders to share how tourism professionals can engage with indigenous communities through collaboration, cultural sensitivity and long-term respect. Whether you represent a DMO, tour company or hospitality brand, you’ll gain insights into building partnerships that honor heritage, uplift communities and lead to more responsible tourism practices.

To foster more focused, meaningful conversation, registration is capped at 60 participants.

Advance RSVP required through ESTO 2025 registration.

Pre-Registration Required

Your destination’s story is only as strong as the strategy behind it. Join peers to explore how today’s PR and communications practices are shifting and what it means for storytelling in the travel industry. Share wins, talk through roadblocks and gather ideas around media outreach, brand alignment and community narratives that truly resonate.

To foster more focused, meaningful conversation, registration is capped at 60 participants.

Advance RSVP required through ESTO 2025 registration.

Pre-Registration Required

The stories we tell—and how we tell them—can make or break how travelers engage with a destination. Designed for States, this roundtable offers space to share lessons learned, swap strategies and talk candidly about the wins and challenges of modern PR. From media partnerships and press trips to messaging during moments of crisis, come ready to explore what’s resonating and what’s not.

To foster more focused, meaningful conversation, registration is capped at 60 participants.

Advance RSVP required through ESTO 2025 registration.

Pre-Registration Required

What started as a campaign turned into a transformational alliance. The Cincy Region, powered by Visit Cincy and meetNKY, has evolved into a seamless cross-state collaboration touching every facet of destination marketing. From international reach to CRM integration, this session explores how the DMOs created a unified front—winning buy-in from boards and governments, growing global visibility, and proving that bold collaboration drives real change.

To foster more focused, meaningful conversation, registration is capped at 60 participants.

Advance RSVP required through ESTO 2025 registration.

Pre-Registration Required

Welcome Centers will remain a powerful entry point for destinations if they evolve with the times. Join this interactive session to hear new research from Tennessee’s recent visitor profile survey and explore how data is shaping the future of Welcome Center strategy. Through open discussion, you’ll exchange ideas with peers and identify practical ways to align your center’s offerings with the evolving needs of today’s travelers.

To foster more focused, meaningful conversation, registration is capped at 60 participants.

Advance RSVP required through ESTO 2025 registration.

Get ready for fast, focused insights in the Solutions Hub—a series of rapid-fire, 15-minute presentations built to deliver real solutions to real challenges. From actionable marketing strategies to fresh, data-driven ideas, each session is packed with practical takeaways DMOs can put to work immediately. No fluff—just smart, high-impact content to elevate your destination.