Schedule



ESTO delivers bold content, dynamic learning formats and opportunities to connect and equip destination marketing leaders with insights they can immediately put into action.

Explore the full schedule to start planning your experience at ESTO.

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Monday, August 24
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1:30pm - 2:15pm

Concurrent Session: Presentation

  • A Story Nobody Else Can Tell: A Fireside Chat
    Franklin 11-13
    Philadelphia Marriott Downtown
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    Airlines see the journey before anyone else. Where demand is building, which markets are heating up, when travelers start planning. In this fireside chat, Ad+genuity (leading travel industry marketing agency) sits down with United Airlines to pull back the curtain on the kind of insight only an airline can offer: what key sporting events travel patterns are already signaling, how airline insights can sharpen drive-market campaigns, and the demand signals most destinations never get to see. If you market a destination, this is the room you want to be in.
    Takeaways:
    •What airline demand insights reveal about emerging travel moments, such as key sporting events and other cultural moments.
    •How to apply airline insights to sharpen drive-market campaign strategy.
    •How can destinations identify demand trends and influence decisions earlier in the planning journey.
    •How to differentiate strong travel audience signals from weak insights, and the questions every destination should ask before they take action.

  • From the Field of Play to the Feed: How Sports Tourism Fuels Destination Storytelling
    Franklin 5-7
    Philadelphia Marriott Downtown
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    Sports tourism has traditionally been measured in room nights and economic impact. But forward-thinking destinations are recognizing something even more powerful: sports events are storytelling platforms.
    From creator partnerships and user-generated content to earned media and community pride, sports events can fuel authentic stories that live far beyond the final whistle. This session will explore how destinations are breaking down silos between sports, marketing, and communications teams; maximizing the value of events already on the calendar; and turning a single event into months of content, engagement, and visibility.

  • The Mother Road 2.0: Leading a Legacy Brand Across Multiple Destinations
    Franklin 9-10
    Philadelphia Marriott Downtown
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    How do you evolve a legacy brand without losing what makes it iconic—especially when multiple destinations are involved? Using Route 66 as a case study, this session goes beyond campaign execution to explore how Oklahoma is navigating the complexity of modernizing a historic brand across state, city, and smaller destination partners. From aligning 11 smaller destinations around a shared vision (“The 100 Greatest Miles”) to balancing local priorities with statewide strategy, we’ll unpack the real challenges behind collaboration, brand consistency, and decision-making.

    Takeaways:

    Attendees will walk away with practical insight into how to:

    • Align multiple stakeholders around a single brand vision.
    • Balance legacy storytelling with modern traveler expectations.
    • Manage tradeoffs between local control and regional impact.
    • Execute a cohesive strategy across destinations of different sizes.