Schedule

As the way people discover, plan, and experience travel continues to evolve, so does the role of the welcome center. Today's travelers expect personalized experiences, authentic connections, and seamless digital tools alongside meaningful face-to-face interactions. Once viewed primarily as information stops, welcome centers are becoming strategic gateways that shape first impressions, inspire exploration, and support local communities. Join destination leaders for a peer-to-peer discussion on what's next. Together, we'll explore emerging trends, innovative ideas, and practical approaches that can help shape the next generation of welcome centers.

Our goal is simple: Everyone leaves with a fresh perspective, meaningful connections, and at least one practical idea they can take back and apply in their own destination.

In a world overflowing with AI generated information, trusted storytelling has never mattered more. Join us for an inspiring, hands on session with Smithsonian—America’s storyteller—to uncover how authoritative content can elevate your digital campaigns and spark deeper audience engagement. Whether you’re navigating tight budgets or striving to stand out in a crowded landscape, you’ll leave with actionable strategies, fresh ideas, and Smithsonian backed insights to strengthen your brand’s narrative. Following the success of our 250 Places to Celebrate America partnership, we’re offering an exclusive preview of Smithsonian’s new initiative for 2027—Hidden Natural Wonders— and concrete guidance on how to use this idea to amplify your destination’s visibility and impact.

Takeaways: 

• Elevate your narrative with actionable storytelling strategies designed to deepen audience engagement and strengthen the impact of your content.
• Make your brand unforgettable by harnessing the authenticity of your UNESCO sites, historic locations, iconic landmarks, and national parks to stand out in an increasingly crowded content landscape.
• Boost your visibility through proven approaches for structuring, positioning, and distributing stories so they are more likely to be surfaced and amplified among your target audience and summarized by generative AI systems.

As resident sentiment, public scrutiny and political pressure continue to grow, destination organizations can no longer afford to engage communities only during moments of controversy or crisis. Building long-term trust now requires intentional storytelling, stronger local relationships and a clearer connection between tourism and community value. This peer-to-peer roundtable will explore how destination leaders are building resident support over time through local media engagement, civic pride initiatives, internal communications and community-centered strategies — before they need public buy-in most.

Takeaways: 

• Build   Trust Proactively: Explore how destination organizations are building long-term resident trust and community support before challenges arise.
• Strengthen Community Ties: Share approaches for strengthening civic pride, local storytelling and community engagement as part of a broader destination strategy.
• Demonstrate Value: Discuss how organizations are measuring resident sentiment, navigating public scrutiny and demonstrating tourism’s value to local communities.

AI has become the loudest word in travel marketing, but underneath the buzz, DMO leaders are wrestling with real questions that rarely get honest answers. What actually changes when a visitor types a question into ChatGPT or Perplexity instead of Google? Does your content structure matter to a language model? Can you influence how AI platforms answer questions about your destination? And is your agency actually equipped to help… or just repackaging old deliverables with an "AI" label?

This roundtable cuts through the hype. Facilitated as an open, practitioner-level discussion, we would tackle the myths DMO marketers hear most — in vendor pitches, conference keynotes, and board rooms — and replace them with ground-level clarity. The goal is for attendees to bring their skepticism, their unanswered questions, and their real experiences and leave with actual clarity. 

Takeaways: 

• A clearer framework for evaluating AI vendor claims.
• Practical content and GEO strategies grounded in what LLMs actually respond to.
• Peer perspectives on what other DMOs are testing, investing in, and walking away from.

Destination marketing is evolving rapidly — but many organizations are still investing time, budget and energy into tactics, channels and reporting practices that no longer drive meaningful value. As traveler behavior, technology and stakeholder expectations continue to shift, destination leaders are being forced to make harder decisions about where to focus, what to prioritize and what to leave behind. 

This peer-to-peer roundtable will bring destination leaders together for a candid discussion on the strategies, metrics and legacy practices that may no longer serve the industry. From outdated reporting habits and overused marketing tactics to channels losing effectiveness and investments that no longer differentiate destinations, attendees will openly discuss what they are rethinking, reducing or walking away from entirely.

Takeaways: 

• Identify outdated marketing tactics, reporting practices and investments that may no longer create meaningful value for destination organizations.
• Explore how destination leaders are reevaluating channels, content strategies and success metrics in response to changing traveler behavior and stakeholder expectations.
• Exchange candid peer-driven Data & Insights on what organizations are cutting, evolving or deprioritizing — and where they are choosing to reinvest instead.

Events are often judged by attendance numbers, but attendance alone doesn’t tell the full story. As destinations face increasing pressure to justify investments, recruit the right opportunities, and demonstrate value to stakeholders, many are asking: Which events create the greatest value? How should success be measured? And what information is needed to make smarter event decisions?

Join this interactive roundtable discussion as we explore how destinations are evaluating event performance, defining event value, and identifying opportunities that align with their goals. Participants will share challenges, best practices, and emerging approaches to event measurement and strategy.