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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.

Monday, August 24
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4:00pm - 5:30pm

Concurrent Session: Peer-to-Peer Roundtable

  • Franklin 9/10
    Philadelphia Marriott Downtown

    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. 

    Attendees would leave with:

    • 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