Schedule

In today’s environment, even the strongest brands can’t stand still. Audiences are shifting, expectations are rising and loyalty is harder than ever to earn. From legacy franchises to emerging leagues, sports organizations are being forced to adapt in real time — balancing tradition with reinvention while performing under constant public scrutiny. This conversation brings together leaders from across the sports landscape to explore what it takes to stay relevant, build passionate communities and lead through constant change. From evolving fan expectations to organizational agility and cultural relevance, these executives will share how they are navigating disruption while continuing to grow, innovate and inspire loyalty. For destination leaders facing many of the same pressures, this session offers a fresh perspective on resilience, reinvention and leading when the landscape won’t stop shifting.

When state tourism offices, destination organizations, and airports align around shared data, strategy, and storytelling, the impact extends far beyond visitation. It influences air service development, funding conversations, economic growth, and resident sentiment.This panel brings together executive leaders from Colorado Tourism Office, Visit Denver, and Denver International Airport to share how cross-entity collaboration drives measurable outcomes across a destination ecosystem.

In the current global landscape, the challenges we face as destination leaders are no longer unique to travel. From the volatility of consumer sentiment to the rapid acceleration of digital expectations, the forces disrupting our industry are the same forces reshaping the global economy. To secure our next breakthrough, we must look beyond our own industry. This executive forum brings together the strategic architects behind some of the world’s most resilient retail, technology, and lifestyle brands to discuss the mandate for continuous evolution. We will move beyond identifying market trends to deconstructing the agility required to lead a brand through total industry transformation. Hear how destinations can translate global business innovations into a sustained competitive advantage, ensuring our destinations remain essential anchors in the lives of the modern consumer.

DMOs are under pressure to adopt AI, yet many lack a clear path from experimentation to operational impact. This peer-to-peer roundtable grounds the conversation in Visit Mesa’s AI roadmap, including what worked and what did not. Then the session shifts to facilitated discussion so attendees can compare approaches, address stakeholder expectations, connect AI efforts to ROI, and identify realistic next steps they can implement immediately.

Destination marketing works best when states and local DMOs are aligned — but in reality, competing priorities, funding structures, brand ownership and political dynamics often create friction behind the scenes.This hybrid session will begin with a candid conversation exploring where collaboration actually works, what commonly breaks alignment and how destination organizations can better navigate shared goals around tourism growth, air service, major events, advocacy and destination positioning.The second half of the session will shift into peer discussion at their tables, giving attendees the opportunity to openly share challenges, compare approaches and exchange practical strategies for building stronger state and local partnerships in increasingly complex environments.

Destinations often look only to each other for inspiration, leading to similar strategies and diminishing impact. This session explores how high-performing brands outside tourism—such as retail, real estate, ecommerce, autonomous vehicles, and higher education—drive desire, trust, and conversion, featuring insights from industry experts and a destination applying these ideas. Attendees will learn how to adapt proven strategies to elevate destination marketing in scalable, practical ways.

Join Expedia Group Advertising to discover what resonates most with today’s travelers. Drawing on the Science of Wanderlust research, you’ll see how partners are creating content that inspires, builds trust, and drives bookings - from short-form videos to inclusive and authentic storytelling. Learn actionable strategies for leveraging AI, media networks, and creative partnerships to deliver measurable results across the entire traveler journey.

Destination organizations face rising scrutiny, shifting politics and growing resident expectations. This session reframes PR as a leadership function, equipping teams to build stakeholder trust, align visitor promotion with community priorities and respond confidently to disruption. Attendees will leave with practical frameworks to strengthen credibility, readiness and long-term relevance regardless of destination size.

Travel is constantly evolving & understanding where it’s headed requires more than surface level signals. We’ll introduce Tripadvisor Trendcast 2026, our latest look at the forces shaping how & why people travel. Featuring 10 emerging trends, this report draws on decades of traveler insight to spotlight what’s gaining momentum, what’s changing & what will influence travel decisions. We’ll break down each trend, why it matters now & how it’s already showing up in real travel experiences.

Do your DMO and state have a hard time winning together? Do you need to galvanize stakeholders behind you? Have you met the power of reality TV? What started with hope and a creative pitch turned into a powerful integrated marketing and PR campaign when we hosted Top Chef. This case study will spur tactical ideas and spew food puns. Learn how reach, impressions and heads in beds led to a bipartisan film tax credit. Get inspired to turn TV clicks into bookable trips.

The transition from the Google digital ecosystem to Gen AI is well underway, and marketers need to adapt to rapidly changing consumer behavior. Gain insights from iolite group's State of AI study focused entirely on how consumers use gen AI for travel - what situations they use it for, what they like/dislike about it, and what all this means for destination marketers.

Destination marketing funnels haven’t disappeared...they’ve gone invisible. AI, algorithmic feeds, and zero-click discovery are shaping travel decisions long before (or if ever) websites or campaigns are engaged. This session reframes how destinations understand discovery, influence, and demand in a system-driven world, offering practical frameworks to adapt strategy, measurement, and content for what travelers actually experience today.

Many policymakers view tourism marketing claims with skepticism, shaped by inconsistent metrics and inflated success stories. This trust gap makes it harder for destinations to secure funding and long-term support. This session explores why the gap exists and how destinations can close it through transparency, independent data, and economic grounding—equipping attendees to communicate results in policy-relevant language and rebuild credibility with decision-makers.

Join us for an evening recognizing the work—and the people—moving destination marketing forward. The ESTO Awards highlight the ideas, campaigns and innovation shaping the future of our industry.This is a moment to come together, celebrate excellence and connect with peers across the industry.Dress: Red, white and blue with a sparkle too.