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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Tuesday, August 25
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2:15pm - 3:15pm

Concurrent Session: Presentation and Discussion

  • AI Leadership Strategy for DMO CEOs
    Franklin 5-7
    Philadelphia Marriott Downtown
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    The Matador AI Council is a forum for 50+ DMO CEOs to define AI leadership strategy through the lens of change management and organizational culture. This session begins with two Council members describing how they’re leading AI transformation across their organizations to drive new business outcomes. Then we’ll shift to a peer-to-peer roundtable conversation for participants to share their best practices for successfully implementing AI platforms and processes.  

    Takeaways:

    • How CEO and leadership AI fluency drive success more than anything.
    • How agents increase the ROI for AI beyond micro-productivity hacks.
    • How organization design is catching up to the technology.
    • How to ensure governance overkill doesn’t suppress adoption.

     

  • CMO Jam Live: Candid Conversations With Destination Leaders
    Franklin 11-13
    Philadelphia Marriott Downtown
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    This live, roundtable-style session brings the popular CMO Jam format to the ESTO stage. We'll tackle the most urgent challenges facing today’s tourism CMOs—sourced directly from the audience in advance and during the session. Expect candid conversation, tactical insight, and real-world examples. Attendees will walk away with peer-driven solutions, scalable strategies, and a pulse on what’s working across all destination sizes.

     

    Takeaways:

    • Proven Strategies From the Field: Learn what’s working (and what’s not) from real destination marketing leaders across the country.
    • Solutions for Current Challenges: Walk away with relevant, peer-sourced insights on the most urgent issues facing marketers today.
    • Scalable Ideas for Any DMO: Gain actionable takeaways that can be applied regardless of your destination’s size or structure.
  • Heads in Beds vs. Hearts in Brand: What Consumer Loyalty Can Teach Destination Marketers
    Franklin 1-2
    Philadelphia Marriott Downtown
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    The Pyramids of Giza have one-star reviews. So does the Eiffel Tower. Even the Grand Canyon. The hard truth? You can execute flawlessly and still disappoint the wrong visitor. Iconic consumer brands figured this out long ago. They build deep, data-informed loyalty with the right customer and maximize lifetime value from that relationship through meaningful interactions.
    So why are most destinations still optimizing for heads in beds instead of hearts in their brand?
    This session flips the script on how destination marketers think about audience. In the first half, we'll dig into real loyalty strategies from some of the world's most recognizable brands — how they define their best customer, deepen that relationship over time, and turn repeat behavior into revenue. Then we'll bring it home to destinations with a hands-on workshop where you'll leave with a working profile of your loyal visitor — who they actually are, what keeps them coming back, and how to build your marketing strategy around them instead of starting from scratch every campaign cycle.
    Takeaways:
    • A new framework for defining and finding your most loyal visitors.
    • Loyalty lessons from major consumer brands applied directly to destination marketing.
    • A draft "loyalty program" built in the room — ready to take back to your team.

  • Policy and Perspectives
    Franklin 9-10
    Philadelphia Marriott Downtown
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    Join us for Policy & Perspectives, an engaging session that combines the latest updates on the policy landscape with practical advocacy insights. Hear about the issues shaping the travel industry, gain perspective on the current legislative environment and learn how to effectively tell your story, build relationships with policymakers and make your voice heard.
    Whether you're a seasoned advocate or new to advocacy, you'll leave with a deeper understanding of the issues, greater confidence and practical tools to help advance the travel industry's priorities.

  • State vs. Local: How to Actually Win Together
    Franklin 3-4
    Philadelphia Marriott Downtown
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    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.

    Takeaways: 

    • Identify the most common sources of tension between state and local destination organizations — and what causes alignment to break down
    • Explore governance, funding and collaboration models that support stronger partnerships around branding, advocacy, air service and major events
    • Exchange practical peer-driven strategies for building trust, clarifying roles and creating more effective long-term collaboration between state and local organizations