Schedule

Concurrent Session: Presentation

• Beyond the Sign on the Building: Modern Sponsorship & Naming Rights Strategies for Destinations

  Franklin 1/2

  Philadelphia Marriott Downtown

  More Details

  Destinations are under increasing pressure to generate non-tax revenue without compromising community trust, yet many still rely on outdated sponsorship and naming-rights models. This session reframes sponsorship as a strategic value exchange, not just logo placement. Attendees will learn how to identify and monetize both physical and non-physical assets, avoid common pitfalls, and build long-term partnerships that align revenue goals with stewardship and brand integrity.

• Rebranding With Purpose: Turning Cultural Identity Into Destination Demand

  Franklin 3/4

  Philadelphia Marriott Downtown
• Rumor Has It — Let’s Align & Clear the Air

  Franklin 11-13

  Philadelphia Marriott Downtown

  More Details

  After a seven-year absence, the format of the Great Debates are returning and not for small talk.
  
  This is a reimagined Rumor Session built for the world we’re actually living in: AI-fueled narratives, half-truths, and leaders who too often dodge reality. So let’s ask the only question that matters:
  
  What are the facts and what’s real?
  
  We’re putting the industry’s biggest rumors on the table and calling them what they are: fact, fiction, or somewhere uncomfortably in between. No panels hiding behind safe answers. No vague consensus. Just sharp debate, real perspective, and clarity. Debaters will provide facts, receipts and the occasional industry expert testimony to prove their points.
  
  The goal:
  To confront the rumors shaping our industry and arm every attendee with the truth, so WE ALL can go back to our destinations and cut through the noise with confidence to our stakeholders and residents.
  
  These rumors have gone on long enough.
  
  So we brought Ted out of “retirement” to lead the debates on what's fact and what's fiction.
  
  Let’s clear the air.

• The New Shape of Destination Marketing Teams: How High-Performing Organizations Are Redesigning Talent, Structure & Accountability

  Franklin 5-7

  Philadelphia Marriott Downtown

  More Details

  Destination marketing organizations are operating in an environment that demands more alignment, agility, accountability, and cross-functional collaboration than ever before. As expectations from boards, communities, partners, visitors, and internal teams continue to expand, many DMOs are rethinking how talent is organized, how roles are defined, and how accountability is shared across the organization.This session explores how leading organizations are redesigning team structures and staffing models to better meet today’s demands. Through real-world examples, candid observations, and facilitated discussion, attendees will examine what is driving these organizational shifts, what changes some DMOs are making, where those changes are succeeding or struggling, and what lessons can be applied in their own contexts. The session is designed to spark peer exchange on how destination organizations can better align people, structure, and expectations to achieve stronger performance.