Each year, ESTO delivers bold content, dynamic learning formats and opportunities to connect and equip destination leaders with insights they can immediately put into action.
In Phoenix, the ESTO 2025 program set a new standard for how destination leaders learn and connect. Attendees experienced:
These highlights exemplify ESTO’s ongoing commitment to building programs that push boundaries and inspire action.
Event Policies
For full details including information around cancellations, substitutions, payments and photography, explore U.S. Travel’s general event policies and ESTO-specific guidelines.
Put your skills to the test at the Cadent Claw Machine—where machine precision meets human finesse—for a chance to win an Amazon gift card. Prefer to leave it to luck? Enter our raffle to win a pair of Meta glasses.
While you're there, connect with the Cadent team to learn how we're redefining standards in travel & tourism advertising. We look forward to seeing you!
Step into the ESTO Cares Activation Lounge to continue giving back! Build more kits, connect with fellow attendees, and make an impact in our local community. Whether you’re assembling essentials, sharing a smile, or learning how to extend your volunteer efforts beyond the conference, this is your space to make a difference—one kit at a time.
Visit our Genius Bar to chat with featured AI experts, our featured "geniuses", ready to answer your questions, share tips, and guide you through all things AI.
Table 1
Greg Oates
Director of AI Advocacy
Matador Network
Table 2
Dan Flores
Head of Tourism
Satisfi Labs
Look Sharp. Be You. Refresh Your Headshot!
Make a lasting impression, both online and in person. Stop by the headshot lounge at the top of the escalators during ESTO to receive a complimentary professional headshot, courtesy of Travelzoo.
Whether you are updating your LinkedIn profile, refreshing your company bio, or simply looking for a high-quality, professional photo, our onsite photographer will help you look your best while capturing your authenticity.
It’s quick, seamless, and a great reason to learn more about how Travelzoo supports professionals like you.
The Artificial Intelligence (AI) Playground at U.S. Travel’s ESTO 2025 will equip destination marketers with the knowledge, confidence, and tools to embrace AI as a transformative force in travel marketing and destination promotion. This interactive activation space will blend education, hands-on exploration, and real-world applications to help DMOs understand how AI works—and more importantly, how they can leverage it to elevate their strategies and drive impact for their destinations.
Pause, unwind, and recharge in the Wellness Lounge—your personal reset zone amidst the conference buzz. Sponsored by Simpleview, a Granicus Company, drop in for a complimentary chair massage from licensed therapists and take a few minutes to relax, reset your mind, and release tension. No sessions, no signup—just real relief, right when you need it. Because great ideas start with a clear head.
Step into the Phoenix Pop-Up Shop Experience and discover the vibrant spirit of the city through its local makers and artisans. Browse a curated selection of products from talented Phoenix vendors—featuring everything from handcrafted goods to locally inspired treats. It’s the perfect chance to take home a unique piece of Phoenix while supporting the businesses that make our community thrive.
Chilttepica Products
Family-owned Chilttepica brings the bold, smoky heat of the legendary chiltepin—the ‘mother of all chiles’—to every season.
Grandeur Lathers
Luxury plant-based bath and body care—handcrafted soaps, solid hair care, and lotion bars in sustainable, plastic-free packaging.
Visit Phoenix Pop-Up Shop
Snag desert-inspired apparel, gifts, and goodies to zhuzh up your style and show off your Sonoran Desert adventure.
Visit our Genius Bar to chat with featured AI experts, our featured "geniuses", ready to answer your questions, share tips, and guide you through all things AI.
Table 1
Greg Oates
Director of AI Advocacy
Matador Network
Table 2
Rudi Thun
Chief Operating Officer
Mindtrip
Get inspired in just 15 minutes! Join us in the AI Playground for quick, high-impact demos showing how AI can spark ideas, solve problems, and supercharge your work. See real-world examples in action, ask questions, and leave with practical tips you can use right away.
As traveler expectations evolve, content strategy has to evolve with them. This session offers a practical framework to help destination marketers turn evidence-based search data and audience trends into smarter content strategies that drive engagement and revenue. U.S. News & World Report will share exclusive insights—from fresh survey findings and site traffic patterns to how their rankings data reveals consumer preferences across not only travel but where to live and retire. You’ll learn how to identify emerging audiences, uncover high-opportunity gaps and create content that meets travelers where they are and where they’re headed.
Marketing to meeting planners isn’t the same as marketing to leisure travelers—and striking the right balance between sales goals and brand storytelling can be tricky. So what actually gets their attention?
In this fast-paced session, go beyond the guesswork with straight talk from marketers, sales professionals and meeting planners themselves. You’ll dig into what messaging breaks through, what creative actually converts, and how to align your brand with the needs of the group business market. Leave with actionable insights to elevate your approach—and help your sales team seal the deal.
Streaming platforms aren’t just for entertainment—they’re fast becoming a powerful tool for destination storytelling. In this session, explore how tourism boards are teaming up with brands like Rivian and Jeep to create compelling content that moves audiences, featuring campaigns from Illinois Tourism and Travel South Dakota, both distributed on Roku through Matador Network partnerships. What you’ll learn:
- How to leverage streaming media for high-impact destination marketing
- The power of cross-industry brand partnerships to elevate your message
- Ways to measure success and ROI in this new media frontier
When crisis strikes, how you communicate can make or break public trust, stakeholder confidence and event continuity. This session explores how destination leaders navigated high-stakes situations — from a terrorist attack in a major city to devastating hurricanes in North Carolina — while ensuring large-scale events moved forward and visitors felt safe.
Through real-world case studies, you’ll learn how DMOs, public officials and partners aligned messaging, managed uncertainty and maintained confidence among residents, travelers and media.
Key takeaways include:
Whether you’re responding to immediate threats or preparing for the unexpected, this session will equip you with practical tools to lead calmly, clearly and effectively under pressure.
In a world where content is everywhere, connection is the new currency. This dynamic conversation will explore how modern storytelling—through influencers, creators, and destination marketers—is reshaping how travelers discover, engage with, and choose their next adventure.
Join a top travel influencer, a destination marketing leader, and a content strategist as they unpack what it takes to craft stories that resonate, go viral, and drive results. From authenticity and trust to algorithm-friendly creativity, we’ll dive into the strategies that are redefining reach—and what it means for your destination’s voice in the digital landscape.
Over the next four years, the U.S. will welcome more than 30 million international visitors for major events—putting unprecedented pressure on our travel system and infrastructure. Seizing this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity requires a modernized approach that balances security, efficiency and the travel experience. During this fireside chat, U.S. Travel and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will discuss innovations—from biometric technology to process improvements—that are transforming the entry experience for returning Americans and international visitors. The conversation will also cover CBP’s preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, America 250 and the 2028 Summer Olympics—and offer a preview of what DMOs and travelers can expect at U.S. ports of entry.