Program Schedule

 

What to Expect at ESTO

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.

Session Format
  • Keynotes: Bold ideas and big-picture insights from industry leaders.
  • Mini Keynotes: Fast-paced spotlights on emerging strategies.
  • Presentations: Case studies and research-driven sessions.
  • Take-Off Talks: Short, story-driven talks with big impact.
  • Roundtables: Interactive discussions and peer exchange.

 

A Look Back at ESTO 2025

In Phoenix, the ESTO 2025 program set a new standard for how destination leaders learn and connect. Attendees experienced:

 

  • Immersive activations, including the hands-on AI Playground, where marketers explored practical applications of emerging technologies.
  • Fresh networking formats, such as Beyond the Classroom, designed to foster collaboration and exchange outside traditional sessions.
  • Purpose-driven engagement, highlighted by the expanded ESTO Cares initiative.

 

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.  

 

 

Print
Tuesday, August 19
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8:15am - 9:00am

Concurrent Session: Peer-to-Peer Roundtable

  • Navigating Today's Digital Marketing Landscape
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    Pre-Registration Required

    Not all trends matter equally—so which ones are worth your attention? In this collaborative session, you’ll join fellow destination marketers to explore key developments in digital marketing, share real-world insights and discuss what’s moving the needle at the local level. Walk away with peer-tested perspectives you can apply immediately.

    To foster more focused, meaningful conversation, registration is capped at 60 participants.

    Advance RSVP required through your personalized schedule.

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10:45am - 11:10am

Concurrent Session: Take Off Talk

  • Murals, Memories, and Marketing: Transforming Events through Artistic Collaborations
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    Creative partnerships can transform any event into a memorable brand experience. In this session, Choose Chicago Chief Marketing Officer Lisa Nucci shares how the DMO collaborates with local artists and designers to craft bold, unexpected moments that connect visitors to the heart of the city. From large-scale conventions to seasonal campaigns, artist-led activations—like murals, custom postcards and branded merchandise—offer a fresh way to express your destination’s identity. You'll leave inspired to engage your local creative community and rethink how your destination shows up when it matters most.
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10:45am - 11:45am

Concurrent Session: Presentation

  • How to Market to a Meeting Planner
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    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.

  • Rethinking Tourism: Stewardship That Sustains People, Place & Progress
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    As destinations navigate a rapidly evolving world, the pressure to balance tourism growth with sustainability, cultural integrity and community well-being has never been greater. This session explores how leaders can champion destination stewardship that drives economic impact while preserving what makes a place thrive. Through real-world case studies and proven best practices, you’ll gain actionable strategies in collaborative governance, visitor management, climate action and community engagement — key pillars for building resilient, future-ready destinations. Leave inspired to rethink tourism’s role with a model that prioritizes people, planet and shared prosperity.
  • The New Frontier of Destination Marketing: Streaming Shows & Brand Partnerships
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    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

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11:15am - 11:40am

Concurrent Session: Take Off Talk

  • Game-Changer: Leveraging NFL Fandom to Boost Tourism and Visitor Engagement
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    Touchdown, Laurel Highlands! By partnering with two powerhouse NFL teams—the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers—GO Laurel Highlands turned fandom into brand fuel. Co-branded sweepstakes and smart campaigns delivered 20+ million impressions and 60% growth of their CRM database. Unpack the strategy behind the hype and learn actionable ways for your DMO to play in the big leagues in this session.
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12:00pm - 12:45pm

Concurrent Session: Presentation

  • Crisis Control: Mastering the Art of Stakeholder Communication Under Pressure
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    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:   

    • Enacting proven communication practices during emergency situations  
    • Aligning messaging across tourism, public safety and government partners  
    • Striking the right balance between speed, transparency and sensitivity  
    • Building proactive communication plans before a crisis hits 

    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.

  • Tourism Reimagined: When Creative Risk Sparks Real Growth
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    In a sea of sameness, creative risk is your edge. Explore how destination marketers can take bold, intentional leaps in visual and storytelling campaigns—without losing brand trust or stakeholder support. You'll learn a buildable framework for testing creative ideas, explore tools to champion bold thinking internally and draw inspiration from proven campaigns that broke the mold and delivered.
  • Turning Consumers into Brand Loyalists
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    In a crowded market, loyalty is everything. This eye-opening case study breaks down what truly drives long-term brand love—from trust and connection to consistency and value. Hear what real consumers have to say about the brands—big and small—they stick with, and why. You’ll leave with fresh insights and practical takeaways to help your destination rise above the noise, grow market share and turn one-time visitors into lifelong visitors.