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.  

 

 

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

Concurrent Session: Peer-to-Peer Roundtable

  • Mastering Digital Storytelling to Differentiate Your Brand
    More Details

    Pre-Registration Required

    You don’t need a big budget to tell a powerful story. In this hands-on working session, the Smithsonian shares practical tips and digital strategies to help destinations craft compelling content that resonates. Get inspired by what’s ahead for the nation’s 250th anniversary—and walk away with tools to bring your destination’s story to life in meaningful, lasting ways.

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

    Advance RSVP required through your personalized schedule.

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9:15am - 10:15am

Featured Session

  • Youth and Amateur Sports: A Fast-Growing Component of Group Travel
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    Youth sports travel is booming, and destinations are recognizing its value as a high-yield, high-impact segment. This session will explore how cities are building strategies around tournaments, enhancing the family experience, and forming strong partnerships with event organizers.

    • Best practices for destinations to partner with rights holders and organizers
    • Customizing the family experience (dining, downtime, marketing)?
    • Infrastructure investments that can make the difference
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10:45am - 11:30am

Concurrent Session: Peer-to-Peer Roundtable

  • International Marketing and Sales: What’s Working, What’s Not
    More Details

    Pre-Registration Required

    Promoting U.S. destinations abroad takes creativity, coordination and constant learning. This peer-to-peer roundtable is a chance to exchange ideas, share best practices and explore how destinations are engaging international audiences. Come ready for an open, energetic discussion—complete with real-world wins, hard lessons and new ideas to take home.

    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 - 11:45am

Concurrent Session: Presentation

  • From Clicks to Connection: Turning Consumer Trends into Strategic Storytelling
    More Details

    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.

  • 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.
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12:00pm - 12:45pm

Concurrent Session: Presentation

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

    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.