Jennifer Barbee

Jenn Barbee has led strategy for over 400 tourism brands—from tiny towns to global destinations—and built a reputation as the voice leaders turn to when the stakes are high and the filters come off.

As co-founder of Destination Innovate, Jenn helps destinations rethink everything from brand identity to workforce culture. She’s advised the U.S. Department of Commerce, launched campaigns with global reach, and called out the industry’s blind spots with bold clarity. Her viral LinkedIn series, The Daily Destruptor, is a cult-favorite among tourism professionals ready to ditch the buzzwords and face what’s really happening.

At ESTO 2025, Jenn leads a closed-door session for CEOs and CMOs titled “Stop the Exodus: Keep Your DMO Talent from Fleeing.” It’s part keynote, part interactive workshop—and all real talk. With a limited group of top decision-makers, Jenn will guide a series of rapid-fire prompts, truth-driven conversations, and strategic exercises designed to uncover why destination talent is leaving—and how to actually keep them.

This isn’t a panel. It’s a power table.

If you’re in the room, you’re there for a reason. And Jenn’s there to make sure it counts.

When she’s not lighting up stages or writing what everyone else is too afraid to say, Jenn is mentoring the next generation of rebel women, raising four daughters, and building a future where tourism works from the inside out.