Full Program | 2021 Leadership Summit for CEOs
June 21, 2021 | Monday | 60-minute session
Destination and Product Development
9:30am Pacific Time
Presenters: Chuck Davison, CDME, President & CEO, Visit SLO CAL; Dr. Jordan Smith, Director, Institute of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism, Associate Professor, Environment & Society, Utah State University
Prioritizing destination development can be a vital DMO function, but how do you successfully define that role with stakeholders, community partners, elected leaders and locals. It means building a tremendous amount of trust with all partners within a destination. Each destination has its own community growth areas, challenges, visitor experiences gaps and advocacy issues. Small cities and towns outside of significant natural amenities such as national parks, public lands, ski areas, and scenic rivers throughout the western United States are becoming increasingly popular places to visit and live. As a result, many of these gateway and natural amenity region (GNAR) communities are grappling with a variety of “big city” issues. Other GNAR communities are just beginning to, or may soon, experience significant growth and tourism pressures. Effective and proactive planning is critical for helping communities preserve and enhance the qualities that make them such desirable places to live and visit. Learn how the GNAR Initiative develops, supports and studies evidence-based strategies for helping western GNAR communities thrive amid change through research, education and capacity building.
June 21, 2021 | Monday | 60-minute session
The Rise of Destination Intelligence
11:00am Pacific Time
Presenters: Matt Clement, Managing Partner, Madden Media; Brook Kaufman, CDME, CTA, CEO, Visit Casper; Wes Rhea, CTA, CDME, CEO, Visit Stockton
It is the 'Golden Age' of data in the DMO industry. However, this bounty of insights and information has arrived at a challenging time; while the need for destination intelligence has never been greater—the budgets to invest in and sustain those resources have reached historic lows. Listen to a frank discussion on how the pandemic and societal challenges have shaped the role of destination intelligence for the DMO industry. How should DMOs tailor their approach to research and destination intelligence? Which data are and will be most important in operating your DMO?”
June 22, 2021 | Tuesday | 90-minute session
Roundtable #1 – Future of DMOs: What Have We Learned During the Past Year?
(By respective budget group and in Zoom breakout rooms within a specific budget category)
9:30am Pacific Time | Group A – Budget Less than $1M
11:30am Pacific Time | Group B – Budget $1M to $3M
1:30pm Pacific Time | Group C – Budget More than $3M
Format: Primary facilitator for each Roundtable and a volunteer facilitator in each Zoom breakout room to report back to respective budget group.
Questions/Topics
- How has your DMO’s role changed during the past year?
- What actions are you taking to reimage tourism in your destination?
- How has the pandemic affected how your DMO is viewed within your community/region?
- Which stakeholders were there for your DMO throughout the pandemic and who did your organization help during the past year?
- Which new stakeholders did your DMO work with during the pandemic and will those ties exist after the pandemic is behind us?
- Describe the advocacy issues your DMO and the visitor industry will have going forward.
- How do we get industry employees to return to their jobs?
- How has or will the pandemic affect your crisis planning?
- When do you anticipate your DMO’s budget, staffing and programming returning to pre-pandemic levels? Which will come back first at your DMO—programs or staff—and why?
- How have you changed your DMO’s financial reserve policies in the wake of COVID-19?
June 23, 2021 | Wednesday | 60-minute session
Purposeful Travel - An Intersection of Sustainable Communities, Public/Private Partnerships and Positive Personal Impact
10:30am Pacific Time
Presenters: Domenic Bravo, CEO, Visit Cheyenne; Dan Janes, CEO, Madden Media; Candace Carr Strauss, President & CEO, Sedona Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Bureau
While posing constant, numerous and continued challenges, COVID is also creating opportunities for us as destination marketers to deliver a more sustainable and purposeful traveler experience for our visitors and communities. COVID continues to fuel the desire for us all to recover our time lost, to replace a year’s worth of experiences and, for a large segment of travelers, find ways to have positive impacts on society through their travel experiences. Our panelists will share ideas and examples of how we can maximize this opportunity to not only increase visitation but also help support rebuilding and redefining what purposeful travel looks like for our communities and world.
June 23, 2021 | Wednesday | 90-minute session
CEO Stories | Listen and Learn
1:00pm Pacific Time
Presenters: Julie Coker, President & CEO, San Diego Tourism Authority; Craig Davis, President & CEO, VisitDallas; Jennifer Wesselhoff CDME, President & CEO, Park City Chamber/Bureau
Moderator: Brent DeRaad, President & CEO, Visit Tucson
Listen to three seasoned CEOs share their recent experiences as they assumed new positions in new destinations in different parts of the country. Learn how three highly visible and successful DMO CEOs transitioned into new positions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Audience questions welcome during the session.
June 24, 2021 | Thursday | 90-minute session
Roundtable #2 – How Will Forward-looking DMOs Operate? Staying Relevant
(By respective budget group and in Zoom breakout rooms within a specific budget category)
9:30am Pacific Time | Group A – Budget Less than $1M
11:30am Pacific Time | Group B – Budget $1M to $3M
1:30pm Pacific Time | Group C – Budget More than $3M
Format: Primary facilitator for each Roundtable and a volunteer facilitator in each Zoom breakout room to report back to respective budget group.
Questions/Topics
- What was one positive happening or learning during the COVID-19 pandemic that you will carry forward with you?
- How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected you as a leader?
- What structural changes do you envision for your organization coming out of the pandemic?
- What metrics are you using to measure success in the coming year and how will they differ from your typical performance measures?
- Which dashboards are you finding to be effective and why?
- How has the pandemic impacted your DMO’s long-term relevancy?
- Do your stakeholders need your DMO in order to thrive in the coming years?
- Will DMOs still be operating in 20 years? What will be their primary functions?
- Are you requiring all employees to work from the office after they are vaccinated? If not, is working from home a long-term option for at least some of your employees?
- What are you doing to make your employees more comfortable with returning to the office?
- In which markets will you sell and promote your destination in the coming year and how does that compare to where you anticipate marketing three years from now?
- What role does your DMO play in your city’s or region’s economic development efforts and to what extent do you see your role expanding in the future?
June 28, 2021 | Monday | 90-minute session
Roundtable #3 – How Is Incorporating Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Impacting Your DMO?
(By respective budget group and in Zoom breakout rooms within a specific budget category)
9:30am Pacific Time | Group A – Budget Less than $1M
11:30am Pacific Time | Group B – Budget $1M to $3M
3:30pm Pacific Time* | Group C – Budget More than $3M
*new start time for Group C
Format: Primary facilitator for each Roundtable and a volunteer facilitator in each Zoom breakout room to report back to respective budget group.
Questions/Topics
- What steps is your DMO taking to incorporate EDI within your organization?
- Is yours a staff- or board-driven process?
- How many of you have created a staff EDI committee? What is your committee accomplishing?
- To what extent are you including EDI in your DMO’s marketing, sales and promotional programs?
- How can communities lacking in diversity incorporate EDI into their organizations?
- Which EDI training initiatives and/or trainers would you recommend to your peers?
- Who is partnering with other stakeholders in your destination to introduce the visitor industry as a possible career path to diverse students? Please describe the process you are following.
- How are you recruiting diverse board members and potential staff members?
- Which resources are you using, or would you recommend, to find diverse vendors?
- Beyond embracing racial diversity and LGBTQ+ initiatives, which unique EDI aspects do you plan to include in your programs (e.g., autism certification, accessibility throughout your destination, etc.)?