The Texas Travel Summit is the largest annual gathering of travel professionals from all sectors across the state. Join your colleagues for three intensive, impactful professional education days where you'll hear from leading innovators in the industry and network with pros from across the State. You'll return from Summit full of implementable ideas for your business.
Monday, September 24 – Wednesday, September 26
Galveston island, Texas
Andrew Davis is a bestselling author & keynote speaker. He's built and sold a digital marketing agency, produced for NBC and worked for The Muppets. Today, Andrew Davis teaches business leaders how to grow their businesses, transform their cities, and leave their legacy.
Neville Bhada is the founder and CEO of Tourism Skills Group, a company that focuses on the strategic planning, research and marketing needs of the travel and tourism community, and association industries.
Tourism Skills Group assists convention and visitor bureaus, chambers, accommodations, attractions, festivals and related organizations in developing long range plans through research and discussion. Its direction for strategies provide value in marketing, increasing customer engagement and partnerships that ensures travel is a vital and dynamic element. It provides unique solutions with a customized approach through focus groups, intercept studies, digital studies and more.
Some of the entities Tourism Skills Group works with include The Florida Keys and Key West, Travel South USA, Huntsville, Ala., Visit Central Florida, Visit Marietta Georgia, Monastery of the Holy Spirit, Tennessee Valley Authority, Auburn University, several Parishes in Louisiana, and the Eastern Black Sea of Turkey Tourism Development Authority.
Mr. Bhada’s experience with research, communication, association management and education make him distinctively skilled to tackle issues facing destination marketing and development.
Mr. Bhada serves on the boards of the Atlanta Metro Travel Association as well as Georgia State University's School of Hospitality Industry Advisory Board. He speaks domestically and internationally on a wide variety of tourism topics – from international tourism to defending budgets and has spoken to numerous governor’s conferences on travel.
His background includes serving as the executive director for the Southeast States chapter of the Travel and Tourism Research Association, vice president of communications for Southeast Tourism Society and program director of WebMD. He also has worked extensively with the media, where he was awarded a Green Eyeshade Award for Sports Reporting, an AP Award for Best Use of Sound and a television Emmy for web strategies for FOX television affiliate WFLD - Chicago.
He currently instructs within the Cecil B. Day School of Hospitality at Georgia State University teaching hospitality and tourism as an adjunct professor.
Mr. Bhada is from Atlanta. He received a bachelor's degree from the University of Georgia in international business and a master's degree from Clemson University in travel and tourism. Clemson University recently inducted Neville into its “Outstanding Alumnus” circle for his work in advancing tourism.
Mo is the CEO of Bandwango, a Salt Lake City based company serving the destination marketing industry focused on improving the visitor and local experience through the creation of curated travel experiences delivered primarily via mobile.
He founded Bandwango because he saw a need to better serve next-generation consumers seeking unique things to do in new destinations. An avid traveler, Mo has traveled across the world meeting new people, experiencing new cultures, and tasting amazing food. Prior to founding Bandwango, Mo worked in a variety of positions, including systems engineer, software architect and, most recently at the University of Utah pursuing a PhD in Bioengineering, which he left after 7 years to pursue his passion for travel, technology, and business.
Paul McLeod is Simpleview’s Director of Business Intelligence, overseeing Search Engine Optimization and Destination Dashboard services. He and his team analyze traffic patterns on client websites and provide insight and recommendations on planner and consumer activity recorded in client CRM systems.
Paul earned a double degree in Economics and English Writing from the University of Oklahoma and holds a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Arizona. He joined the Simpleview team in 2011 as an SEO Specialist. The furthest he has traveled from home so far is Tromsø, Norway.
Aaron Friar has a passion for connecting people to the outdoors, and his friends and neighbors often refer to him as, “their parks guy”. Aaron studied outdoor recreation management at Stephen F. Austin State University, and has worked for parks across the United States. His professional experience includes building hiking trails, providing environmental education programs, developing nature tourism strategies for convention and visitors’ bureaus, and, most recently, promoting the Texas State Park system. Aaron is now the Local Park Grants Coordinator for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department where he works with communities throughout Texas to acquire, build, and rejuvenate parks, campgrounds, playgrounds, community gardens, sports facilities, and more.
Aaron does not like to sit idle, so in his spare time you will find him working on his farm, camping with his family, kayak fishing with his friends, or travelling with his girlfriend. Aaron is an avid juggler, and goes to see live music whenever he gets a chance.
As a manager for North America at Expedia Group Media Solutions, Matt Klug focuses on developing and executing digital media campaigns for partners on the network of leading travel brands across Expedia Group. Matt and his team help connect destination marketing organizations, hotels, airlines and non-travel brands across the U.S. with Expedia Group’s vast global audience.
As a manager for North America at Expedia Group Media Solutions, Matt Klug focuses on developing and executing digital media campaigns for partners on the network of leading travel brands across Expedia Group. Matt and his team help connect destination marketing organizations, hotels, airlines and non-travel brands across the U.S. with Expedia Group’s vast global audience.
Matt has more than 17 years of experience in media and marketing, and previously worked in business development for a digital marketing agency specializing in financial services and gaming, as well as Microsoft Advertising, where he worked with Fortune 500 companies throughout the Midwest. Throughout his career, Matt has worked with notable brands including American Express, MasterCard, General Mills, Nintendo, American Airlines, Qatar Airways, Texas Tourism, Visit Houston, Visit San Antonio and more.
Larry Woods is the Director of the Boerne Convention & Visitors Bureau and has held this position for over 10 years. He is a 50-year veteran of the tourism and hospitality industry, specializing in sales, marketing and operations. For much of his career, Larry was sought after as a specialist in Bankrupt Chapter 11 hotels and resorts in difficult markets and distressed business climates. Larry has held key management positions with La Mansion, Hershey, Sheraton, Marriott, and Radisson hotels, as well as, providing leadership roles with major hotel management and development companies in the United States, Mexico and Costa Rica.
Larry’s expertise in strategic planning and his desire to move people into key positions through succession planning, individual strategic plans and achievable goal setting has allowed him to positively impact the careers of many tourism industry professionals, as well as, corporate management teams, and City of Boerne Staff.
Larry is currently serving his 2nd term on the TTIA Board of Directors, is ex-officio to the Nationwide Meetings National Board and a board member of the Texas Hill Country Trail. He is also a member of TACVB and the Texas Hotel Lodging Association and is an accomplished musician and supporter of the arts.
Jim Petrick is a Full Professor, Research Fellow and the Associate Department Head for Graduate Studies in the Department of RPTS at Texas A&M University. His research interest focuses on applying marketing and psychology principles in the context of tourism services to assist tourism entities in better marketing to their clientele. He has published more than 100 peer reviewed journal articles with more than half in tier one journals. Studies conducted in 2014 and 2011 identified Jim as the 2nd most prolific tourism researcher in the world (#1 in U.S., and #1 tourism marketing researcher). He has conducted marketing research for more than 20 states, and 20 cities. Prior to his work at Texas A&M he spent six years working onboard cruise ships for both Norwegian Cruise Line and Royal Viking Line, working in positions from Youth Coordinator to Cruise Director.
Very few have the insights and know-how on the Sharing Economy like Matt Curtis. A former right hand to a couple of Austin mayors, Matt has extensive experience in municipal government and local politics, working on a broad variety of initiatives and best practices in a rapidly changing city.
In 2011 he became the Head of Global Policy for HomeAway, the largest online marketplace for vacation rentals. He has served on the United States Conference of Mayors Business Council, the National League of Cities Corporate Council, the Sharing Economy Advisory Network, and the Travel Technology Association board.
Recently he founded Smart City Policy Group with several other former policy makers. Together they help cities and tech companies understand how the Sharing Economy, Peer-to-Peer Economy, and Gig Economy – collectively called the New Economy – to grow together with fair regulations that achieve compliance.
Rick Yngve is the Co-Director of Eller Social Innovation and Lecturer for the McGuire Center for Entrepreneurship at University of Arizona. Rick has over 20 years of experience in nonprofit management, entrepreneurship, and social innovation. Rick brings an entrepreneurial zeal to nonprofits where he consistently finds new ways to activate their assets to become a sustainable attraction in communities. Rick volunteers as the co-chair of the TENWEST Festival and was founder of the Social Impact Summit. He also serves as a Social Innovation Fellow for the Lewis Institute for Social Innovation at Babson College. Rick received his MBA in Entrepreneurship from University of Arizona and his BA in Communications and Politics from North Park University.
Dan Janes is the CEO of Madden Media, a destination marketing firm focused on bringing technology-driven marketing strategies to provide innovative solutions. Dan is a successful entrepreneur having built a successful big data and analytics company acquired by a publicly traded company. He also serves on multiple boards for private companies, nonprofit boards and foundations. Dan is a West Point graduate and served as a Military Intelligence Officer in the U.S. Army.
Darren Drewitz is a second generation advertising agency owner and 25 year marketing veteran. As the co-founder and lead strategist for Austin-based MindEcology, Darren and his company have been hired by 22 Texas CVBs and numerous lodging, destination and entertainment oriented businesses.
Based in Austin, MindEcology was founded in 2010 and is a data-driven, full-service marketing firm, specializing in tourism-destination marketing.
Darren’s work previous history and experience include working with some of Texas’ top advertising agencies as well as serving as director of marketing for corporations. Darren’s expertise includes strategy, media, digital and social media content strategy.
Darren and his wife Melissa are both native Texans who enjoy traveling, family, sports and live music. Darren and Melissa have two boys ages 14 and 12 and live in the Austin, Texas area.
Dr. Gertrude Nonterah is a former medical scientist turned blogger, freelance writer and social mediaenthusiast.She started MyOnlineBizJourney.com in 2014 as a way to chronicle her journey to financial freedomusing online business and succeeded in using that blog combined with the power of social media to growa business that does five figures in revenue each year.Gertrude is the author of the eBook 30 Day Social Media Manager and created the Become A ProfitableSocial Media Manager e-Course for people interested in helping businesses build loyal audiences and dogood business using social media.
Edward Dramberger, PhD is Principal of Destination Dr. Consulting. Ed’s clients include CVB’s, Hotels, DMO, and Tourism boards globally. As a speaker, author, trainer and consultant; Destination Dr. facilitates sales/marketing training and consults with Hotel companies, DMO’S, CVB’s, Tour operators and Countries Tourism boards. His research consists of the “buying-seller” relationship within the MICE and Tourism industry. He has developed a proven results oriented selling model “Compass Selling®” within the convention/meeting/tourism sector. His research and training seminars are vital for all sales and marketing professionals, aimed at increasing Destination brand awareness, market share and expanding overall tourism revenue by 25% guaranteed. He partners with global Universities offering strategic course curriculum and developed an International Hospitality/Tourism Training Institute.
Ed has 35 years of senior level work and teaching experience within the hospitality and tourism field. His senior level sales & marketing work experience includes, Hotels, MICE, Tour Companies’ Tourism Boards, DMO’s and CVB’s. His teaching and speaking experience includes Colleges and Universities in the Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia and the Middle East. He has travelled, lived and worked within the 6 Continents / 180 Countries; in search of the next Destination. He is publishing a book entitled “The Destination Diaries” in 2018, which focuses on his unique travel experiences from around the world. Ed holds a Doctorate in International Marketing & Tourism, Masters of Science in Hospitality & Tourism Management, MBA in International Business and a Bachelors of Science in Hotel Management. He is also a CMP and CHSP.
Shakira M. Brown is a 13 time award-winning public relations, corporate communicationsand branding professional who uses her over 20 years of experience leading externaland internal communications strategies for a myriad of smallbusinesses, personalities, corporations and professional servicesfirms to captivate and educate audiences. She is the ManagingPrincipal and CEO of SMB Strategic Media(smbstrategicmedia.com), a firm specializing in helping smallbusinesses get to the heart of why customers buy their goods andservices by clarifying their message and uncovering theircompetitive advantage. She is also a leading business adviser andmarketing counselor for America’s Small Business DevelopmentCenter and for the Regional Assistance Business Corporation inNew Jersey. She is a national small business speaker(shakirabrown.com) who captives audiences with her provocative storytelling and “tell itlike it is” style.
Shakira shares her seasoned advice on how to “master every moment” in business as aregular contributor to BlackEnterprise.com and has been featured as an expertin PRWeek, BrandWeek, Woman's World, Working Mother, Creditcards.com, Crain'sChicago Business, US 1 Princeton Magazine, Jersey 101.5 FM, MidJersey BusinessMagazine, AOL Money & Finance, Plastic Surgery Practice Advisor, NJBIZ, FierceEntrepreneur Podcast, Fridge Magazine and Smartmoney.com among manyothers. Shakira who is also known as the "Small Biz Whisperer” as she hosts,The "Moment Masters Show" (http://momentmasters.com) a small business focusedpodcast available on iTunes and Google Play, among others.Shakira cut her teeth in public relations and branding at a Madison Avenue New Yorkboutique PR firm. As a publicist, Her clients have included: MSNBC.com; BET.com; Dr.Frank Newport, editor-in-chief, The Gallup Poll; Russell Simmons, founder of Def Jamand Phat Farm empire; Mort Walker, creator - Beetle Bailey comic strip; and PatrickMcDonnell, creator – Mutts comics, among many other small and large businesses.She has successfully placed her clients in major media outlets such as The Today Show,The Wall Street Journal, the Associated Press, BusinessWeek (print and online),Fortune, Forbes, The Los Angeles Times, Financial Times, New York magazine, LifetimeTelevision, USA Today, The New York Times, National Public Radio (NPR) and manyother national, regional/local television affiliated networks and radio stations nationwide.Prior to her career in public relations and branding, Shakira was a successful TV newsproducer and/or worked on programming for nearly six years for CBS News, MTVNetworks, HBO, ABC Networks and NBC News, MSNBC and television networkaffiliates in New York and Boston. As a producer at MSNBC, Shakira produced dailynews broadcast and served as producer for the network’s daytime weekday andweekend news broadcasts where she produced programming for Tom Brokaw (NBCNews), Chris Jansing (MSNBC), Brian William (MSNBC), Steve Capus (CBS News,former president, NBC News), Fredricka Whitfield (CNN), Lori Stokes (WYNY Fox), DanAbrams (Good Morning America legal analyst) and many other recognized broadcasters.Shakira is a voting member of the National Academy of Television & Arts Sciences,commonly known as the Television Emmy Organization. She is also a media councilmember with Gerson Lehrman Group Research, a network of consultants, physicians,scientists, engineers, attorneys, market researchers, and other professionals fromaround the world. Shakira has been a member of the Public Relations Society ofAmerica (PRSA) and previously served as chair of its National FinancialCommunications section. She also served as diversity chair on the executive board forthe PRSA-NJ chapter. She also previously served on the Board of Trustees for TV-36, alocal public access television station serving the five New Jersey towns of BerkeleyHeights, Millburn/Short Hills, New Providence, Springfield and Summit.
A native Texan, Kelly graduated from the University of Houston in Hotel/ Restaurant Management with a minor in Spanish. She served two years as a US Peace Corp volunteer in the Dominican Republic and upon completion of service, she was hired by the country’s preeminent tourism company, Grupo Punta Cana. Kelly was later recruited by the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association where she served as an Executive for the 28 country association for seven years, travel and advocating on behalf of the industry. After numerous years of travel with Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association, she gave up the regional position to return to Grupo Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic where she served for four more years as a company executive and during a time of significant tourism growth. Working under the Vice President of Development, Kelly witness the destination grow from 3,000 hotel rooms to 40,000.She later returned to Texas to obtain a Masters at the University of Texas in the area of Community and Regional Planning, with a focus on economic development.Upon graduation, she returned to the Caribbean to accept the position of Executive Director of the La Romana/ Bayahibe Hotel and Tourism Association, a destination management organization representing an exclusive region on the southern shore of the Dominican Republic. In this position she was awarded several local and regional accolades for her work, including commendations from the Ministry of Tourism and from the National Hotel & Lodging Association.In 2011, she returned to Texas to assume the position of Executive Director of the Galveston Island Park Board of Trustees.
Ed is a seasoned senior marketing executive who brings a diverse perspective having worked on both the client and agency sides and served as a consultant. His resourcefulness allows him to build successful campaigns for start-ups as well as work as an intrapreneur within established companies to revitalize heritage brands.
His experience includes working with a variety beverage and hospitality brands, restaurant companies and media conglomerates. His previous experience includes Angel Fire Resort,MillerCoors, Gatti's Pizza, Johnnie Walker, ALL detergent, and Chick-fil-A, among others.Currently, Ed is a partner at Ideapeddler, an Austin, TX-based boutique marketing agency whose tourism clients include New Mexico Tourism Department, The City of Palm Desert, andTaos Ski Valley.As a student of experiential marketing and the authenticity movement, Ed has studied and traveled extensively to learn how experiences best render brand affinity. Ed’s travels include attending 4 of the past Summer Olympic Games. The Olympics unite his 3 core passions; hospitality, sports, and marketing at their most heightened states.
Jessika Alexander is a bilingual marketing and public relations professional with a passion for the travel industry. Her experience promoting Texas cities to international and domestic markets includes working for the Laredo Convention and Visitors Bureau and for Visit Houston.
For more than 10 years, she has managed tourism projects involving sales, marketing, and public relation activities in domestic and international markets, working closely with travel professionals and media from all over the world including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and the United Kingdom.In her current role, Jessika manages initiatives to promote Texas as a premier travel destination in Latin America, including overseeing the Texas Travel Mexico representation office.A native of Mexico City, she obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Texas A&M University in Laredo Texas, and is a 2016 graduate of TTIA Travel & Tourism College.
Ed is a seasoned senior marketing executive who brings a diverse perspective having worked on both the client and agency sides and served as a consultant. His resourcefulness allows him to build successful campaigns for start-ups as well as work as an intrapreneur within established companies to revitalize heritage brands.
His experience includes working with a variety beverage and hospitality brands, restaurant companies and media conglomerates. His previous experience includes Angel Fire Resort,MillerCoors, Gatti's Pizza, Johnnie Walker, ALL detergent, and Chick-fil-A, among others.Currently, Ed is a partner at Ideapeddler, an Austin, TX-based boutique marketing agency whose tourism clients include New Mexico Tourism Department, The City of Palm Desert, andTaos Ski Valley.As a student of experiential marketing and the authenticity movement, Ed has studied and traveled extensively to learn how experiences best render brand affinity. Ed’s travels include attending 4 of the past Summer Olympic Games. The Olympics unite his 3 core passions; hospitality, sports, and marketing at their most heightened states.
Katie Nafius is a Senior Account Supervisor in Edelman Austin’s consumer practice and is the account lead of the Travel Texas account. She has led the business for the past year, bringing together the media and social/digital teams to market Travel Texas as a premier destination within the United States. Katie has been with Edelman for more than 12 years, with 7 of those years in the Austin office.
Laura Baker is a Senior Account Supervisor in Edelman Austin’s digital group. A marketer with nine years of experience in content development, digital marketing (search, website, email), paid media, analytics and project management, Laura currently leads digital strategy and execution for Travel Texas. Additionally, Laura serves as the Influencer Lead for the Austin office.
As VISIT FLORIDA’s President and Chief Executive Officer, Ken Lawson leads Florida’s official destination marketing organization in partnership with its Board of Directors and the statewide tourism industry.During Mr. Lawson’s career, he has served in numerous leadership positions for several private sector companies and government agencies where he balanced the needs of the private sector while protecting public resources. Most recently, he served as Secretary of the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation for six years where he led a team of 1,600 employees who successfully regulated more than one million businesses and professions across Florida.A native Floridian, Mr. Lawson received his bachelor’s and law degrees from Florida State University. He began his legal career in the U.S. Marine Corps as a Judge Advocate General and later served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida. In 2001, he was nominated by President George W. Bush and confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve as the Assistant Secretary of Enforcement for the U.S. Department of the Treasury, where he was responsible for the oversight of several federal law enforcement agencies including the U.S. Secret Service and U.S. efforts combating terrorist financing.Mr. Lawson also served as Assistant Chief Counsel for Field Operations with the Department of Homeland Security’s Transportation Security Administration. In the private sector, Mr. Lawson served as the Vice President for Compliance for nFinanSe Inc., a Tampa financial services company, and consulted for Booz Allen Hamilton, for whom he served as Chief of Party for the Financial Crimes Prevention Project in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Patricia Rojas-Ungár serves as vice president of public affairs for the U.S. Travel Association. Rojas-Ungár uses more than fifteen years of legislative and advocacy experience to lead the development of U.S. Travel’s policy and communications agenda, and represents the travel community before the Executive Branch and U.S. Congress.Rojas-Ungár has been honored as one of Washington’s top lobbyist for her effectiveness in advancing the U.S. Travel Association’s government affairs agenda. In 2015, she was recognized as one of five leading association lobbyist nationwide by Association TRENDS. In 2012 & 2010, she was featured in CEO Update’s “Top Association Lobbyist List” and in 2011 she was selected as one of the “Top 40 Lobbyist Under 40” by Washingtonian Magazine.Prior to joining the U.S. Travel Association in 2008, Rojas-Ungár worked as a Professional Staff Member on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee for Senator Joseph I. Lieberman (ID-CT). She provided analysis and counsel to Chairman Lieberman on a variety of homeland security matters with primary expertise in border and transportation security, immigration, counterterrorism and disaster recovery and mitigation. Her work on the Committee focused heavily on legislating and overseeing the implementation of a variety of travel security programs in including Global Entry, the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative and U.S. VISIT. She was also involved in the development of travel security provisions included in legislation to implement the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission. The bill was signed into law in August 2007.Rojas-Ungár also brings valuable knowledge of the U.S. House of Representatives to U.S. Travel, having worked for nearly five years in the office of Representative Lucille Roybal-Allard (D, CA-34) and over a year for former Representative Ken Bentsen (D, TX-25). As a legislative assistant for Rep. Roybal-Allard, she was responsible for developing and executing the Congresswoman’s activity on the Appropriations Committee with primary focus on the budgets of the Commerce, Homeland Security, State and Justice Departments. Rojas-Ungár also served as the liaison for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the Congressional Women’s Caucus.Rojas-Ungár is an alumna of the National Democratic Institute’s Political Leadership Program and the Stennis Center for Public Service Emerging Congressional Staff Leadership Program. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Texas at Austin, and a Master of Social Work from the University of Houston. Rojas-Ungár speaks fluent Spanish and has good knowledge of Portuguese.
As Chief Advocacy Officer, Jack Johnson manages the overall public policy operations at Destinations International including member advocacy education and training, development of destination tools and best practices, coalition work with peer organizations, industry research and related public affairs activities.Johnson brings unrivaled experience developing innovative strategies, policy solutions and civic consensus for government, not-for-profits and small businesses. During his previous tenure with Choose Chicago, Johnson oversaw the public policy, research, membership and strategic partnership efforts. He played a leading role in the extensive reforms of the McCormick Place Convention Center and the Chicago Convention & Tourism Bureau, resulting in a new convention center operating model with both a travel industry and a citywide civic perspective. Johnson was integrally involved in the merger of the Chicago Convention & Tourism Bureau and the Chicago Office of Tourism, resulting in maximizing their resources, unifying the message and embedding the organization into the city’s economic development strategy. In addition, in his final year at Choose Chicago, Johnson also served as Choose Chicago’s Chief Administrative Officer.
The psychological phenomena creative brands employ to earn and own attention in a noisy world. Attention in today's online world is harder and harder to garner than ever before. Our clients, customers, prospects and leads tell us they have no time. No time to read our emails, download our e-books, listen to our podcasts, dive-in to our blog posts, or watch our videos.
However, these very same customers can binge watch two seasons of Stranger Things on Netflix in one weekend! Where's the disconnect?
Maybe, in our quest to make our content consumable we’ve eliminated every element that makes our content interesting?
It turns out, the most successful content creators in the world don’t worry about how long their content is. Instead, they apply two infinitely powerful psychological phenomena to catch, keep and capture, their audience's attention.
In this exhilarating 45-minute keynote presentation, former television producer and bestselling author Andrew Davis will show you how to keep your audience curious. You’ll be challenged to think like a reality tv editor, and he’ll show you the five things that brilliant businesses do to transform their content from boring to brilliant. More importantly, you'll learn the simple secret to creating infinitely engaging content.
What's the secret? You'll have to wait and see.
Developing strategy takes time and resources. It requires the time and commitment of some of the most highly paid and highly experienced people in your organization. This program explains why and how a strategic plan is developed, outlining 5 good reasons why a strategic plan is needed and it shows how to put a plan on paper, and lastly, how to execute it.
The travel industry evolves every 6 to 12 months and it appears that this trend will continue for the long term. Creative thinking and innovation are vital components to travel companies remaining relevant in an environment of constant industry disruption. However, many people feel as though they are lacking in creativity. What most of us do not recognize is that we are creative on a daily basis, whether it’s picking out what clothes to wear in the morning or stretching a tight budget at work. While these tasks may not normally be associated with creativity, there is a great deal of creativity involved to get those jobs done. While some people seem to be simply bursting with creativity, others find it a struggle to think outside the square. If you fall into the latter category, it is important to understand that boosting your creative and innovative abilities takes practice. In this presentation, Award-Winning Branding & Communications Expert, Shakira M. Brown will guide attendees through the process of tapping into their ability to recognize and hone their creative potential. Attendees will also learn techniques to increase their individual creativity to help generate solutions to business challenges and achieve the results they want.
In this session, a step by step process for how to develop a brand for your community will be presented. You will learn how to determine the best attributes of one's community, how to perform an importance/performance analysis of the attributes of one's community, and how to develop a brand for one's community.
Join DMO industry veterans Matt Clement and Ktimene Axetell of Arrivalist for this fascinating look at the ‘High consideration Consumer/Traveler’. Beyond defining this important group of consumers that include many of our state’s visitors, topics will include important considerations to make in marketing strategy creation and current best practices in ROI modeling—including integration of multiple data sources.
Travel Texas met the challenges of a reduced budget in 2018with a targeted media strategy designed to outsmart not outspend our competition. While those same challenges remain in 2019, Travel Texas will be facing them with a brand new advertising campaign. The Travel Texas team will provide an update of 2018 results and a special premier of the 2019 campaign along with cooperative opportunities for the Texas travel industry.
Join us for some island fun to close out the first night of Summit! There will be drinks, food, games and live music. Come dance and sink your toes in the sand with your Travel Industry colleagues! Buses to pick up in front of the San Luis Resort at valet and in front of the Hilton Galveston Island Resort and will run continuous from 6:30pm – 9:30pm.
Start your day with a little sea air and exercise! Join Melonee and Jessica for a 4-mile run or 2-mile walk on the Seawall. Meet at Seawall and 53rd by 6:45am.
(Sign up required, email Jennifer at jenniferr@ttia.org)
The business of your association; financial status and membership update; and a conversation on advocacy as we prepare for the 2019 Legislative Session.
As communities look to create lasting change to make their destinations more appealing to those who would live, work, and explore; destination marketing organizations (DMOs) have the ability to shape the collective impact that can transform a place. Collective impact requires thinking beyond single issues and activating support across sectors – from government, nonprofits, and the private sector. With dramatic social and economic change coming to communities, DMOs should play a significant role to impact travel and workforce attraction efforts for a place.
Most people know how to take a picture and post it to Instagram. But usually, that is all they do and what they don't realize is that they are seriously shortchanging themselves and missing out on reaching an up and coming demographic. In this talk, I want to show attendees how to leverage Instagram Stories, Instagram TV, Instagram ads, Instagram direct messaging and how to search for and use specific hashtags on Instagram that will extend their reach. This will be an action-packed training session and I have no doubt that by the time attendees leave this session, they will have a clear understanding of using these 5 channels on one platform to attract and build a loyal fan base who will ultimately patronize their businesses.
We all recognize networking as one of the most valuable tools in our quest to create a successful business or build a successful career. We understand with customers, potential customers, co-workers and bosses everything still revolves around trust. Social media and the internet have not eviscerated the need for trust. One of the best ways a person can build trust is to be a giver. By being a giver you are acting to help the other person without explicitly expecting anything in return. When we give freely the person feels a sense of gratitude and indebtedness and will typically remember the giver when an opportunity arises where he/she can help the giver. A giver is not acting to further their own interests. Of course we must learn not to confuse a giver with a taker. We must also avoid being a doormat as a giver. An ethic of compassion improves the bottom line Managers often mistakenly believe that putting pressure on employees will increase their productivity. What it does is increase stress and research establishes that high levels of stress cost businesses a lot of money. Stress brings high health care costs and turnover costs. A new field of research suggests that when organizations promote a culture of compassion rather than a culture of stress they may see a happier workplace but also a better bottom line. Positive social interactions have been shown to boost employee health by, for example, lowering heart rate and blood pressure and strengthening the immune system. Compassion can be as simple as recognizing someone’s distress or needs and offering to help. Happy employees also make for improved customer service. They are more willing to help peers and to provide customer service on their own accord. These high quality relationships increase productivity levels as well as their commitment to the workplace.
AirBnB, Vacation Rentals, or Short-term Rentals, can be an economic benefit to communities. But, people are beginning to notice there are changes occurring in the industry, and government is having a tough time creating effective rules. Matt Curtis talks about the changing travel trends around Vacation Rentals, the examples of communities and their economic research, and the impact on housing construction, tourism, retail, restaurants and more.
Canada is the second largest source of international visitor arrivals into Texas as well as a leading source of tourism revenue into the state. For many U.S. tourism suppliers, Canada is often a second thought when developing a North American marketing strategy. Canada is a lucrative market, but you have to understand the Canadian consumer, travel trade and media market to entice them. I’ll provide valuable insight into the Canadian consumer and how to effectively appeal and work with them. I’ll review current travel trends, challenges and opportunities in the market, show highlights of Travel Texas FY 2018 efforts in Canada, talk about the plan of action for FY 2019 and how attendees can participate and benefit as co-op partners. Attendees will leave the presentation with a better understanding of the market and how to attract Canadian travelers to their destination, attraction, etc.
Like many destinations, Texas battles pre-conceived notions domestic travelers have of our state. Knowing that 44% of Gen-Xers and 36% of millennials trust influencer more than brand content, we launched a “Texplorer” program in 2015 to help combat these opinions. Last year we evolved the program into “Texplorer Road Trips,” bringing out-of-state travel influencers on a journey through multiple destinations to embrace our state and bring its story to life.
In this session, you’ll learn about the Travel Texas influencer approach, high-level recaps of the past three Texplorer Road Trips that drove more than 25MM impressions, and how we can work with local partners to make our FY19 Texplorer Program even better. We’ll also share highlights of Travel Texas’ FY19 domestic marketing plan, including missions, group FAMs and other social content partnership opportunities. Join us and learn more about strategic influencer strategies, how we can support your local influencer and social campaigns, and the best ways to partner with Travel Texas PR and social media this year.
What is happening here and now? This talk reveals burgeoning trends in travel and tourism. Using national and local data from a variety of sources, the economy is scrutinized and put into perspective. A broad range of data is delved into and interpreted from multiple travel segments such as hotels, restaurants, attractions, air travel and more. Economic factors that influence travel are also evaluated including employment, energy and fuel costs, transportation, and infrastructure. Marketing, technology, generational differences, and other tourism industry influencers are also explored. Learn how business, the economy and hospitality are connected and how your organization can capitalize on these trends in this lively one-hour presentation.
Moody Gardens presents a rare glimpse behind the scenes inside the Moody Gardens Aquarium.You'll hear about the $37 million dollars in renovations and innovations to this unique island attraction. Immerse yourself in the day to day operations of the Aquarium and it's many inhabitants including a personal encounter with a penguin! (Bus will depart at 3:30pm from the San Luis Resort)
Welcome aboard the 1877 Tall Ship ELISSA, the Official Tall Ship of Texas! Galveston Historical Foundation brought ELISSA, an 1877 square-rigged iron barque, from a scrap yard in Piraeus Harbor, Greece to Galveston to begin restoration work in 1978. By 1982, GHF staff and volunteers completed restoration and transformed this rare, historic vessel into a floating museum that would actively sail. Today, ELISSA is one of only three ships of her kind in the world to still actively sail and welcomes over 40,000 visitors annually. She also serves as the Official Tall Ship of Texas, a National Historic Landmark and a symbol of the Gulf Coast’s historic beginnings as a sea port and active waterfront. (Bus will depart at 3:30pm from the San Luis Resort)
The Port of Galveston is the fourth busiest home port in the United States with departures from Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Disney Cruise Lines. Take a behind the scenes tour of Cruise Terminal 1 and learn about cruise operations, two new cruise ships, terminal upgrades to accommodate larger ships and a new birth being built for Royal Caribbean in 2020. (Bus will depart at 3:30pm from the San Luis Resort)
Experience the epic story of Texas and the American West! Meet the cowboys, legends, and heroes who lived the story of the West with a one-of-a-kind collection of art and artifacts, hats and maps, firearms and saddles, we promise you, history is high adventure.
The Bryan Museum, located in the historic Galveston OrphansHome, houses one of the world's largest collections of Texas and the AmericanWest with a special emphasis on the Spanish influences in the region. In addition to its permanent galleries , the Museum also includes rotating special exhibits, a library, and an archive. (Bus will depart at 3:30pm from the SanLuis Resort)
Namaste y’all! Start the morning with yoga and face the day refreshed and energized for the last full day of Summit. Meet for a yoga session on the Promenade Lawn near the gazebo. Towel and water included.
(Sign up required, email Jennifer at jenniferr@ttia.org)
Come enjoy a donut and some conversation with Dan Decker, the new President & CEO of TTIA in 2019. Donuts with Dan is an informal communication format that Dan has used very successfully for most of his career. His intent with this time is to listen to members and answer any questions members may have. The only requirement is that you ask a question, even if that question is “may I have a donut?”
A step-by-step, real world discussion and teachings of the 5 most common social media mistakes that CVBs, towns and destination businesses make and how to overcome them. This discussion is about proven best practices with content strategy. What works. What doesn’t. In this discussion, speaker Darren Drewitz of MindEcology will share his real-world case studies of what he has learned in directing the social media strategy for over a dozen Texas CVBs, Chambers, Lodging and entertainment-destination businesses.
We will examine the buyer seller relationship utilizing the DISC personality’s model. (Dominate, Influencing, Steady, Cautious). You’ll experience real-life hotel seller/meeting planner case scenarios on stage and will evaluate each performance.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department administers the Local Park Grants program which provides funding for communities throughout the state to construct, renovate and enhance recreation opportunities for citizens and visitors. These opportunities can range from competition sports complexes, recreation centers, hike and bike trails, community gardens, playgrounds and splashpads. This presentation will cover all the available grant opportunities through TPWD, who is eligible, how to apply, and how these opportunities can improve the marketability of local communities.
The success of every organization is dependent upon its ability to gain consensus, inspire confidence and take advantage of disruption. Effective board and committee management is the key to building stakeholder loyalty and implementing big vision ideas. Group management is a learnable skill that can marshall additional resources, develop advocates and empower stakeholders. This session is intended for anyone who is interested in harnessing the power of community through the activation of board and committee members in a manner that supports staff and the organization. Participants will leave with copies of sample tools, including; policies, mission statements and calendars.
Gene Phillips Memorial, Clara Wuest Heidemann, and Heidemann Wuest Scholarships to be presented during luncheon.
Sponsored by Natural Bridge Caverns, Inc.
By incorporating Texas mythology and the western movie metaphor, the speaker will take the audience on a journey of today' marketing wild west and provide strategies for professional and personal prosperity. Via data visualization and multi-media content, the speaker will bring the current marketing ecosystem to life. Ed's address will include insights into current media tools and advertising tactics (traditional, SEM, social media and more) as well as broader business philosophies such as The Experience Economy and rendering authenticity which is driving the future of Texas Tourism.
Over the last few years, decision-makers in every line of business have come to appreciate that merely having information isn't good enough. We have to concentrate on how we read, communicate, and parse that information, as well, if we want to lead our organizations to success. As destination marketers, we have access to a wealth of data from a wide variety sources.
With an estimated 8.1 million visitors a year, Mexico is by far the largest international source of visitation to Texas. In this session you will get an overview of the Mexico market, updates on travel trends, and tips on how to attract visitation from that country. Co-op partnership opportunities for FY 2019 will also be discussed.
Travel is not a one-size-fits-all experience, as traveler habits, influences and priorities vary by region - from trip duration and frequency, to preferred vacation types, to planning and booking resources. A recent study commissioned by Expedia Group Media Solutions and conducted by Northstar Research Partners illustrates the complex and time-consuming purchase journey of digital travelers across North and South America. Expedia Group’s Matt Klug will share findings from the study, including digital behavior trends among travelers from the U.S., Mexico, Argentina and Brazil, and reveal the motives and emotions behind their consideration set as they search, discover, explore and book travel. The research also delves into the online resources, shopping platforms and devices used at every stage, as well as the influence of travel-related content and advertising throughout the path to purchase. Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of what influences travel purchase decisions and the actionable insights they can apply to their own strategies to engage with travelers and drive domestic and international visitation for Texas.
This interactive panel discussion will focus on legislative issues facing the Travel Industry across the United States. The panel will be moderated by David Teel, TTIA President & CEO and will include Patricia Rojas, VP of Public Affairs for U.S. Travel Association; Jack Johnson, Chief Advocacy Officer for Destination International; and Ken Lawson, President & CEO of Visit Florida
Come learn from Mo Parikh, the founder of Bandwango, the mobile experience passport company, about the big picture of tracking historical destination marketing trends to insights for the future, and to get a pulse on strategies and tools that empower destination marketers to embrace the next generation of travel technology. In his presentation, Mo will draw connections between search marketing, mobile engagement, data analytics, travel content, augmented reality and personalization, all while speaking to the greater purpose of destination marketing, its unique positioning and strengths, and who it’s capable of serving. Destination marketers will learn to draw on their unique sets of skills and resources including local authority, relationships with local businesses, and a deep knowledge of the destination, to envision ideas, services and products that deliver the best of a destination more effectively to locals, visitors and would-be visitors on the platforms and mobile devices they already use.
The travel industry evolves every 6 to 12 months and it appears that this trend will continue for the long term. Creative thinking and innovation are vital components to travel companies remaining relevant in an environment of constant industry disruption. However, many people feel as though they are lacking in creativity. What most of us do not recognize is that we are creative on a daily basis, whether it’s picking out what clothes to wear in the morning or stretching a tight budget at work. While these tasks may not normally be associated with creativity, there is a great deal of creativity involved to get those jobs done. While some people seem to be simply bursting with creativity, others find it a struggle to think outside the square. If you fall into the latter category, it is important to understand that boosting your creative and innovative abilities takes practice. In this presentation, Award-Winning Branding & Communications Expert, Shakira M. Brown will guide attendees through the process of tapping into their ability to recognize and hone their creative potential. Attendees will also learn techniques to increase their individual creativity to help generate solutions to business challenges and achieve the results they want.
Most people know how to take a picture and post it to Instagram. But usually, that is all they do and what they don't realize is that they are seriously shortchanging themselves and missing out on reaching an up and coming demographic. In this talk, I want to show attendees how to leverage Instagram Stories, Instagram TV, Instagram ads, Instagram direct messaging and how to search for and use specific hashtags on Instagram that will extend their reach. This will be an action-packed training session and I have no doubt that by the time attendees leave this session, they will have a clear understanding of using these 5 channels on one platform to attract and build a loyal fan base who will ultimately patronize their businesses.
Canada is the second largest source of international visitor arrivals into Texas as well as a leading source of tourism revenue into the state. For many U.S. tourism suppliers, Canada is often a second thought when developing a North American marketing strategy. Canada is a lucrative market, but you have to understand the Canadian consumer, travel trade and media market to entice them. I’ll provide valuable insight into the Canadian consumer and how to effectively appeal and work with them. I’ll review current travel trends, challenges and opportunities in the market, show highlights of Travel Texas FY 2018 efforts in Canada, talk about the plan of action for FY 2019 and how attendees can participate and benefit as co-op partners. Attendees will leave the presentation with a better understanding of the market and how to attract Canadian travelers to their destination, attraction, etc.
Like many destinations, Texas battles pre-conceived notions domestic travelers have of our state. Knowing that 44% of Gen-Xers and 36% of millennials trust influencer more than brand content, we launched a “Texplorer” program in 2015 to help combat these opinions. Last year we evolved the program into “Texplorer Road Trips,” bringing out-of-state travel influencers on a journey through multiple destinations to embrace our state and bring its story to life.
In this session, you’ll learn about the Travel Texas influencer approach, high-level recaps of the past three Texplorer Road Trips that drove more than 25MM impressions, and how we can work with local partners to make our FY19 Texplorer Program even better. We’ll also share highlights of Travel Texas’ FY19 domestic marketing plan, including missions, group FAMs and other social content partnership opportunities. Join us and learn more about strategic influencer strategies, how we can support your local influencer and social campaigns, and the best ways to partner with Travel Texas PR and social media this year.
A step-by-step, real world discussion and teachings of the 5 most common social media mistakes that CVBs, towns and destination businesses make and how to overcome them. This discussion is about proven best practices with content strategy. What works. What doesn’t. In this discussion, speaker Darren Drewitz of MindEcology will share his real-world case studies of what he has learned in directing the social media strategy for over a dozen Texas CVBs, Chambers, Lodging and entertainment-destination businesses.
Over the last few years, decision-makers in every line of business have come to appreciate that merely having information isn't good enough. We have to concentrate on how we read, communicate, and parse that information, as well, if we want to lead our organizations to success. As destination marketers, we have access to a wealth of data from a wide variety sources.
In this session, a step by step process for how to develop a brand for your community will be presented. You will learn how to determine the best attributes of one's community, how to perform an importance/performance analysis of the attributes of one's community, and how to develop a brand for one's community.
Join DMO industry veterans Matt Clement and Ktimene Axetell of Arrivalist for this fascinating look at the ‘High consideration Consumer/Traveler’. Beyond defining this important group of consumers that include many of our state’s visitors, topics will include important considerations to make in marketing strategy creation and current best practices in ROI modeling—including integration of multiple data sources.
We all recognize networking as one of the most valuable tools in our quest to create a successful business or build a successful career. We understand with customers, potential customers, co-workers and bosses everything still revolves around trust. Social media and the internet have not eviscerated the need for trust. One of the best ways a person can build trust is to be a giver. By being a giver you are acting to help the other person without explicitly expecting anything in return. When we give freely the person feels a sense of gratitude and indebtedness and will typically remember the giver when an opportunity arises where he/she can help the giver. A giver is not acting to further their own interests. Of course we must learn not to confuse a giver with a taker. We must also avoid being a doormat as a giver. An ethic of compassion improves the bottom line Managers often mistakenly believe that putting pressure on employees will increase their productivity. What it does is increase stress and research establishes that high levels of stress cost businesses a lot of money. Stress brings high health care costs and turnover costs. A new field of research suggests that when organizations promote a culture of compassion rather than a culture of stress they may see a happier workplace but also a better bottom line. Positive social interactions have been shown to boost employee health by, for example, lowering heart rate and blood pressure and strengthening the immune system. Compassion can be as simple as recognizing someone’s distress or needs and offering to help. Happy employees also make for improved customer service. They are more willing to help peers and to provide customer service on their own accord. These high quality relationships increase productivity levels as well as their commitment to the workplace.
We will examine the buyer seller relationship utilizing the DISC personality’s model. (Dominate, Influencing, Steady, Cautious). You’ll experience real-life hotel seller/meeting planner case scenarios on stage and will evaluate each performance.
Developing strategy takes time and resources. It requires the time and commitment of some of the most highly paid and highly experienced people in your organization. This program explains why and how a strategic plan is developed, outlining 5 good reasons why a strategic plan is needed and it shows how to put a plan on paper, and lastly, how to execute it.
As communities look to create lasting change to make their destinations more appealing to those who would live, work, and explore; destination marketing organizations (DMOs) have the ability to shape the collective impact that can transform a place. Collective impact requires thinking beyond single issues and activating support across sectors – from government, nonprofits, and the private sector. With dramatic social and economic change coming to communities, DMOs should play a significant role to impact travel and workforce attraction efforts for a place.
By incorporating Texas mythology and the western movie metaphor, the speaker will take the audience on a journey of today' marketing wild west and provide strategies for professional and personal prosperity. Via data visualization and multi-media content, the speaker will bring the current marketing ecosystem to life. Ed's address will include insights into current media tools and advertising tactics (traditional, SEM, social media and more) as well as broader business philosophies such as The Experience Economy and rendering authenticity which is driving the future of Texas Tourism.
The success of every organization is dependent upon its ability to gain consensus, inspire confidence and take advantage of disruption. Effective board and committee management is the key to building stakeholder loyalty and implementing big vision ideas. Group management is a learnable skill that can marshall additional resources, develop advocates and empower stakeholders. This session is intended for anyone who is interested in harnessing the power of community through the activation of board and committee members in a manner that supports staff and the organization. Participants will leave with copies of sample tools, including; policies, mission statements and calendars.
AirBnB, Vacation Rentals, or Short-term Rentals, can be an economic benefit to communities. But, people are beginning to notice there are changes occurring in the industry, and government is having a tough time creating effective rules. Matt Curtis talks about the changing travel trends around Vacation Rentals, the examples of communities and their economic research, and the impact on housing construction, tourism, retail, restaurants and more.
With an estimated 8.1 million visitors a year, Mexico is by far the largest international source of visitation to Texas. In this session you will get an overview of the Mexico market, updates on travel trends, and tips on how to attract visitation from that country. Co-op partnership opportunities for FY 2019 will also be discussed.
Travel is not a one-size-fits-all experience, as traveler habits, influences and priorities vary by region - from trip duration and frequency, to preferred vacation types, to planning and booking resources. A recent study commissioned by Expedia Group Media Solutions and conducted by Northstar Research Partners illustrates the complex and time-consuming purchase journey of digital travelers across North and South America. Expedia Group’s Matt Klug will share findings from the study, including digital behavior trends among travelers from the U.S., Mexico, Argentina and Brazil, and reveal the motives and emotions behind their consideration set as they search, discover, explore and book travel. The research also delves into the online resources, shopping platforms and devices used at every stage, as well as the influence of travel-related content and advertising throughout the path to purchase. Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of what influences travel purchase decisions and the actionable insights they can apply to their own strategies to engage with travelers and drive domestic and international visitation for Texas.
Galveston Island is just 45 minutes from Houston Hobby and the Greater Houston area. Rental cars and Uber are available transportation options.
The San Luis Resort Spa & Conference Center
5222 Seawall Blvd
Galveston, TX 77551
Room block is sold out on 9/24 and 9/25
Reserve a Room
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