NAJ’s camera was there as delegates gathered April 13 and 14 in Philadelphia for NAJ’s DigMe Summit in order to receive updates on the latest developments in the world of digital marketing and applications in the tour and travel industry. Following is a collection of images from those two days.

 

At their table early and waiting for the first day’s program to get started are: Kayla M. Conard, marketing specialist, Philadelphia CVB; and Mark Correa, digital marketing manager, Philadelphia CVB.

 

Pausing from pre-program chores long enough to nod hello to the photographer are (left-to-right): Gretchen Voth, content strategy director, Luquire George Andrews; and Jessica Lowe Betts, vice president of marketing and branding, Visit Tulsa and Tulsa Sports Commission.

 

Keyboard and smartphone are at the ready. So are Carl Cox, senior director and online marketing production, Madden Media; and Adriane Cuaron, senior director of operations, Madden Media.

 

Kelsey Mayer, co-founder and president, Influence & Co., explains part of the why and how of Google’s search ranking mechanics.

 

Cecilia Dahl, a partner in the Boston-based strategic consulting firm 360advisors.com, served as moderator and program emcee for the morning of DigMe’s first day.

 

DMO pros Matt Clement (left), marketing and partnership manager, Fort Worth CVB; and Leroy Bridges, digital and interactive director, Visit St. Pete/Clearwater, listen while awaiting their own turn to speak during a group discussion of content marketing strategies and challenges.

 

Steve Lyons, director of marketing, Maine Office of Tourism, explains how his office manages to execute its program on an annual budget of less than $1 million.

 

Susan Black, co-founder of Black & Wright, a northern New Jersey-based consulting firm, questions a panel of DMO officials.

 

Zeek Coleman, internet marketing manager, Visit Savannah, makes a point about the lead time required in order to post content on different travel sites.

 

Pausing long enough to give the photographer a smile are: Laszlo Horvath (left), president, Active Media; and Kelsey Mayer, co-founder and president, Influence & Co.

 

Brandon Capwell (left), vice president, web, for archer, which is based in Rochester, N.Y., shares intelligence with AJ Kinney, director of DMO partnerships, matador network, during Wednesday’s morning coffee break.

 

Up next on the morning program, Al Chen (center), co-founder, Cooperatize, checks his watch to see how much time is left during the morning coffee break. With him are his fellow panelist, Alexander Herrmann, director of North America, Switzerland Tourism, and program moderator Cecilia Dahl, a partner in the Boston-based strategic consulting firm of 360advisors.com.

 

“Big pictures and less text.” That’s just one bit of advice given delegates for social media marketing by Neal Sinno, general manager, North American operations, Playbuzz.

 

Jennifer Andre, director of sales, Expedia Media Solutions, updates delegates on her company’s latest ventures during the summit’s first-day luncheon.

 

Waiting for the start of the Summit’s Wednesday’s afternoon program is Rachel Regal, social media strategist for Sparkloft Media.

 

Jay Kinghorn, director of communications and digital strategy, Utah Office of Tourism, explained how his organization met the challenge of generating 100 new pieces of content for its website within days.

 

Julie Gilbert, vice president of marketing, Niagara Tourism and Convention Corporation, tells Summit delegates that the measured results of the agency’s marketing program help generate support for its efforts.

 

Ralph Thompson, chief brain, eBrains; and Alissa Menke, senior digital strategist, jones huyett Parners, listen as Julie Gilbert, vice president of marketing, Niagara Tourism and Convention Corporation, details their role in Niagara Tourism’s marketing program.

 

Even though every delegate had a mobile device and/or a laptop, some still used pens and pads to take notes, as did Rachel Regal, social media strategist, Sparkloft Media; and Bonnie Borkin, sales manager for Travelzoo.

 

Andrew Young, editorial director, North America, Travelzoo; and Veronica Nalbandian, manager, national council relations & ESTO, U.S. Travel Association, preparing for a session in which participants take just minutes to develop a marketing program in response to a specific challenge.

 

Thoroughly engrossed in the program are (left-to-right): Greer Kimsey, director of strategy and insights, Delucchi Plus; Shirley Ben-Elieler, Northeast Region, Ministry of Tourism, Israel; Christine Delucchi, president and CEO, Delucchi Plus; and Jackie Sachs, marketing and social media manager, Chicago’s North Shore CVB.

 

Still smiling as coffee break time nears are: Courtney Post, senior account manager, Expedia Media Solutions; Jennifer Andre, director of sales, Expedia Media Solutions; and Genon R. Murray, Synthesis Storyworks.

 

More coffee break smiles (left-to-right): Alissa Menke, senior digital strategist, jones huyett Parners; Balakumar Raghurama, Arrivalist; and Chris Shaver, Arrivalists.

 

Laszlo Horvath (left), president, Active Media; and Ralph Thompson, chief brain, eBrains, sharing thoughts between sessions at the Genius Bar.

 

Zeek Coleman (left), internet marketing manager, Visit Savannah; and Seth Forman, general manager, destinations, Travelzoo, meet with Ashley McCredie, marketing project manager, Visit Denver during Wednesday afternoon’s Genius Bar session.

 

Jason Hackett, CEO and Founder, Brier Katama, LLC, did double duty on Thursday at the summit—both as presenter and as program moderator.

 

Micha Jakob (left), senior account executive, travel, for Google, and Joshua Ginsberg (right), principal analytics lead, Google, meet with Jake Steinman, NAJ’s founder and CEO, following their well-received presentation on “Micro Moments in the Travel Purchase Funnel.”

 

An estimated 66 million digital travel bookings in the U.S. will come from mobile devices in 2016, Jessica Schultz, director, integrated planning, MMGY Global, told summit delegates. She also noted that the average American is spending 3.6 hours a day on the Internet.

 

Updating the information on his destination’s virtual reality program up until the moment he makes his presentation is Leroy Bridges, digital and interactive director, Visit St. Pete/Clearwater.

 

Suzanne Sanders, marketing director, You Visit, shows off the latest model of the Oculus Rift viewer made popular last year when the Visit St. Pete/Clearwater CVB became the first U.S. destination to begin using the device at trade shows, conventions and sales calls.

 

Laptops at the ready, Carolyn Anderson, social media manager, Visit KC, and Karen Bakar, principal marketing representative, Capital Corridor Joint Powers Authority, follow the action at the Thursday morning program of the DigMe Summit.

 

GrayLawry, director of media and analytics, renders an unusually harsh judgment on Facebook in the way it measures views of it videos (“They lie”) and allows downloading of video content of others (“They steal”).

 

It’s not just enough for online influencers to post a photo with a comment, Alicia Whalen, co-founder of Hastagio told delegates in her presentation; sponsors also want blog content to go with posted images.

 

Tending to more important matters during Wednesday afternoon’s coffee break is Christian Mani (left), marketing manager for Cook Islands Tourism, as he explains the meaning of his most impressive tattoo to Al Chen, co-founder, Cooperatize.

 

John Alzapiedi (right), web and social media manager, Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism, discusses his upcoming presentation with Jonathan Lacoste, president of Jebbit.

 

The three women on this side of the table who are giving their undivided attention to Wednesday’s luncheon program—a walk-through of NAJ’s website, TourOperatorLand.com—are (left-to-right): Courtney Foste, senior account manager, Expedia Media Solutions; Kae Lani Kenndey, social media manager, Matador Network; and Angela Roberts, senior account executive, Expedia Media Solutions.

 

Just finished with a rousing presentation on the state of data marketing is Ted Sullivan, vice president, resort and destination analytics, Adara Media.

 

Matt Clement (left), marketing and partnership manager, Fort Worth CVB; Susan Black, co-founder of Black & Wright, a northern New Jersey-based consulting firm; and Jay Kinghorn, director of communications and digital strategy, Utah Office of Tourism, make up the panel of judges who are hearing presentations from four startup companies.

 

And finally … the most popular PowerPoint slide of the two-day DigMe Summit.