pre-conference day etourism summit Archives

…And We’re Going Live with the Preliminary #eTS19 Agenda

August 20, 2019 by Laurie Jo Miller Farr Leave a Comment

See Regular Agenda Updates on the #eTS19 Website

**Get Your Seat Before It’s Too Late**
While you’re at it, make sure you book your hotel room **here** by the Sept. 14 deadline.

Keeping ahead of the latest digital marketing trends is essential for the success of a DMO pro. But you already know that!

Did you know? eTourism Summit is turning 20 this year. We’re all about “See Tomorrow,” but look from where we’ve come.

When the first eTourism Summit convened in 2000, companies like Ask Jeeves, Infoseek, Excite, Lycos and Yahoo ruled search. Google was just getting geared up and Mark Zuckerberg was a high school sophomore. Mobile phones were just that…phones. Internet connectivity and BlackBerry were still two to three years in the future.

Four Pre-Conference Workshops

Four optional pre-conference workshops with limited spaces available (register now!) are on offer on Oct. 7:

Developing Story: Compelling Consumers to Action through Content
Crisis Management for DMOs
LinkedIn Marketing Solutions for Destination Marketers
Influencer Marketing: A-Z Workshop in Implementing Influencers & Digital Creators Into Your Marketing Strategy

Hear From Your Peers

eTourism Summit represents the intersection of digital media and tourism promotion in an intimate, interactive setting to facilitate networking, as it has since the start of the 21st century.

There are four tracks to choose from and move around at will. It’s up to you.

Pivoting from Personas to Personal
In Data We Trust
Video, Video, Video
Storytelling vs. Story Selling

DMOs, attractions, and their agency partners present case studies, share successes and even some failures. We explore innovative ideas and the latest trends in marketing, platforms, content, tools, search, social media, mobile and web design.

Expert-led sessions from thought leaders plus dozens of innovative case studies are among the most popular sessions every year. See the confirmed speakers here.

We’re adding more confirmations weekly. Among the DMOs sharing their learnings by example are:

Andrew O’Connor, Associate Director – Content Marketing, Destination DC
Elise Trivers, Social Media Manager, Visit Denver
Liz Mabe, Digital Marketing Director, Discover Puerto Rico
Leah Chandler, Chief Marketing Officer, Discover Puerto Rico
Brenda Nebesky, Deputy Director, Travel Nevada
Zeek Coleman, Interactive Marketing Manager, Visit Savannah
Scott Schult, Executive Vice President of Marketing, Visit Myrtle Beach
Amy Boek, Chief Marketing Officer, Amelia Island CVB
Taisa Veras, Director of Social Media, NYC & Company
Ed Harris, Chief Marketing Officer, Valley Forge Tourism & Convention Board

What Else?

Be there on Day Two for the General Session when Brian Fanzo, Founder & CEO, iSocialFanz presents his game plan for making a mark in “Press the Damn Button: How to Create a Memorable Storytelling Strategy.”

Find Out Who Won!

Don’t miss the Second Annual eTSY Awards for excellence in digital tourism marketing. Find out who is called on stage as the winner of the best campaign of the past 20 years…and why.

Sharing the Love

Check out these video testimonials from folks you know.

Hands-On Crisis Management for DMOs: Be Prepared…What to Do Before, During, and After

July 30, 2019 by Laurie Jo Miller Farr Leave a Comment

wildfires in wine country — Credit: Torbakhopper (flickr 2.0)

One thing is certain: There’s a crisis in your future. And when it does happen, every minute counts.

Whether it’s Mother Nature or man-made, no destination can escape this reality: fire, flood, earthquake, hurricane, terrorism, epidemic or ??? The question is not what will happen and when, but whether you will be ready for it.

And afterward, there’s damage control.

The True Story of the Golden Fire Hydrant

Golden Fire Hydrant, San Francisco — Credit: Marc Schmidt (flickr 2.0)

Another thing is certain: History teaches us that things will happen that you cannot predict and do not expect.

That’s what occurred when the city’s fire chief, who knew more about the water supply connections than anyone, was killed in the initial San Francisco earthquake of 1906. Without his intel, 80% of the city was destroyed by several days of massive fires before this hilltop hydrant was opened and halted the fire line’s advance.

How Can You Be Prepared?

Come to the Crisis Management for DMOs Workshop at eTourism Summit and take home a practical action plan, plus a back-up plan, too.

We’ll explore and define the role of a DMO—what’s required and what’s not— in an afternoon workshop conducted by two of the nation’s foremost experts on this critical subject. Doug Levy and Peggy Bendel are tourism-savvy crisis management professionals and notable authors.

Learn From Experts

You’ll receive these two signed books from the authors, your workshop leaders:

Doug Levy, author and Peggy Bendel, author

“The Communications Golden Hour” by Doug Levy
“It’s a Crisis! Now What?” by Peggy Bendel

In the face of a crisis, be prepared, be informed, be empowered.
You’ll find out:

What you should do now
What you should always do
What you should never say
What you should do when the crisis is over

An interactive session is planned, so places are limited. To participate in this eTourism Summit Pre-Conference Workshop on Oct. 7, 2019, register here.

P.S. And here’s an unexpected tourism twist on a potential crisis: “Great White Shark Fever Sweeps Cape Cod” means that sold-out shark sighting boat trips from Chatham, Mass. are going for $2,500 a pop and attendance is up 60% at the local educational conservancy, whose Sharktivity app has had 200,000+ downloads.

Last Call for Entries

Share your digital excellence.

Last call for the 2nd Annual eTSY Awards application, closing Aug. 1.

You gotta be in it to win it. Apply today.

Do You Really Want Another Water Bottle?

August 28, 2018 by Laurie Jo Miller Farr Leave a Comment

Honestly, how many more giveaway water bottles, pens, and tote bags can you use? Conferences and trade shows are awash with a myriad of logo-laden promotional SWAG items.

However, at eTourism Summit, we’ve re-imagined SWAG (“stuff we all get”) into stuff that you’ll really want.

Instead of promotional giveaways, we’re optimizing value-added benefits available at no charge to #eTS18 attendees. For example:

Get even more value by beating the clock…the registration rate increases on September 1 and the hotel room block cut-off date at Park Central Hotel is September 21. See you in San Francisco in October!

Guerilla…Not Gorilla…Facebook Marketing Workshop Stomps Into eTourism Summit 2018 Lineup

July 17, 2018 by Laurie Jo Miller Farr Leave a Comment

Stake out your territory.

When it comes to Facebook marketing tactics, maybe there’s less difference between a guerilla and a gorilla than we thought. To be brutally honest, you need all the skills you can get to stay alive and ensure that your ROI will thrive out there.

Come equipped with your best weapon…your laptop. Join us to:

Do market research, benchmark against other DMOs and attractions
Measure and manage your Facebook ROI
Look at advanced targeting techniques
Determine how much traffic, revenue, hotel bookings, event tickets, restaurant receipts, and other sales come from your DMO’s social media efforts
Figure out how many people are researching a destination: currently in-market, checking in at attractions, or otherwise incrementally spending money

Hands-On Survival Tactics

We have a limited number of spaces for an intimate step-by-step, hands-on, interactive workshop from 9-to-5 during the Pre-Conference Day at eTourism Summit on Tuesday, October 9, 2018 in San Francisco.

Our fearless workshop leaders are Dennis Yu, Chief Technology Officer, BlitzMetrics; Tanner Laycock, Director of Marketing Systems, BlitzMetrics; and Sam Collier, Vice President of Services, BlitzMetrics.

Workshop participants may attend the full #eTS2018 on Oct. 10-11 or may opt to attend the workshop on October 9 only. Register here now.