Speaker: Stephen Ekstrom with Learn Tourism 

Why choose this session:
Because learning shouldn’t be an event, it should be how your organization operates. This session will focus on building a culture where teams learn fast, apply faster, and improve outcomes together.

In tourism and hospitality, change is constant – new technologies, shifting visitor expectations, workforce transitions, and evolving community needs. Organizations that thrive aren’t the ones with the most information; they’re the ones that turn learning into daily practice.

Stephen will explore how leaders can move beyond one-time trainings and instead create systems where reflection, experimentation, and shared growth become part of how work gets done. When learning becomes embedded in culture, performance improves, confidence increases, and teams move forward with clarity and purpose.

What you’ll learn:

• How to embed learning into everyday operations instead of treating it as a separate initiative.

• Practical leadership behaviors that create psychological safety, accountability, and continuous improvement.

• How to connect a culture of learning to stronger visitor experiences, better team performance, and long-term organizational resilience.

Speaker: Sarah Benoit with Learn Tourism 

Why choose this session:
Cut through the noise and build a social strategy that actually works in 2026.

This session will focus on helping you navigate what’s truly changing in social media, and what isn’t. Platforms evolve, algorithms shift, and new features launch constantly, but your purpose and strategy should remain grounded in clarity and outcomes.

Together, we’ll examine the trends shaping 2026, the audience behaviors gaining momentum, and the tactics quietly losing impact. You’ll learn how to align your content, time, and budget with what actually drives engagement and action, not just visibility.

Whether you manage social media daily or guide strategy at a leadership level, this session will help you prioritize confidently and act intentionally.

What you’ll learn:

• The key social media shifts defining 2026, and what they mean for tourism and hospitality brands.

• How to identify what to start, stop, and continue in your social strategy based on audience behavior and platform evolution.

• Practical content frameworks that get results. 

Speaker: Tarryn Tomlinson with LiveABLE 

Why choose this session: Use AI to self-audit and improve accessibility so more guests can confidently choose you.

Accessibility can be DIY with the right tech at your fingertips. See how AI tools help you self-audit, prioritize fixes, and welcome more guests—confidently and affordably.

What you’ll learn:

• How AVA, a Universal Access AI on WhatsApp, guides DIY accessibility audits.
• Practical ways to enhance experiences for travelers with disabilities, seniors, and families.
• Strategies to expand audience reach and strengthen inclusive marketing—without hiring consultants.

Speakers: Wirt Confroy + panelists with Virginia Tourism Corporation

Why choose this session: See how VTC’s statewide strategy, tools, and financing programs drive real development and marketing impact.

Tap into Virginia Tourism Corporation’s statewide strategy to unlock development, funding, and collaborative marketing wins. Learn how programs like TDFP and TIDs translate big ideas into local impact.

What you’ll learn:

• Destination Development: business support, DMO planning, and cross-government resources.
• Statewide Tourism Plan: research-based strategies that align goals and messaging.
• Drive Tourism: collaborative, place-specific development and promotion.
• Tourism Development Financing Program (TDFP): closing lodging and project gaps with viable financing.
• Tourism Improvement Districts (TIDs): visitor-paid revenue for protected, stable funding.

Speaker: Aisha Johnson Adams

Why choose this session: Turn influencer work into long-term, values-aligned storytelling that builds trust and results.

Make influencer work a values-driven, measurable growth engine, not a one-off post. Align on goals, creative freedom, and fair pay to build long-term storytelling that moves travelers.

What you’ll learn:

• Set clear goals and choose partners who fit your mission.
• Design campaigns that balance creative freedom with brand integrity.
• Create inclusive, accessible content that reflects your community.
• Ensure fair compensation, measure impact, and nurture ongoing partnerships.

Speaker: Laura Speicher with Tourism Economics 

Why choose this session: Defend and grow your marketing impact with clear metrics, smarter timing, and compelling value stories.

In a “prove it” environment, attribution and timing are your best friends. Learn how to defend dollars, sharpen strategy, and tell a value story leadership can’t ignore.

What you’ll learn:

• Evaluate media and website effectiveness to drive visitation while protecting budget.
• Time your efforts by identifying key opportunity markets and optimizing schedules.
• Learn from real-world attribution case studies that enhanced effectiveness under constraints.
• Quantify economic impact to build community support and advocacy.
• Use attribution metrics to improve optimization, efficiency, and campaign effectiveness.