UMCVB Fall Conference Agenda

Daktronics B

ChatGPT and Generative AI – What it means for you

You’ve probably heard a lot about AI this year, join Dave Carruthers as he breaks down the impact AI will have on our industry and provides clear examples, use cases and tools that can help you master this essential skill and transition from a doer to a thinkers mindset. Dave will cover the basics of ChatGPT as well as a variety of other AI powered solutions that can 10x you and your team’s productivity all in an engaging, informative and non-techy talk that will leave you feeling more knowledgeable and excited about the opportunity AI presents.

Presented by: Dave Carruthers,  Red Beard

Daktonics Conference Room

Leverage Your Strengths in Sales

Hear from your peers in this session, discussing how they leverage their strengths to be selected as a host committee.  They will share how they create dynamic site visits and lessons learned over the past couple. 

Presented by: Tyson Steiger, Visit Rapid City

Daktronics C

Data Driven Decision Making in Sports Tourism

Join Huddle Up Group Founder + CEO, Jon Schmieder, for this interactive session discussing the Sports Tourism Index. The Sports Tourism Index evaluates sports destinations in four areas: Facilities, destination strength, organizational structure, and events. The benchmarks used by the Sports Tourism Index are the result of surveys and interviews with the top event rights holders and National Governing Bodies across the United States. The data that comes from the Index can be used to benchmark a destination, its facilities, and to deliver a SWOT analysis of that market’s DMO, CVB or sports commission.

Attend this session to measure how your destination stacks up and learn where you can enhance your current efforts in the growing sports tourism market.

Presented by: Jon Schmieder,  Huddle Up Group

Daktronics D

CEO Roundtable

 What is Keeping You Up At Night? Come to this open forum to discuss your biggest concerns and challenges with your peers.

Moderated by: TBA

Daktronics B

Strategies for Tapping Into the Adaptive Sports Economy

You can become adapted sport allies by helping shift both the disability and adapted sport narratives from a charity focus to a business case. The annual adapted sports economic impact totals nearly $78 million. The movement is more than a subjective “feel good” narrative – it is an economic driver that positively impacts the bottom line and creates inclusive communities where all have access to participate. Come away with a deeper understanding of the disability community and its intersectionality along with strategies for hosting adapted sport events. Become an ally that transforms the disability narrative and amplifies adapted sport as an impactful economic contributor within your community.

Presented by: Dawna Callahan, All In Sport Consulting

Daktonics Conference Room

Turning Insights to Outcomes  for the Community (Evolving Data to Quality of Life)

Unless you apply your data and insights to actual outcomes for your community, you’re just looking at bar charts and pie graphs. Destinations now have the opportunity to utilize real time insights from events, movement and spend for the betterment of the community, the improved experience for the visitor and transformation of the organization. If these tools are available, which DMOs are using them the best?

This session will have destinations tell their stories about completely new insights and how they evolved the DMO and created outcomes for the residents, the visitors and their stakeholders.

Attendees will learn:

• To Identify what data streams and insights are most valuable to the DMO
• How to recognize data that does not help the destination tell its story
• Ways to better tell the entire story of the DMO’s total effect on the visitor economy
• Ideas over how to communicate proactive outcomes with stakeholders, community and staff the opportunities from events, visitor flow and resident/visitor ratios
• Processes for cutting through the data clutter to simplify the narrative. Every CEO, researcher, marketer and staff member can easily craft a narrative from the data when they know where to look

Presented by: Adam Johnson, Zartico

Daktronics C

Protecting Your DMO

We’ve all seen the headlines and wondered “how could that happen?”. Come learn about some cautionary tales in our industry and what could have been done to prevent the headlines.

Presented by: Julie Hart,  CFO by design

Daktronics D

10 Things Event Planners Wish DMOs Knew

Event planning is about collaboration. This session will share valuable insight into various ways DMOs can collaborate with event planners to strengthen partnerships, showcase their destinations, and create memorable events.

Presented by: Ellie Highstreet, SD Event Connection

Daktronics B

Content Publishing Best Practices

In this session, our content experts will share how to properly structure content within the architecture of your website for major SEO impact, while also covering if your content should be a page or a blog, and other digital content best practices.

Presented by: Sarah Bellamy, Tempest

Daktonics Conference Room

Multi-Cultural Diversity Advertising

Learn how to reach and engage diverse audiences through multicultural marketing. Leverage the important role of data and analytics, learn best practices for effective campaigns, and discover the latest trends and innovations in multicultural marketing. Gain valuable insights and practical tips to enhance your multicultural marketing efforts and drive new visitation.

Presented by: Cliff Ward, Orange142

Daktronics C

Youth Sports Tourism

Hear from Visit Quad Cities and Sioux Falls Sports Authority how they approach sports tourism and join the discussion on how you can utilize your community assets to bring in sports tourism.

Presented by: Dave Herrell, Visit Quad Cities & Thomas Lee, Sioux Falls Sports Authority

Daktronics D

Sales Roundtable

Let’s talk about tradeshows! What tradeshows are you attending now? What have you dropped? What works, what doesn’t? Open discussion format with your peers.

Moderated by: TBA

Daktronics B

Drive Your Data into the Future

Strategic destinations demand data. Set your destination up for success by getting a glimpse into the future of data with a business intelligence suite and warehouse that provides DMOs with highly reliable, accessible, and digestible data. Simpleview Data Engine centralizes reporting and data models, provides direct access to robust reports curated by industry experts, and allows DMOs to incorporate their own unique data. This session will give attendees an in-depth look into how they can elevate their destination’s strategies and guide data-driven decision-making.

Presented by: Chris George, Simpleview

Daktonics Conference Room

The 12 Laws of AI: A Practical Guide for DMOs

Law 1: Do not let machines overshadow your humans
“AI is a tool, not the craftsman. Let it assist, but never overshadow.”

Navigating the complex world of AI can be both exciting and daunting. If you’re seeking to understand its core, maximize its potential, and be alert to its pitfalls, it’s essential to have a guide. How are your visitors engaging with it? What implications does it hold for them, your team and your destination? The 12 Laws of AI, presented by Madden Media’s Matt Clement, will help provide clarity and direction as you navigate this ever-evolving frontier.

Presented by: Matt Clement, Madden Media

Daktronics C

The Power of Authenticity: Amplifying Destination Appeal with User-Generated Content

The influence of content creators in shaping consumer behavior and travel decisions cannot be understated. Join us as we delve into the captivating realm of working with content creators for destinations and uncover the myriad of benefits and considerations for these exciting collaborations.

Highlighting successes from over 300 creator visits in destinations of all sizes, we’ll explore the invaluable benefits of partnering with content creators. From bolstering brand awareness and amplifying reach to fostering authentic connections with target audiences, we will demonstrate how these collaborations pave the way for immersive experiences and long-lasting memories.

Presented by: Chris Lukenbill, shrpa

Daktronics D

Advocacy Roundtable

In the ever changing, more digital world, how are you advocating for your community? How do you partner with small businesses? How do you appeal to the more traditional elected leaders but still stay up with trends in tourism and appeal to a different audience? Discuss with your peers the struggles and successes you are experiencing.

Moderated by: TBA