Wednesday, March 29, 2023
8:00am - 9:15am
Experiential Sessions-only Registration
(Separate fees apply; pre-registration required.)
Morning | Experiential Sessions: Experience-the-Destination
Experiential Sessions that motivate and refresh. The host DMO staff develops one or two Experiential Sessions to explore some of the coolest, most creative ways to experience the host destination, while participating delegates gather tips and strategies to develop or enhance visitor experiences in one’s own destination. Delegates pay a separate fee to cover the costs of participation in an Experiential Session. The Experiential Sessions, which are designed and coordinated by the host DMO, are inclusive of transportation from/to host hotel, any meal service, admittance fees, etc.
8:00am - 1:00pm
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Easton Archery Experience
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Salt Lake City Highlights Tour
12:00pm - 5:30pm
Tech Summit Registration Open
Name badge wallet sponsored by Madden Media
1:15pm - 3:15pm
Learning Lab #1
GA4 is coming, are you ready to transition to the next generation of Google Analytics?
Presenter: Jason Dodge, Founder, BlackTruck Media & Marketing
Session Overview
Google’s Universal Analytics is on its way out and being replaced by the new and improved GA4 (Google Analytics 4). In this interactive lab, Jason will dive deep into what GA4 has to offer, the similarities and differences from Universal Analytics - the implications of the transition and what steps you need to take to ensure a smooth transition. This is a must attend session for anyone interested in staying ahead of the curve in website analytics and measuring the effectiveness of your digital marketing efforts.
Primary Learning Objectives
- In-depth understanding of the differences and similarities between Universal Analytics and GA4 - what you’ll gain and what you’ll lose.
- Learn how to set up and configure GA4 - from creating a property to linking data streams.
- Gain knowledge around using GA4’s new features such as enhanced measurement and the implications of machine learning powered insights.
- Develop an easy-to-understand outlined approach for using GA4’s reporting and analysis tools to gain insights and make data-driven decisions.
3:15pm - 3:30pm
Refreshment Break
3:30pm - 5:30pm
Learning Lab #2
Vertical Video Trends, Best Practices, and How To Get Started
Presenter: Dave Serino, Founder & Chief Strategist, TwoSix Digital
There’s no doubt that vertical, short-form video content has taken over our feeds and drives our channel’s analytics. Without it, your social accounts are likely struggling! Reels are receiving incredible reach, TikTok continues to grow, and YouTube tries to compete with its new Shorts format. In order to keep up, you need a plan, a process, and a schtick that separates you from the crowd. Whether you’re creating content for Reels, TikToks, or YouTube Shorts, or all of the above, this lab will get you up to speed with the latest strategies and best practices to help you get started (or improve what you’re already doing) in the new world of vertical video. Discover time-saving tips, get advice on different content formats, and receive tips on establishing a tone that will get views and motivate visitation to your destination.
6:00pm - 7:00pm
Welcome Reception (onsite at hotel)
Sponsored by Drozian Webworks
Sip, savor and nosh as you enjoy time with industry friends and colleagues at the welcome reception.
Thursday, March 30, 2023
7:30am - 5:00pm
Registration
7:45am - 8:30am
Hot Breakfast Buffet
8:30am - 9:15am
General Session Presentation
2023 and Beyond The Tech Trends that Will Shape the Future of Travel
Presenter: David Reichbach, Senior Director of Data Analytics (Destination Analysts)
As the world and thus the landscape of travel continues to evolve as a result of recent global experiences, a sea change in how travelers think, feel and plan trips has notably emerged. With the latest and greatest data from Destination Analysts The State of the American Traveler, the industry's premier tracking study that deeply explores American travel behavior, this session will uncover the digital and technological resources travelers continue to and are starting to utilize for inspiration and planning. From tried-and-true resources like official DMO assets and user-generated and crowd-sourced review apps, to new and emerging technologies like AI and ChatGPT, find out what trends will shape the future of travel decisions.
9:15am - 10:00am
Vendor Showcase & Refreshment Break
10:00am - 11:15am
Workshop A | #TikTokMadeMeGo– but ChatGPT made me stay
Presenter: Martin Stoll (Sparkloft Media)
Two trends are fundamentally changing content marketing: the shift of social platforms to prioritizing entertainment content and the rise of generative AI tools like ChatGPT. Both trends require marketers to rapidly adapt and use new approaches to connect with target audiences. TikTok has led to new content formats that prioritize audio, trends and new visual effects that have been quickly copied by other platforms like Instagram. Generative AI tools like ChatGPT, Jasper or Chatsonic (for copy) and Midjourney, Stable Diffusion or Dall-e (for images) make it possible to create content at a fraction of time and cost. Both trends will force DMOs to completely rethink where and they tell their story.
10:00am - 11:15am
Workshop B | How DMOs can convert travelers when demand is created?
Presenter: Eric Thompson (RootRez)
Destination Marketing Organizations spend significant resources to promote their Festivals, Events, and Attractions. Through affiliate booking tools, they can better connect their lodging partners to the marketing efforts that are used to create the demand. Learn how DMOs are using these tools to process real conversions and commerce, while collecting valuable first party data.
11:15am - 11:30 am
Quick Break
11:30am - 12:45pm
Workshop C | "YouTube? You Should!"
Presenter: Jason Dodge (Black Truck)
You’re ranking for Google, but are you ranking for the second-largest search engine? YouTube has long been a neglected channel for DMOs, and it’s time to change that. The addition of Shorts, Posts, and Community content types have maintained YouTube’s dominance over upstarts like Instagram Reels and TikTok (and without the concerns of foreign government spying). Even better, the addition of numerous video creation tools make it easier than ever to maximize your design budget and produce engaging content on a shoestring budget. In this session, we’ll cover all the latest updates for 2023, versatile content strategies, plus SEO for YouTube content.
11:30am - 12:45pm
Workshop D | Make It Stick: A guide to better board presentations and storytelling
Presenter: Matt Clement (Madden Media)
Do you find yourself struggling with presenting all the data, performance reporting, information and research you're awash in?! Do you want your presentations to "stick" and turn any audience into raving advocates for you and your organization? Join Madden Media's Matt Clement as he takes you step by step through all the ingredients, methods and tips for better presentations and effective communication of your information resources. You'll learn how to apply storyboarding techniques to build better board presentations, make effective "sense" of your data and research resources, how to make the numbers you report resonate and choose the most powerful visualizations to make your arguments and demonstrate your successes.
12:45pm - 2:00pm
Group Luncheon & General Session Presentation
Unlocking the Secrets of Salt Lake: A panel discussion on TravelTech Innovation and Collaboration
Presenter: AJ Brau, Founder, CEO (Wander)
Come listen in as 6 TravelTech leaders discuss why Salt Lake has been able to produce so many innovative technology products for the tourism industry, and how our industry as a whole can better collaborate with technology vendors to solve problems and foster more innovation in our industry.
2:15pm - 3:30pm
Workshop E | How to Harness the Power of Your Data
Presenter: Leroy Bridges (Adara)
Your DMO has so much data at its fingertips, but knowing how to utilize and illustrate that data can be daunting. How can your DMO enable that data to work for you and provide meaningful insights? Join Adara, Love Communications and Utah Office of Tourism to learn how to import and utilize your breadth of data in a useful way, bringing meaningful insights to your stakeholders and internal team.
2:15pm - 3:30pm
Workshop F | Why the Metaverse matters (and why you might not be ready for it yet)
Presenter: Martin Stoll (Sparkloft)
In 2022 the first DMOs launched metaverses that allowed visitors to experience a destination as a digital immersion before visiting 'in real life'. This sessions show the strategic approach cities like Atlanta or Dubai are taking and what smaller DMOs can learn from it. We will cover the most important tools and platforms you can use to start marketing in the metaverse, give you ideas on cost (and cost drivers) and equip you with the information needed to answer any questions stakeholders or board members might have in regards to your metaverse approach.
3:30pm - 4:15pm
Vendor Showcase & Refreshment Break
4:15pm - 5:00pm
General Session Presentation
Behind the Curtain: How the travel industry (and others) spend their digital ad dollars' and what to do about it!
Presenter: Matt Clement, CDME (Madden Media)
With more digital media paths available to us than ever before, have you ever wondered how the largest travel, consumer and sports brands are spending their ad dollars? Are Facebook ads truly out of vogue? How has digital media spend changed since the start of the pandemic? Which media channels did Disney invest their ad dollars in? When and where do DMO's in your region spend their ad dollars? Ever wondered what the most viewed ad creatives in travel look like? Join Madden Media's Matt Clement for a deep dive answer to these questions and other fascinating insights from the digital media landscape. You'll learn how digital media trends have changed in the DMO industry along with practical media planning strategies and tactics for taking advantage of those trends in 2023 and beyond.
5:30pm - 8:30pm (8:30pm - 10:00pm after party)
2023 Tech Summit Après
Flanker Kitchen & Sporting Club
Hosted By Visit Salt Lake & the Utah Tourism Collective
Sponsored by: Zartico, Ripe, RootRez, Love Communications, Go Travel Sites & Bandwango
Friday, March 31, 2023
7:30am - 1:00pm
Registration
7:45am - 8:30am
Hot Breakfast Buffet
8:30am - 9:30am
General Session Presentation
Media Mix Modeling...Back to the Future of ROI
Presenters: Zeek Coleman, Tourism Economics and Gray Lawry (Miles Partnership)
Tourism marketers have long been plagued by the challenges of showing ROI, but this superpower is under attack. As large tech companies and governments clamp down on the free exchange of travel data, you’ll need other options in order to track ROI for your marketing investments and make defensive decisions moving forward.
Media Mix Modeling (MMM), which was first popularized in the 90s, is making a comeback with the digital marketers. Is this something for DMO marketers to leverage? Join this session to understand what MMM is, what it isn't, and how to get started with free tools.
9:30am - 10:15am
Vendor Showcase & Refreshment Break
10:15am - 11:15am
Workshop G | How To Make An Engaging Podcast
Presenter: Johnny Flores (Flores Podcast Productions)
Creating a compelling podcast while avoiding common podcasting mistakes.
After attending this session, attendees will be able to do the following:
- Know the metrics for podcast listens and downloads
- Set goals for audience growth
- Create good habits to increase listens and downloads
- Where to record from home or office
- How to remotely record
- Runtime for episodes
- Best guests for attracting audiences
10:15am - 11:15am
Workshop H | Email Marketing: More Than Just a Checklist Item
Presenter: Dave Serino, Founder & Chief Strategist (TwoSix Digital)
Is your email marketing program barely scratching the surface of the possibilities? Chances are, it is. Email Marketing has fallen into the trap of being a checklist item for most destination marketers. Sadly, in most cases, it's been limited to a monthly newsletter to a bulk audience, which earns mediocre results. We can do better than that with a bit of strategic thought and execution! During the last couple of years, email marketing has evolved in a big way and it's quickly going to become one of your most valued assets. It's time to elevate your efforts with the use of automated messages, segmentation, and funnels that nurture subscribers in a meaningful way, and that moved your readers toward visitation. Today's email marketing is smart, actionable, and has great potential to be a driving force that supports your greater marketing objectives. Let's make sure that your email marketing program is firing on all cylinders in 2023! Join Brian in this session to get all the details that will help you check all of the boxes when it comes to executing an impactful email marketing strategy.
11:15am - 12:30pm
Closing Luncheon & General Session Presentation
Stop Navel Gazing! Get insights about visitors to every location, every destination, and every event in the nation to learn from competitors, discover collaborators, and maximize your potential.
Presenter: Ian Ross, Head of Civic (Placer.ai)
If you’re only looking at data for your destination, you’re only getting a tiny part of the story.
Sure, you’ve seen visitation data about your destination, maybe you get reports about hotel stays and receipts from your local ticketed events. You may even have a dashboard that shows attendance for your top destinations and the origins of your visitors. But that’s just about you, and reveals a very small fraction of your true potential. What about the people visiting the NBA All Star game? Or heading to the Cherry Blossom Festival in DC? or who just finished a 3-day hiking trip in the Great Smoky Mountains! Might they be interested in learning about your destination?
Now imagine you could see the travel journey and get insights about visitors to every destination, every attraction, and every event in the nation! Where are they visiting from? Where did they stay? What stores did they visit? Which restaurants? What are their demographics and their consumer preferences? Where did they go before and after that event? What was the economic impact on the properties nearby? What else do they like to do?
With these insights you'd be able to learn about visitors to your competitors, and discover which DMOs would make for great marketing collaborators. But to see this data, first you'd need to geo-fence the entire United States! Well, that's just what we did.
Check out the competition! Do you offer a great water park? Check out visitation to other water parks in your region, or across the country for that matter. Learn the home origins of their visitors, their demographics, and discover what else they like to do.
Find your collaborators! Where do the people who visit your destination also go? What other attractions and destinations would make for good marketing collaborators? Who should you target together?
