2024 Professional Development
Tailor-Made for Ohio Tourism Professionals.
True NORTH Guest Satisfaction
Wednesday, Oct. 2 at 10 a.m.
Sponsored by: Visit Cincy
Customer satisfaction has never been more important. Many think it’s all about providing front-line employees with the right standards for working with customers, but sustainable guest satisfaction can only occur through seismic shifts in the culture of a business or organization. Creating this transformation requires involvement of all levels of employees.
The Ohio Travel Association has produced a train-the-trainer program for inspiring and equipping leaders to navigate the transformation of their cultures (as well as the cultures of their local partners) to support and empower exceptional care of customers (who are invited guests, after all).
Upon completion of this pilot workshop, attendees will be certified as True NORTH Guest Experience ™ Certified Guides and provided with the tools needed to implement the program back home in their communities.
***Please note, this workshop is not included in your registration. Click here for registration information and rates.
Keynote Speakers
Embracing the ‘Heart of It All’ | Sarah Wickham, TourismOhio
Wednesday, Oct. 2 at the Dinner and Leadership Gala
State Tourism Director Sarah Wickham will dive into how TourismOhio is fully embracing the "Heart of it All" brand to position Ohio as the ultimate destination where you can have both a great job and a great life. Sarah will share compelling data and insights, highlighting the state's strategy to amplify this message and expand its reach. She'll offer inspiring ideas on how we can all contribute to making Ohio the go-to spot for those seeking endless opportunities for adventure and a perfect work-life balance.
Future Proofing your Travel Business: A Step into AI’s Realm | Ray Waite, Lighthouse Force
Thursday, Oct. 3, at 9 a.m.
Sponsored by: Explore Hocking Hills
In today’s fast-paced and highly competitive business world, travel businesses are always looking for new and innovative ways to gain an edge over their competitors. Enter Artificial Intelligence, a game changing technology that has rapidly become a necessary tool for travel businesses, with its ability to automate processes, analyze vast amounts of data, and make accurate predictions that can help drive future growth and success. You’ll gain a clear understanding of the fundamentals of Artificial Intelligence, how the knowledge can benefit your AI investment decisions, the various categories of AI use cases and how to identify the ones relevant to business objectives, how to choose the AI actions (generate, search, analyze, translation) that will most benefit a business, and actual use cases and recommendations from travel associates implementing AI technologies.
The Art of Speaking, Actually Speaking, Advocacy | Josiah Brown, The New York Sherpa
Friday, Oct. 4 at 10:20 a.m.
Sponsored by: Explore Licking County
To move people, you must be able to move them emotionally and be a compelling, reasonable and educated voice. Learn skills on effectively speaking as well as how to craft the message that you are bringing. This session will bring DI’s Tourism Lexicon alive while training you to think and perform like a professional speaker.
***Please note Friday is a rolling schedule and the time of this keynote is subject to change during the morning events. Visit the schedule page to learn more.
Professional Development Breakouts
Gather Around the Watering Hole: Sharing ideas and information through roundtable discussions | Facilitated by Ohio Travel Association board members, statewide industry award winners and project experts
Thursday, Oct. 3 at 10 a.m.
Back by popular demand, we’re gathering around the watering hole to talk about what you’ve said matters most. Facilitated roundtable discussions will focus on the following:
America 250-Ohio Update
A Celebration for the Ages: Creating Sellable Group Experiences Around America 250
World Heritage Inscription
Start Thinking "Branding First" for Your Destination | Josiah Brown, The New York Sherpa
Thursday, Oct. 3 at 10 a.m.
Sponsored by: Expedia Group
The largest companies in the world think branding first and marketing second. If you're not thinking "Branding First" you're probably spending too much money on marketing and slipping behind your competition. A brand lives in the heart of a consumer...do you know how to shape it? Branding is one of the most misunderstood areas of our promotion efforts in destination marketing today. Before any media campaign happens or any new demographic is chased, you must know your brand. Destinations that understand how to think "Branding First" are winning the game of destination marketing.
Putting Current Technology Trends to Work on Real-World Applications | Brian V. Matson, TwoSix Digital
Thursday, Oct. 3 at 10 a.m.
Sponsored by: Travel Spike
In this fun and interactive session, we'll cover the essential tips for generating prompts for AI and other tools to enhance your tourism and hospitality marketing efforts. We'll discuss real-world applications that you can put to work today to help to streamline your efforts. We’ll take a look at content development, advertising strategies, and other ways to apply AI into your world.
Capturing Attention: Creating and Distributing Video Content to Drive Visitation | Joe Vargo, Quest Digital
Thursday, Oct. 3 at 10:50 a.m.
Sponsored by: Visit Chillicothe Ohio
Video content has emerged as a powerful tool for tourism businesses to attract and engage potential visitors. This panel discussion will delve into the strategies and techniques that tourism businesses can employ to create compelling video content and effectively distribute it to drive visitor traffic to their destinations.
Key topics include: Storytelling Through Video: Learn how to craft engaging narratives that highlight the unique attractions and experiences your destination offers. Production Techniques and Tools: Gain practical advice on the technical aspects of video production. Effective Distribution Channels: Understand the best practices for distributing your video content across various platforms, and matching content to the right audiences. Measuring Success: Discover how to track and analyze the performance of your video campaigns.
Story Voyaging: Using the Humanities to Deepen Visitor Experiences | Rebecca Asmo, Ohio Humanities
Thursday, Oct. 3 at 10:50 a.m.
Sponsored by: Fahlgren Mortine
The humanities don't just live inside of universities, museums and libraries. They are thriving in public spaces and enhancing visitor experiences at a wide variety of attractions from hotels and public parks to restaurants and bars. When framed as opportunities to tell stories and connect with one another, the humanities will make for unforgettable visitor experiences, no matter the locale. And yes, this session will answer the question...what even are the humanities?
Ditch the Clicks! Impress your Board with Real Metrics | Jonathan Keslow, Epsilon
Thursday, Oct. 3 at 2:10 p.m.
In a world of KPIs, CTRs , VRSs, and ROAS, understanding your marketing’s real impact may have you saying “IDK.” Click-based metrics, while providing surface level insights into user engagement, often fail to capture the holistic impact of your market efforts for your destination. Click-through rates and website visits offer limited understanding of user economic impact for your destination and more importantly what it means for your stakeholders. Learn how metrics like ROI and Average Spend Per Visitor tied to those you market to provide actionable insights to validate and defend your budget to board members and bosses alike.
Email Marketing Best Practices | Brian V. Matson, TwoSix Digital
Thursday, Oct. 3 at 2:10 p.m.
During this session, we’ll discuss trends and best practices when it comes to developing and delivering an impactful email marketing program. We’ll explore options when it comes to the use of automated messages, segmentation, and funnels that nurture subscribers in a meaningful way. Today’s email marketing is smart and actionable, and it has great potential to be a driving force that supports your greater marketing objectives. In today's world, every organization should be leveraging email marketing as part of its online strategy.
Opening the Door to New People and New Ideas: How Toledo Museum of Art is Expanding Local and Regional Relevance | Gary Gonya, Toledo Museum of Art
Thursday, Oct. 3 at 3:55 p.m.
Toledo Museum of Art (TMA) has reinvented its relationship with local, regional, national, and international audiences. We'll review the ways that TMA has leveraged, brand strategy, community engagement, regional tourism, and global partnerships. This session walks you through steps to expand relevancy regardless of your budget size.
Sports Tourism's Impact Nationally and How You Can Benefit | Ben Huffman, Warren County Convention & Visitors Bureau
Thursday, Oct. 3 at 3:55 p.m.
Ben will walk attendees through the 2024 Sports ETA State of the Industry Study and discuss the growth of the sports tourism market in America. A panel discussion will be part of this session. Warren County CVB owns a sports facility and operates it weekly to drive tourism, Columbus and Cleveland use their major venues in the cities to drive large scale spectator events throughout the year, and smaller markets bring in youth sporting events of all shapes and sizes to help their community. Sports tourism is the fastest growing and most consistent segment in all of sports travel.
2024 Ohio Tourism Leadership Academy Group Projects
Thursday, Oct. 3 at 3:55 p.m.
Sponsored by: Explore Licking County
The mission of the Ohio Tourism Leadership Academy (OTLA) is to provide education, resources and networks needed to develop travel professionals for the state of Ohio. Class members have included those from attractions, museums, theme parks, DMOs, local government, state agencies, federal legislators, community development offices, restaurants, hotels and more. It’s the relationships developed across all sectors that has perhaps been the program’s greatest success.
The following group projects started as big-picture challenges currently facing Ohio’s travel economy. Groups had the option to address the overall problem or dig deeper, focusing on just one recommendation or question.
ExplorABLE Ohio - Making Ohio More Accessible for Travelers with Autism
Building a Stronger Hospitality Workforce
Protecting Promotional Budgets
Ohio Odyssey: A Journey of Indirect Spending Across the Great Buckeye State
The Hidden Attractions of Tourism: How Visitors Bureaus Can Include Museums, Parks and Cultural Institutions Into the Fold