Wisconsin Fall Tourism Conference

Conference Registration in Lobby

Opening Luncheon & Keynote Presentation, Sponsored by Legendary Waters Resort & Casino  

Travel & Tourism are on the rise! Great news, right? Whoa! Wait a minute, we’ve been through a lot. We’re a little burned out, stressed out, we’ve lost jobs, found new jobs, and still dealing with staffing shortages making the situation we’ve dreamed of for two years a big challenge: How do we move forward when we’re still bouncing back? Chicago-based speaker Shelley Browne will share with us how the key to resilience, wellbeing and productivity is belonging. Speaker: Shelley Brown

Breakout Sessions 

1. How to partner with content creators & produce more diverse content that appeals to all travelers. Diversity can mean many things— races, genders, ages, families, couples, abilities, activities, and more— and should be a key consideration in developing inclusive travel marketing content. In this session, you will learn to examine the different lenses of diversity to consider in your marketing, Get practical and actionable tips for creating more inclusive content, Learn what to avoid when creating DEI travel content and Discover tips for finding and working with diverse content creators. Presenters: Madelaine Jack & Hannah Grant, Crowdriff

2. Destination Master Planning 101  - Destination master planning makes the connection between the visitor economy, economic development and community well-being. Learn from one Wisconsin destination and MMGY NextFactor on how these plans can ensure economic sustainability for destinations while preserving the quality of life for residents and quality of place for visitors. Presenters: Cassandra McAuley/MMGY NextFactor & Pam Seidl/Fox Cities CVB

3. From Likes to IRL: the Influencer Economy Enters a New Era -  Guess who gets 50% more engagement and 1200% more shares than you? The Creator Economy. The good news, they can be our allies in building valuable audience connections. Learn how the creator economy is powering brand affinity and inspiration that takes consumers from a like to a visit IRL to your destination. Presenter: Dan Carter, Madden Media

Afternoon Break - Enjoy snacks and beverages while networking with your colleagues between breakout sessions. Sponsored by Simpleview and Zartico

1. How to partner with content creators & produce more diverse content that appeals to all travelers.  (repeat)

2. Destination Master Plans (repeat)

3. From Likes to IRL - the Influencer Economy Enters a New Era (repeat)

4. DMO Roundtables – Network with your DMO peers on top issues facing your organization. Facilitated table topics will be sales, events, memberships/partnerships, visitor centers and visitor guides. Facilitators: Leslie Johnson/Visit Milwaukee, Christine Rebout/Janesville Area CVB, Celestino Ruffini/Visit Beloit, Taylor Greenheck  & Melissa Sabel/Stevens Point Area CVB

Marketplace & Reception - Enjoy hors d’oeuvres and beverages, courtesy of the Wisconsin Dells VCB, while networking with your colleagues and having a chance to win door prizes when you visit all the marketplace sponsor and exhibitor booths. Sponsored by Dotdash Meredith Travel & Madden Media

Wisconsin Dells Dine Around - The Wisconsin Dells Visitor & Convention Bureau has partnered with local, family-owned restaurants to offer exclusive dine-around deals to Wisconsin Fall Tourism Conference attendees. A complete list of participating restaurants will be available at registration and the marketplace reception. The VCB Staff will be available to assist you with dining options in Wisconsin Dells.

Conference Registration in Lobby

Breakfast, Wisconsin Tourism Trailblazer Awards Ceremony & WI Department of Tourism Update, Sponsored by Boelter & Lincoln

Join Destinations Wisconsin in recognizing the best in Wisconsin tourism marketing and partnership efforts.  To learn more about the awards and apply, click here.  Then, WI Dept. of Tourism Secretary-designee Anne Sayers and Chief Marketing Officer Shane Brossard will give us the latest on the agency's projects and programs.  

Breakout Sessions

1. Putting Geolocation Data to Work - Learn how Wisconsin destinations are using credit card spend and geolocation data to create positive change in their communities. They didn’t just look at some platform pie charts and bar graphs and share them with their board and stakeholders, they created outcomes which make great stories for tourism advocacy.  Presenters: Zartico and Wisconsin DMO leaders

2.  Tiktok and your Social Strategy - Tiktok is the latest social media platform to be a source of travel inspiration for millions.  Learn from one DMO that is using Tiktok to connect with more potential travelers. Presenters: Visit Milwaukee's Joshua Albrecht, VP of Marketing & Communications,  and Ina Li, Social Media Coordinator

3. Elections and Advocacy Matters - Fresh off the November election, learn how Wisconsin’s political landscape shapes up for the tourism industry and hear a few tips on how you can engage with your elected leaders. Presenters: Caty McDermott and Rebecca Hogan, Hamilton Consulting Group

Morning Break - Grab a cup of coffee or other beverage before heading into the last round of breakout sessions.  Sponsored by River Travel Media & Circle Wisconsin

Breakout Sessions

1. Putting Geolocation Data to Work (repeat)

2.  PR Tips and Trends - Hear from the Wisconsin Department of Tourism (WDT) on how they are keeping up with public relations trends to garner earned media for Wisconsin tourism destinations and businesses and learn how you can take advantage of their programs. Presenters: Craig Trost, WDT Director of Communications & Amanda Weibel, Communications Officer

3. Building Wisconsin’s Outdoor Recreation and Creative Economies – Wisconsin’s outdoors and our creative economy are essential to the success of Wisconsin tourism. Discover how the Wisconsin Office of Outdoor Recreation and Create Wisconsin are finding ways to build these economies in the state. Presenters: Mary Monroe Brown, WI Office of Outdoor Recreation Director & Anne Katz, Create Wisconsin Executive Director

Closing Luncheon

Wrap up the conference with lunch and remarks from succesful Wisconsin Dells downtown business owner Kevin Nash. Also, find out where the conference is heading in 2023.