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Oklahoma Conference on Tourism
Date/Time
5/18/2015 - 5/19/2015
Event Registration
Event Description
The Oklahoma Conference on Tourism is an annual event that helps Oklahoma's tourism industry work together to grow our attractions and communities. With the help of a line-up of experts, attendees are kept abreast of the latest trends, tactics and tools needed to maximize opportunity, energize marketing efforts and set the path to sustained growth. They gain insight into current and coming travel trends, share best practices with industry peers, and get real ideas on how to reach more prospective travelers every day. The Oklahoma Conference on Tourism is held in conjunction with the RedBud Awards.

Quick Links:
 
Location
Meinders School of Business at OCU
NW 26th Street
(NW 26 & McKinley, west of Classen)
Oklahoma City, OK 73106
UNITED STATES

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Details
Schedule
 
Monday, May 18
12:00 - 5:00pm Exhibitor move-in / set rooms / AV check
Meinders School of Business, Oklahoma City University
 
3:30pm OTIA Board of Directors and Annual Meeting (Open to all members)
Meinders School of Business, Oklahoma City University
 
5:30pm Transportation departs from Crowne Plaza Hotel to Welcome Reception
provided by Red Carpet Charters 
 
6:00 - 8:00pm Welcome Reception at Exhibit C
hosted by Chickasaw Country and Exhibit C

Exhibit C is located at 1 E Sheridan Avenue, Oklahoma City, OK 73104
 
8:30 - 10:00pm       9th Floor Hospitality Suite at Crowne Plaza Hotel
hosted by the Woodward Convention & Visitors Bureau
 
Tuesday, May 19 - DAYTIME
Meinders School of Business @ Oklahoma City University
2501 N Blackwelder Avenue
Oklahoma City, OK 73106
Attire: Business casual/logo-wear
8:00am Registration, Exhibit Review, and Continental Breakfast
 
8:30am Opening Keynote Presentation: What Travelers Want... And How to Give it to Them! How Oklahoma Tourism Professionals Will Prosper in 2015 and Beyond
presented by Daniel Levine, Director, The Avant-Guide Institute

Oklahoma tourism professionals need to know what will be, not just what is now. So fasten your seat belts, put your tray tables in the upright position and get ready for an exhilarating look forward to the most intriguing and profitable trends that are just around the bend. Packed with spectacular examples of what visitors are thinking and doing, this essential presentation takes a one-of-a-kind look at the profound changes that are dramatically re-shaping the way people travel and how Oklahoma tourism stakeholders can benefit from these changes. Spotlighting remarkably original cases, Daniel utilizes the full resources of the Avant-Guide Institute to demonstrate how creative companies from a wide range of industries are profiting and prospering from shifting social values. Then he explores how you can take advantage of these same trends in inexpensive new ways to get attention, attract visitors, save money and increase sales. While this presentation is inspirational, funny and packed with amazing visuals, the focus is on the practical. You will learn about powerful new trends that will significantly impact your work, discover simple strategies to take advantage of these developments, and walk away with remarkable insights and tactics you can immediately put to use.
 
10:00am     Break & Exhibit Review
 
10:30am   Concurrent Workshops

• How Behavioral Targeting is Changing the Travel Industry
presented by Meredith Dillon, Regional Sales Director, Sojern
Meredith Dillon with Sojern will share how Big Data and Behavioral Targeting are changing the dynamics of travel marketing, and their impact continues to grow as new technologies and tools are introduced and evolve. Explore ways you can leverage data in order to make informed marketing decisions, which result in a positive effect on sales and campaign strategies. Learn from success stories and case studies on how CVBs, hotels, and attractions are already using Big Data successfully; and discover new tracking tools and analytics available to travel marketers.

• Branding Underdog Destinations
presented by Winston Peraza, VP/Chief Creative Officer, Cubic
Chances are, you've all sat at conferences and listened to other destination branding teams talk about what they did with their million dollar advertising budgets -- big brand launches, national ad campaigns, video ads in Times Square…but how does that apply to you, the "Underdog City" that doesn’t have anywhere close to a million dollars to spend? To be honest, it doesn't. With an imaginary budget built for a king, anything is possible. And although you can still move mountains (and ROI dollars) with a budget a fraction of the size, how you go about it looks a little different. 

In this session, Cubic will share their insights on how to brand “smaller” destinations, and show you how they've done it for places like Muskogee, OK, Tupelo, MS, Broken Bow, OK, and Southlake, TX. Additionally, they will unveil a new group booking engine that's guaranteed to shake up the profitability of destination branding.

• Seven Things Every Tourism Organization Should Be Doing Even on a Small Budget
presented by Jennifer Kalkman, Principal, Digital Generator LLC
Let’s get real, there are all kinds of great marketing tools and tactics that we’d all love to employ in our tourism marketing.  But the reality is that most Oklahoma tourism organizations are short staffed and tight on budget.  Digital marketing is hands down the best way to reach large numbers of potential travelers inexpensively.  Jennifer Kalkman, The Digital Generator, will share seven things that every Oklahoma tourism organization should be doing to strengthen their online presence, even on a small budget.

• Digital Marketing Through Storytelling
presented by Howard Tietjen and Daryl Whitworth, Madden Media
Content marketing is one of the fastest-growing channels of communication. In 2014, marketers used more dollars than ever before in an effort to engage audiences through stories. This session provides an overview of the two most important aspects of this growing trend – the stories themselves and audience development.
 
11:30am  Break & Exhibit Review
 
12:00pm General Super Session
Welcome by Lt. Governor Todd Lamb

Luncheon Keynote: The Traveler's Road to Decision
presented by Amy Anderson and Shaun Aukland, Account Executives, Google
Travelers today are inundated with options, and have significantly shifted how they access and consume media. We find that they are empowered to research in ways they never could, and hungry for meaningful content about their potential vacation plans. At the same time, the new digital canvas has blown open the ability to expand upon traditional creative spots to truly engage consumers with extensive digital narratives. In this session, Google will explore how the Internet has changed storytelling with the help of creative examples, and how travel companies can adapt to these changes.
 
2:00pm Break & Exhibit Review
 
2:30pm     Concurrent Workshops

• Digging Deeper on Digital: Learn From Your Peers
presented by Amy Anderson and Shaun Aukland, Account Executives, Google
Let's take it to the next level!  This session is a follow-on to the Google keynote, and will feature a panel of in-state marketers that have found success in digital marketing.  We'll discuss best strategies for executing video, mobile, and website strategies, often with limited budgets and resources. The panel will feature Kylie Vincent, Visit Stillwater; Maria Gus, Bartlesville Convention & Visitors Bureau; and LD Jones, Duncan Convention & Visitors Bureau, and will be moderated by Shaun Aukland and Amy Anderson of Google, and will allow for Q&A and open discussion on how to put your ideas into action.

• Tourism + Mobile: What You Need to Know
presented by Santiago Jaramillo, Founder/CEO, Bluebridge
Santiago Jaramillo is Founder & CEO of Bluebridge, the largest provider of mobile apps for tourism in the country.  Bluebridge was born from the idea to help organizations harness the power of mobile apps to connect with their customers and members.  A good mobile strategy is an imperative for any destination that wants to engage visitors in our increasingly mobile world.  In this session, Santiago covers the basics, outlining current trends and providing actionable tips that are guaranteed to jump-start even the most basic mobile strategy.

• Hitting a Hospitality Homerun! Creating a Culture of Service in your Organization
presented by Rebecca Eastham, PhD, Director Business and Industry Services, Meridian Technology Center
Customer service in today's economy is a whole new ballgame. Our customers are demanding more of us and our businesses. In the game of baseball, league champions have a strong team, a winning attitude and the discipline to execute plays. These principles apply to our business too! We can hit it out of the ballpark with each and every customer if we create a culture of hospitality throughout our organizations. During this presentation, we will run the bases and discover the elements of a hospitality culture that is sure to create fans of the people we serve. You will leave this session with tips and ideas for hitting a hospitality homerun in your organization.

• Networking Through Social Media
presented by Brecca Farr, PhD, GCDF, Human Services Career Consultant, Oklahoma State University
Networking – for yourself and for your organization – is an important skill and today’s media outlets provide many opportunities to network in the digital environment.  An effective LinkedIn profile showcases your experience and skills as well as highlights your organization. Over 330million members use this powerful tool to promote opportunities, identify talent, and connect with problem solvers. During this session Brecca R. Farr, Ph.D., GCDF, Human Sciences Career Consultant with Oklahoma State University, will guide you through the process to “BRAND” your profile, offering helpful tips to gain the most professional impact from this networking platform.
 
3:30pm Break & Exhibit Review
 
4:00pm Closing Keynote Presentation: Adaptability Wins: Accelerating Growth & Innovation in Your DMO 
presented by Santiago Jaramillo, Founder/CEO, Bluebridge
In an ever-changing marketing landscape, the #1 competitive differentiator is adaptability. How quickly a destination can make changes or course-correct will ultimately be a major determining factor in that destination’s overall success. In this program, Santiago shares his own experience with adaptability–from immigrating to American when he was in elementary school to completely rethinking the mobile app business model and forming Bluebridge.  He then helps tourism organizations determine ways they can become more adaptable themselves.
 
Tuesday, May 19, 2015 - EVENING
Oklahoma History Center
800 Nazih Zuhdi Dr.
Oklahoma City, OK 73105
Attire: Business professional
5:30pm Transportation to Oklahoma History Center for Redbud Awards Gala
provided by Red Carpet Charters 
 
6:00 - 7:00pm Cocktail Reception and Silent Auction
A silent auction will be held during the RedBud Awards Gala. Proceeds will benefit tourism education programs. Click here to download a donation form.
 
7:00 - 9:00pm Dinner and Presentation of RedBud Awards
 
9:15pm


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Transportation back to Crowne Plaza Hotel
provided by Red Carpet Charters 

 




Rates

Full Registration
Includes Monday evening welcome reception, Tuesday daytime educational sessions, all meals, breaks, and Tuesday evening RedBud Awards Gala.
  • Members - $255
  • Non-members - $295
RedBud Awards Gala ONLY
  • Members - $125/ticket
  • Non-members - $150/ticket

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Overnight Accommodations, May 18 and 19
Crowne Plaza OKC
2945 Northwest Expressway
Oklahoma City, OK 73112
(405) 848-4811 • (800) 227-6963 • online
$109 single/double (rate available for both 5/18 and 5/19)
cut off date 4/30/15
Group Code: Oklahoma Conference on Tourism
 
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Speakers


Lt. Governor Todd Lamb
State of Oklahoma

Oklahoma elected Todd Lamb as Lt. Governor on November 2, 2010. With a campaign focused on job growth and economic development, Lt. Governor Lamb achieved an overwhelming victory and quickly began putting his forward-thinking ideas and agenda in place. He was appointed to the Governor’s cabinet as the advocate for Oklahoma’s small business. Lamb was reelected as Lt. Governor in 2014.

An Enid native, Lamb played football at Louisiana Tech University, then returned to Oklahoma earning his bachelor's degree from Oklahoma State University and his law degree from Oklahoma City University School of Law.

In 1993, Todd Lamb worked on the campaign staff of gubernatorial candidate Frank Keating. Upon Keating's election, Lamb worked alongside the Governor for four years. During his time in the Governor's office, Lamb traveled to all of Oklahoma's 77 counties, almost half of the United States, and 2 foreign countries promoting Governor Keating's pro-growth economic agenda. Lamb served in the Keating Administration from 1994 until 1998.

In 1998, Todd Lamb became a Special Agent with the United States Secret Service. He was elected president of his Secret Service Academy class and graduated with special recognition. During his U.S. Secret Service tenure, Lamb investigated and made numerous arrests in the areas of counterfeiting, bank fraud, threats against the President, and identity theft. His duties included domestic and international protection assignments during the Clinton and George W. Bush administrations. In 2000, Lamb was a site supervisor for George W. Bush's presidential campaign. In early 2001, he was appointed to the national Joint Terrorism Task Force, where he received training and briefings at the CIA, FBI, and Secret Service headquarters in Washington, D.C.  After the terrorists' attacks, he was assigned to portions of the 9-11 investigation. 

Lt. Governor Todd Lamb was elected to his first term in the Oklahoma Senate on November 2, 2004 by the voters of Senate district 47 representing NW Oklahoma City and Edmond. Lamb was re-elected without opposition in 2008.

In 2009, Lamb became the first Republican Majority Floor Leader in state history. He has worked as a landman in Oklahoma's energy industry, and in addition to his Senate service, was General Counsel for an energy and wireless company in Edmond, Oklahoma.

Lt. Governor Lamb is the Chairman of the Republican Lieutenant Governor’s Association (RLGA), the immediate past Chairman of the National Lieutenant Governor’s Association (NLGA), and Vice-Chairman of the Aerospace States Association (ASA).

Todd Lamb and his wife Monica have been married 19 years and have two children, Griffin and Lauren.  The Lambs are active members of Quail Springs Baptist Church, where Lamb serves as a church deacon. He has been a member of the Oklahoma Secondary Schools Athletic Association where he officiated high school football. He is active in many other civic and political organizations. In his spare time, Lamb enjoys fishing, hunting, reading, and spending time with his family.

Amy Anderson
Account Manager, Google

Amy is an Account Manager on the Google Travel Team where she works with several large destination marketing organizations and theme parks. She possesses deep expertise in the areas of Search Engine Marketing, Display Networks, Mobile and Video platforms and leverages this knowledge to devise full-funnel solutions for her partners. Amy also specializes in campaign management and optimization, using data-driven analyses to maximize partners' return on their digital investment.

Prior to joining the Google Travel Team, Amy worked with small to mid-sized brands across industries. In this role, she educated brands on Google's digital solutions and helped them to build their presence online. 

Amy graduated with a bachelor's degree in Psychology and Spanish from the University of Notre Dame.

Shaun Aukland
Account Executive, Google

Shaun works as an Account Executive with the large customer travel team, consulting for the major destination marketing organizations and vacation attractions in the United States. He plays a pivotal role in developing solutions that are tailored to individual brands and organizations and spearheads some of the industry’s most creative online solutions to driving tourism.  

Shaun works one-to-one with Google’s largest customers to understand the changing digital landscape and develop integrated, measurable marketing strategies to reach prospective travelers. His expertise in managing both content and media campaigns spans across search, programmatic display and video networks, YouTube, social, mobile and mapping platforms.  He was recently named one of the Top 25 Most Extraordinary Minds in Sales & Marketing by HSMAI.

Prior to joining Google in 2010, Shaun served as the online marketing director for a New York Times bestselling book. Shaun graduated with a bachelor’s degree in communication and african studies from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
 
Meredith Dillon
Regional Sales Director, Sojern

Meredith Dillon is the Regional Sales Director for Sojern’s Tourism team and is based in Dallas, Texas. Prior to joining Sojern, Dillon served in both sales and agency roles with an emphasis on digital media at TripAdvisor.com, Fleishman-Hillard and CBS Interactive.  As a member of the Tourism team, she educates and advises on how best to utilize Sojern’s robust platform to ensure marketers truly deliver the right message at the right time to the right traveler. 

Sojern is the world’s leading data-driven traveler engagement platform that delivers the most efficient marketing, distribution, monetization and insight solutions at scale. Since 2007, Sojern has been helping brands more efficiently and meaningfully engage with travelers to drive conversion and loyalty.

Rebecca Eastham, PhD
Director Business and Industry Services, Meridian Technology Center

Rebecca started her career in the hospitality industry over 30 years ago and has worked for organizations such as American General Hospitality, Inc., Hyatt Hotels and Resorts, The Atherton Hotel at OSU, and The Broadmoor Hotel. She received a Bachelors degree in Hotel and Restaurant Administration from Oklahoma State University, a Masters in Human Relations at the University of Oklahoma and her PhD in Human Sciences from OSU. Rebecca has work experience in both hospitality operations as well as human resources.

Currently, Rebecca is the Director of Business and Industry Services with Meridian Technology Center in Stillwater, OK. Her division specializes in providing training to help organizations achieve maximum effectiveness and efficiency in their operations. Prior to joining Meridian, she was a clinical instructor in the School of Hotel and Restaurant Administration at Oklahoma State University where she was the General Manager of the 81-room teaching hotel, The Atherton Hotel at OSU.  Rebecca also held the position of Director of Training at The Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs. For six years, she was responsible for developing training programs throughout this five-star, five-diamond, luxury resort property. Training initiatives included guest relations training, departmental on-the-job training, and supervisory development . She has conducted customer service workshops for organizations such as Days Inn Hotels, Polo-Ralph Lauren, Lucent Technologies and the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.

Brecca Farr, PhD, GCDF
Human Sciences Career Services, Oklahoma State University

With a background in merchandising and a doctoral degree that included a focus on organizational decision making, Brecca began working in career development when on faculty at The University of Alabama.  Family and professional connections prompted a transition to Oklahoma, and the opportunity continue work with career development -- shifting from 180 fashion retailing students to nearly 2,000 in the College of Human Sciences.  During the past 10 years at OSU, she earned the national credential as a Global Career Development Facilitator and works as part of a team with both career services and academic programs.  Most recently, Brecca is embracing a new creative focus as a jewelry design entrepreneur.

Jennifer Kalkman
Principal, Digital Generator LLC

Before starting her own digital marketing company, Jennifer Kalkman spent 13 years promoting Oklahoma tourism destinations as the digital marketing director for the Oklahoma Tourism & Recreation Department.  Under her leadership, the TravelOK.com website went from being ranked #26 among state tourism department websites to being ranked #1 during several months and helping over 6 million users per year discover travel opportunities in Oklahoma.  Jennifer was also responsible for implementing OTRD’s full in-house digital marketing program including email marketing, digital advertising, content development, website development and analytics. 
 
Jennifer earned a bachelor’s degree in finance and began her career in financial analysis.  After getting a taste of marketing analysis, she changed her career trajectory and spent 11 years as the marketing director of a large regional bank.  She earned an MBA with emphasis on marketing and then made the move to the tourism industry.  She now puts this background and her passion for analytical marketing to work as the principal of Digital Generator, LLC which she formed last November to serve tourism organizations as well as small and medium businesses in a variety of industries. 
 
Jennifer has been featured in Google’s 2012 Economic Impact Report, a Think Google case study on OTRD’s successful online campaigns and a live Google Hangout on Air along with Brand USA.  Jennifer has worked with tourism organizations and hospitality businesses in Oklahoma, North Dakota, Delaware, Texas and Missouri to provide digital marketing solutions and has provided workshop classes at the Oklahoma Governor’s Conference on Tourism for several years.
 

Daniel Levine
Director, The Avant-Guide Institute

Daniel Levine is a renown trends expert and travel professional who is regularly featured in newspapers and magazines and is often on television and radio, including CNN, NBC and others. Daniel started his career writing ten of the top-selling Frommer's guidebooks to destinations around the world, including major portions of the series' iconic Europe guide. Today, Daniel is the director of the Avant-Guide Institute trends consultancy, the Global Editor of the popular social trends website WikiTrend.org and the leader of a large international team of trend spotters – over 9000 researchers who chronicle the latest ideas, products and experiences from around the globe. As a consultant, he helps tourism and other consumer-oriented businesses be more innovative, inspirational and profitable.

Santiago Jaramillo
Founder/CEO, Bluebridge

Santiago Jaramillo is the Founder and CEO of Bluebridge, the largest provider of mobile apps for tourism in the country. Bluebridge was born from the idea to help organizations harness the power of mobile apps to connect with their customers and members. In 2013, he was named to Inc. Magazine’s “World’s Coolest Young Entrepreneurs - 30 Under 30” list that includes prolific companies like Asana (founded by one of Facebook’s founders) and GitHub. He is passionate about helping businesses find their place in the mobile world.

Winston Peraza
VP/Chief Creative Officer, Cubic
 
Winston Peraza is a founding partner and chief creative officer at Cubic, a Tulsa-based creative agency. Over a career that spans more than fifteen years and four different countries, Winston has always pushed the limits of creative innovation.  As a founder of the Loft Design Group, Particle, Inc. and more recently Cubic, one idea has remained at the center of Winston’s creative endeavors: “All aspects of communication are important and only through coherently integrated identity and marketing programs is it possible to build a successful brand”.  Thus, he believes that relevance, timeliness and authenticity are key to establishing strong connections with any audience. 

Winston Peraza is a visual artist and graphic designer with experience in a wide range of design and communication endeavors. He has won numerous awards in many areas of design and fine art, including interactive design, printed media, branding, and environmental design. In addition, his public speaking ability has led to his becoming a highly visible figure in the design and advertising communities. 

Winston’s educational background is extensive. He has 6 years of independent and academic studies in design, typography, color theory, philosophy and analytical drawing at prestigious universities and institutions in Mexico and Venezuela and the US. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts with a major in graphic Design from the University of Tulsa in 1995. Winston is an advisor to the Univeristy of Oklahoma’s Center for the Creation of Economic Wealth, the University of Tulsa’s Design Program and serves on the FabLab Tulsa, Living Arts of Tulsa and the Art Directors Club of Tulsa boards as part of his commitment to supporting creativity and the arts in his community. 


Howard Tietjen
Senior Vice President of Research Strategy, Madden Media
With 30 years of real-world experience and a passion for new challenges, Howard has helped Madden Media become true innovators in the travel and tourism industry.  Since he joined the Madden team in 2000, Howard has utilized his wide range of interests to excel in many roles:
  • He led the team that developed VacationFun.com.
  • He was the original architect of Madden’s Audience Development Systems that target potential travelers using geographic, demographic, and psyco-graphic segmentation.  
  • He has been integral in the development of many of Madden’s most innovative marketing products.  
Today, Howard and the Madden Media team focus their efforts on working together with industry leaders to bring new ideas, new technology, and new partnerships together, allowing Madden’s clients to rise to the challenges they meet.
 
Daryl Whitworth, CTE
Regional Account Manager, Madden Media

With more than eighteen years of experience in the tourism industry, calling Daryl a veteran is an understatement. His first decade and a half were spent in various sales, marketing, PR and management positions with the Fredericksburg (TX) Convention and Visitor Bureau where he learned the ins and outs of growing a DMO and destination.  He has worked on multitudes of marketing and sales promotions on from local to international and hosted travel journalists from around the world. Daryl holds an MBA in marketing from Angelo State University, which helps him find unique, custom solutions that perfectly fit DMO’s marketing needs.

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