Oklahoma Travel Industry Association - Event Information
Event Name:
Oklahoma Conference on Tourism
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.
Exhibitor move-in / set rooms / AV check Meinders School of Business, Oklahoma City University
1:30 - 2:30pm
Tourism Bootcamp/ An Introduction to Oklahoma Tourism
(Limited to first 50 OTIA members to sign-up for the FULL registration package) Presenters: Jennifer Mullins, Oklahoma Tourism & Recreation Department & Cristy Morrison, Visit Stillwater.
If you’re new to the industry or new to the state, this program will equip you with the fundamentals you need to navigate the Oklahoma tourism market. Attendees will walk away with a booklet full of helpful tools including industry acronyms, organizations, calendar of events, House & Senate Committee lists, Oklahoma Lakes & Countries Association contacts, Oklahoma Travel Industry Association contacts and information on how to access all the services and programs offered through the Oklahoma Department of Tourism.
2:45 - 4:00pm
Oklahoma Lakes and Countries Association Board Meeting – Meinders, OKC
4:15 - 5:30pm
OTIA Board of Directors and Annual Meeting (Open to all members) Meinders School of Business, Oklahoma City University
6:00pm
Open Evening for Networking with Friends
Tuesday, May 7 - 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 Attire: Business casual/logo-wear for daytime
8:30am
Welcome Opening General Session – 3rd Floor Gardner featuring Welcome by Lt. Governor Matt Pinnelland Keynote byNan Marchand Beauvois
U.S. Travel Association is the leading voice for the travel industry, working to advance policy that allows travel—and all of America—to thrive. Nan Marchand Beauvois, senior vice president, membership and industry relations, will provide an overview of several top advocacy priorities and activities for 2019 that aim to increase inbound travel, enhance security and efficiency, improve our nation’s mobility and better connect our industry.
10:00am
Break & Exhibit Review
10:30am
Concurrent Workshops
• Amplify Your Story presented by Amber Theinert, Koch Communications
Your business has a story, and you should be telling it! This presentation will be an overview of various ways you can give your business a voice using social media, digital media and public relations tools that are already at your fingertips. We’ll discuss how to choose the right channels for your audience, best practices in social, web and PR and how to set up your business’ digital footprint.
• Social Media Content Planning: Build a Social Media Content Calendar for Next Week presented by Leslie McLellan & Sheila Scarborough, Tourism Currents
Who hasn't woken up and said something like, "It's Wednesday, and I have NO idea what I'm going to post on Facebook today?" Let's fix that, at least for next week. Starting with your overall tourism goals and marketing objectives, we'll hammer out a week's worth of relevant posts (including ideas for visuals to go with them) for Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, plus maybe a little Pinterest and some blog post ideas thrown in. Get ready for a focused hour on the process of building a real content calendar that you can use immediately. Join Leslie McLellan and Sheila Scarborough with Tourism Currents for an informative, action-packed session.
• Travel Trends Affecting Destination Marketing Strategies presented by Berkeley Young, Young Strategies, Inc.
Travel trend data indicates that 2019 will be a good year for travel businesses that innovate... it won’t just happen. Success will come from creativity and focusing on the traveler experience. Learn how to interpret and deliver experiences for visitors in the ways that they want to receive them, and communicate to visitors on their terms.
• Economic Impacts of Travel in Oklahoma: Understanding & Exploration of the Patterns & Trends presented by Jordan Bohlander, Dean Runyan Associates
Was 2018 a continuation of the economic growth experienced by the Oklahoma travel industry? What is the magnitude of travel-generated local and state tax receipts? What visitor accommodation type is showing the most growth? We will cover the statewide preliminary 2018 economic impact results along with a dive into the 2017 detailed data. We will also cover interpretation of the data so anyone can make use of the information and speak to it with confidence. Finally, we will explore our new web portal and the existing phone application for direct data access.
11:30am
Break & Exhibit Review
12:00pm
• Luncheon Keynote Presentation / General Session – 3rd Floor Gardner
Competition / Friend or Foe presented by Berkeley Young, President, Young Strategies, Inc.
Berkeley Young specializes in destination research, planning and strategy. We all operate in an intensely competitive environment and sometimes our competitors are not who we expect. We all assume we compete with other similar destinations and businesses that offer similar experiences. But, could we be losing market share to competitors who aren’t on our radar screen? It may be time to take a new look at our competitive set and adjust our strategies going forward.
2:00pm
Break & Exhibit Review
2:30pm
Concurrent Workshops
• Using The Power of Visual Storytelling To Attract Visitors presented by Amrita Gurney, CrowdRiff
We’ve all been cast under the spell of a great visual story, whether it’s an Oscar-winning film or an Instagram Story. Travelers are no different; they respond to visual content unlike any other. In this session, see how brands are telling visual stories that get attention and learn the ingredients for using visual storytelling to attract visitors to experience your tourism brand.
• How to be a Better Partner to YOUR Partners presented by Leslie McLellan, Tourism Currents
Is your tourism organization a true community partner? You work hard to build your community…business by business, person by person. Now that you’ve gathered this group, are you being a good partner to them? It's not hard to be a better partner and it’s necessary that you become one. This session will cover 5 easy ways to do just that. Attendees will leave with concrete action items they can implement to strengthen community relationships and partnerships. Join Leslie McLellan from Tourism Currents for this interactive session and be prepared for lots discussion! At the end of the hour, everyone will receive a Community Engagement checklist to help you make sure you are being the best partner you can be to YOUR partners.
• Getting the Word Out presented by Amber Theinert, Koch Communications
Building on the “Amplify Your Story” session, this presentation will be an overview of ways to use the digital and PR tools you have to promote your business or town’s next big (or small) event. We’ll provide tips on creating a communication plan, keeping the momentum leading up to the event and measuring success.
• Digital KPIs Every Destination Marketer Should Embrace in 2019​ presented by Casey Burdsall, ADARA
Destination marketers have step one and step two down -- craft a compelling campaign and distribute on the appropriate channels. But most DMOs need help with the third and arguably most important step, which is measuring the success of campaigns. It’s a key piece of improving the effectiveness of marketing efforts and ultimately increasing visitation to the destination. Traditional measurement and analytics solutions are no longer enough to accomplish these goals, so some forward-thinking destinations are updating their digital KPIs.
3:30pm
Break & Exhibit Review
4:00pm
Closing Keynote Presentation • How Younger Generations Are Shaping the Future of Travel presented by Matt Klug, Expedia Group
Generation Z and millennials are more than just buzz words. Today’s younger generations are redefining the rules of engagement and asserting their role in purchasing decisions—for themselves, and their families—and travel is no exception. New global research from Expedia Group Media Solutions illustrates that there are real differences in what influences younger generations to book travel and extend business trips for leisure. Especially as Generation Z is becoming the largest generation in many markets, and quickly gaining financial independence and traveling for business, the spending opportunity is not to be overlooked. Learn what drives the decisions of this important audience, with actionable insights for marketers to effectively inspire, engage and convert Gen Z and millennial travelers.
Tuesday, May 7 - EVENING
Oklahoma History Center
800 Nazih Zuhdi Dr.
Oklahoma City, OK 73105
Attire: Business professional
5:30pm
Transportation provided by Red Carpet Charters departs from Embassy Suite Downtown/ Medical Center Hotel to Oklahoma History Center for Redbud Awards Program
6:00 - 7:00pm
Cocktail Reception and Silent Auction at Oklahoma History Center
A silent auction will be held during the RedBud Awards Gala. Proceeds will benefit tourism education programs. Auction item donations can be confirmed via the online registration form OR by downloading and returning this form.
7:00 - 9:00pm
Dinner and Presentation of RedBud Awards
Lt. Governor Matt Pinnell will emcee the awards recognizing outstanding marketing efforts by leading organizations from across the state, including the Tourism Lifetime Achievement Award, sponsored by AAA Oklahoma/AAA World.
Oklahoma Conference on Tourism Adjourns and Buses Return to Embassy Suite Downtown/Medical Center Hotel
Rates Full Registration
Includes Tuesday daytime educational sessions, all meals, breaks, and Tuesday evening RedBud Awards Gala.
Members* - $265 *Additionally, a limited number (50) of OTIA member attendees purchasing the FULL REGISTRATION package will have an opportunity to attend a special Tourism Bootcamp session from 1:30-3 pm on Monday, May 6.
Overnight Accommodations
The OTIA has secured a limited amount of hotel rooms for the evenings of May 6 and 7, 2019 at the event's location: StayBridge Suites
120 South Lincoln Boulevard,
Oklahoma City, OK 73104
405-602-8830
Rate: $125/night for one king size bed or 2 queen beds.
This group block includes free parking and breakfast. Cutoff Date to book: April 19th
Lt. Governor Matt Pinnell
State of Oklahoma
Matt Pinnell was elected as the 17th Lieutenant Governor of the State of Oklahoma on November 6th, 2018. Lt. Governor Pinnell serves as Secretary of Tourism and Branding on Governor Kevin Stitt’s cabinet. Pinnell also runs a small business with his wife, Lisa, an entrepreneur and inventor.
Pinnell also currently serves on the Department of Commerce executive committee, leading the department’s efforts to maximize Oklahoma’s Opportunity Zones and focusing on small business growth. Pinnell served as a member of Governor Kevin Stitt's transition team with a focus on economic development and tourism as Chairman of the economic growth committee.
Prior to his election as Lieutenant Governor, Pinnell served as Director of State Parties for the Republican National Committee from 2013 to 2017.
Matt is a graduate of Oral Roberts University with a degree in Advertising and lives in Tulsa with his wife, Lisa, and their 4 children who attend Jenks Public Schools.
Amber Theinert
Account Director, Koch Communications
As the primary point of contact for her clients, Amber coordinates the resources needed to execute projects, builds strategic operational plans and balances the expectations of clients with the execution of Koch Comm services.
At Koch Communications, Amber oversees a team of account executives and account assistants, working with various clients in issue advocacy, hospitality and entertainment industries to develop integrated social media and public relations strategies.
Amber graduated from Southwestern Oklahoma State University with a Bachelor's Degree in Communications and most recently completed her MBA from St. Gregory's University in 2016.
Much of Amber's career has been spent in the non-profit sector, helping to communicate messages and grow brands. Amber began her career at the State Capitol as a reporter before joining the communications team for the Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism (MIPT), a non-profit that provided counterterrorism law enforcement training. While at MIPT, Amber was responsible for internal and external communications, event planning and founded and managed the Institute's social media presence.
In 2014, Amber took a position in the Marketing Department for St. Gregory's University. Within six months, she was promoted to the director position, overseeing the university's marketing and public relations, managing St. Gregory's recent rebrand, creating and implementing a new social/digital media strategy and taking part in developing the university's new strategic plan.
Sheila Scarborough is a writer and speaker specializing in tourism, travel and social media. Along with Leslie McLellan, she's part of the Tourism Currents team, offering online and in-person training in social media for tourism and hospitality.
She co-founded and still writes for the award-winning Perceptive Travel blog, helps run #tourismchat on Twitter, and serves on both the Programming Committee for the South by Southwest Interactive Tech Conference (SXSWi) and the Education Committee for Texas Association of CVBs (TACVB).
A U.S. Navy veteran and Navy Master Training Specialist, Sheila is an NHRA drag racing fan because there is one winner, one loser, and no whining. Leslie McLellan
Destination and & Tourism Marketing Consultant
Leslie McLellan is part of Tourism Currents, along with Sheila Scarborough. In addition to Tourism Currents, Leslie owns Just a Small Town Girl and is in the trenches day in and day out doing tourism marketing. She has worked for Hilton Hotels, built two destination marketing organizations in California, handles marketing for a resort in Arizona and a resort in Palm Springs, CA., and is the marketing consultant for Lake Arrowhead Village, CA. She has been in the travel and tourism industry since 1981 and is still learning every single day.
Nan Marchand Beauvois Senior Vice President of National Council & General Manager, ESTO
Nan Marchand Beauvois is the U.S. Travel Association’s senior vice president of national councils, overseeing the National Council of State Tourism Directors, the Experience Network, the Destinations Council and the Meetings Mean Business Coalition. She is also general manager for U.S. Travel’s Educational Seminar for Tourism Organizations (ESTO). Marchand Beauvois has lent her skills to industry associations and has served as a member of U.S. Travel’s IPW Planning Committee, the California Travel & Tourism Commission International Marketing Advisory Committee, the National Tour Associations Marketing Committee, the TTRA board, the Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board Marketing Committee. She was also a long-term board member of CalTravel, where she served as chair in 2000-01, and was recently recognized as one of Successful Meetings’ 25 Most Influential People in the Meetings Industry. Amrita Gurney VP Marketing, CrowdRiff
Amrita Gurney is the Vice President of Marketing at CrowdRiff, where she leads a team responsible for brand, content, product marketing and demand generation. CrowdRiff is the leading AI-powered visual marketing platform used by 500+ tourism brands to discover, organize, acquire rights and publish the most engaging visual content across every channel, at scale. Amrita loves digital marketing, contemporary art, drinking tea and traveling. You can find Amrita on Twitter @amritagurney.
Berkeley Young
President, Young Strategies
Berkeley Young is President of Young Strategies, a Charlotte, NC company conducting customized research and strategic planning for destination management organizations. Young’s hands-on experience running a CVB/DMO and managing a golf resort community gives him a unique edge when analyzing research data. Berkeley has conducted research and strategic planning studies with destinations of all sizes in 30 states and is currently working with destinations in Wyoming, Mississippi, New York, Virginia, Oklahoma, Florida and Louisiana.
Berkeley is obsessed with understanding the behavior of travelers and how they make their destination travel decisions. Taking that research into a comprehensive plan to unify a destination’s leaders is his favorite part of client work. He is a highly rated speaker in the travel industry and is known for his clever approach when explaining even the most complicated data and trends.
Jordan Bohlander
Project Manager, DRA
Jordan Bohlander serves as a project manager performing market and economic analysis, gathering primary and secondary data, software & web development and report preparation.Jordan holds a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration, specializing in Marketing, Finance, and Economics. Prior to DRA, he worked for the Energy Industry providing data management and energy analytics.
Matt Klug
Sr Regional Manager, Business Development, Expedia Group Media Solutions
Matt focuses on developing and executing digital media campaigns for partners across all of the Expedia Group’s network of travel brands. Matt and his team help connect destination marketing organizations, hotels, airlines and non-travel brands across the U.S. with Expedia Group’s vast global audience. With more than 18 years of experience in media and marketing, Matt has worked with notable brands including Tourism Australia, Texas Tourism, Visit Houston, Visit San Antonio, American Airlines, Microsoft, American Express, Visa, Mastercard and more.
Casey Burdsall
Senior Manager, Tourism Analytics
Throughout her 15 year sales career, Casey Burdsall has worked with and helped many business owners, founders and professionals, mainly in the technology space. Having joined ADARA over a year and a half ago, she has fallen in love with the travel and tourism industry and is never leaving! Primarily in charge of new business for ADARA's measurement and attribution tool called Impact PLUS for the western region, she's helping put this powerful tool into destination marketers' hands while together, changing the KPIs of the tourism industry!
Built on the world’s richest travel data co-op, ADARA offers people-based insights for travel companies. Clients get a value-based understanding of their relationship with their customers, with travel patterns, trends and behavior from more than 750 million monthly unique traveler profiles across more than 200 of the world’s top travel brands. ADARA's tool, Impact PLUS, helps destination marketers understand which vendors and campaigns are working, how to optimize marketing strategy against real visitor revenue, and prove economic impact in their markets.
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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 
Dinner and Presentation of RedBud Awards
Amber Theinert 
Oklahoma Travel Industry Association
