2023 Conference Schedule

2023 Digital Marketing Educational Program

The 2024 educational curriculum will be officially announced in June of 2024. Review last year’s program to get an idea of the topic areas and skills we cover each year.

In 2023 and 2024, there have been a wide variety of changes in the digital marketing landscape. We’re here to help you stay up to date on trends, build useful skills, and employ digital strategies that achieve your goals.
***Learning Lab indicates a session that is more hands-on and focuses on demoing tools. Come prepared to access your own accounts and ask questions.

2023 Day 1

MONDAY, NOV. 13TH

8:00 am Registration

8:30 am Networking & Introductions

9:00 am Welcome

9:15 am 2023 Tourism & Destination Marketing Trends
Keynote Presentation, Sarah Benoit

10:15 am Break

10:30 am Concurrent Breakout Sessions

The Evolution of Canva: Updates & New Features – ***Learning Lab
Sarah Benoit, JB Media Institute
Room 2 – Swannanoa
Canva, a highly popular tool for doing DIY and in-house design for digital and print, is evolving quickly to make animations, video, and AI a standard when you are creating social media graphics, email newsletters, flyers, menus, mailers, presentations, invitations, and more. Marketing departments, small business owners, and solopreneurs can all benefit from deploying this tool with branded graphic elements, clear target audiences, and a defined and relatable brand voice. Join Sarah as she shares tips and tricks for using this system to make your content creation more efficient and consistent. Come prepared to log in to your Canva account and play with the software on your laptop or phone.
Six Easy Steps to Refresh, Reimagine, and Retool Your Brand
Michelle Owens, Director of Visit Hendersonville, and Barbara Karasek, CEO of Paradise Advertising & Marketing Inc.
Room 1 – Windsor
Visit Hendersonville and Paradise present a case study with examples and first-hand perspectives, plus six easy steps to refresh, reimagine, and retool your destination’s brand. From brand image, creative, and messaging, to website integration, and partner and stakeholder collaboration, the Visit Hendersonville insights and six key takeaways will be beneficial for destinations of any size and with varying levels of internal and external resources.
Top Social Media Advertising Trends for Tourism & Travel
Olivia Ward, OnWard Digital Media
Room 3 – Victoria
Social media advertising spending is projected to reach $227 billion in 2024, how can your destination stand out from other advertisers? Attend this session to learn how to effectively reach and convert visitors by leveraging the top social media advertising trends for travel and tourism.

11:45 am Lunch

12:00 pm Sponsor Panel

1:15 pm Concurrent Breakout Sessions

The ABC’s of Data Literacy
Kristin Thompson, Zartico
Room 3 – Victoria
Many of us feel obligated to become instant data experts, but are secretly uncomfortable with the basics– What does “data” really mean, and how do we actually master the key skill of data literacy? Get the quick start guide to how to understand and communicate data. Leave with confidence in how to deal with the data in your life.
Preparing for and Dealing with the Unexpected
Chris Cavanaugh, Magellan Strategy Group
Room 1 – Windsor
September 11. The Great Recession. A global pandemic. So-called “black swan” events have had a devastating impact on us in the last two decades. No amount of preparation could have prepared the tourism sector (or the world) for any of those events, but there are certain steps you can take to prepare for more modest changes in the environment. We’ll discuss strategies and tactics that you can implement and some of the weak signals in the marketplace that will impact your business.
Zapier Basics & Effective Marketing Automation – ***Learning Lab
Sarah Benoit, JB Media Institute, and Jake Kennon, JB Media Group
Room 2 – Swannanoa
Automation is a powerful strategy when it comes to making your marketing more efficient and effective, but making the right choices about automation can be difficult and confusing. Zapier is a tool that allows many brands to connect various software programs together without sacrificing the personalization they need to stand out and succeed online. Join Sarah and Jake as they explore Zapier, a tool used to make marketing and communication simpler for marketers and their audiences. Learn how you can make automation work for you so you save time, but still build authentic relationships.

2:30 pm Break

2:45 pm Concurrent Breakout Sessions

Google Analytics 4 – ***Learning Lab
Sarah Benoit, JB Media Institute
Room 2 – Swannanoa
In 2023 Google Analytics 4 was the biggest change to happen to the platform since its beginning. If you are familiar with Universal Analytics, you’ve had to shift your mindset, approach, and literal plans for website tracking in order to adjust to the changes that have happened, especially when it comes to conversion reports. Join Sarah as she takes you on a live tour of the new GA4 system and discusses how you can make the most out of this tool going forward. Bring your computer and log in to your own account to get the most out of your experience.
Content and Engagement Strategies to Extend Visitor Stays
AJ Brau, Wander Maps
Room 1 – Windsor
In this session, learn to craft interactive, engaging content that inspires curiosity, fosters engagement, and ensures every traveler finds their way to unforgettable experiences.
Are Your Digital Ad Campaigns Being Harmed By Bot, Spam, and Fraud Traffic
Justin Belleme, JB Media Group
Room 3 – Victoria
Digital advertising campaigns on platforms including Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Google, and Microsoft Ads are increasingly susceptible to a variety of forms of low-value traffic. Some of the most common forms of low-value traffic include bots (non-human visitors), spam (accidental or otherwise non-qualified clicks), and fraud (nefarious traffic from competitors and platforms trying to inflate their own click data). Regardless of the source of non-qualified traffic, these visitors are not on your site to enjoy your content, engage with your calls to action, or convert into actual customers for your products, services, or partners. But, there are solutions to this challenge.
In this session, we will explore:
—-The sources and causes of bot, spam, and fraud traffic
—-Free ways to identify this traffic using Google Analytics
—-Paid tools to segment and block these traffic sources
—-Alternative strategies that avoid paying these advertising for low-quality traffic
Your advertising dollars are a critical, finite resource. Join this session to learn how to preserve and maximize your advertising and marketing budgets.

4:00 pm Closing Remarks – Windsor Ballroom

4:15 pm Adjourn

4:30 – 6:00 pm DIY Awards Celebration & Cocktail Hour sponsored by Magellan Strategy Group
Top of the Plaza 12th Floor

2023 Day 2

Tuesday, Nov. 14th

8:00 am Networking

9:00 am Concurrent Breakout Sessions

Microsoft Advertising Best Practices
with Peter Frisa, JB Media Group
Room 3 – Victoria
Google Ads has been the most dominant platform for Search Engine Marketing for quite some time, however, as of recent, Microsoft has been making major power moves to improve their platform, Microsoft Ads, providing serious competition now. There are some really big opportunities that you will be able to gain using Microsoft Ads instead of Google Ads. If you wish to learn more about the differences between the platforms, and how some of the new advanced features could help your advertising efforts, then you don’t want to miss this presentation.
The Ethics and Uses of AI – ***Learning Lab
Justin Belleme, JB Media Group
Room 2 – Swannanoa
In this session and learning lab, we will begin with a brief discussion of the recent developments and ethical concerns related to AI related to content marketing and digital advertising. We will then shift to a practical and tactical review of some of the most common ways that AI tools and tactics are already being used in the marketing world including how AI will impact:
– Content strategy, research, and planning
– Content development and optimization
– Digital advertising – Advertising copy and headlines
– Digital advertising – Optimization
– Graphic design and video production
Tourism Product Development as a Marketing Strategy
Chris Cavanaugh, Magellan Strategy Group
Room 1 – Windsor
For many communities, the creation of new experiences that drive visitation, spending, and satisfaction have become a critical focus of destination leadership organizations. But these new experiences can also serve as storytelling platforms and as opportunities to generate viral content. This session will present different forms of tourism product development (no matter the size of your community) and address ways to use these investments as enhancements to your marketing plans.

10:15 am Break

10:30 am Presentations

Make Your Local Events Memorable, Shareable, and Impactful
John Hornsby, Hornsby Creative and Peak Promo
Room 3 – Victoria
If you’ve been navigating the event world without a clear roadmap, join this session as we explore how to create remarkable local event experiences that resonate, captivate, and leave a lasting mark. Led by seasoned event branding and strategy expert, John Hornsby of Hornsby Creative, this session is designed to give you a compass in the chaotic event landscape. Gain clarity on crafting events that matter and magnify your region’s allure.
– Learn to develop events that amplify your town’s charm, aspirations, and mission.
– Learn to allocate resources wisely to achieve harmony in your event calendar.
– Understand how metrics can be your guiding light.
– Infuse your strategies that resonate with your community.
– Explore targeted attendee engagement through device IDs, paid digital ads, QR codes, and more.
Leave this session with renewed clarity to help you elevate your town’s eventscape.
Video Storytelling for Small Towns & Local Businesses
Bob Peck, Mountainwater Films
Room 1 – Windsor
Video can be used in a wide variety of ways when it comes to marketing, communications, and sales. There are so many options it can feel daunting to focus on specific stories, topics, attractions, or businesses. Join Bob from Mountainwater Films and discover actionable strategies and insights to create unique video content that will effectively promote your small town as a must-visit gem. Attract travelers seeking authenticity, unique charm, and off-the-beaten-path adventures.
Content Frameworks to Increase Online Engagement
Apollos Kimbrough
Room 2 – Swannanoa
How do destination and marketing professionals who already recognize the significance of emotion, storytelling, and building connections in the tourism industry find more engagement with both local travelers and visitors from afar? We won’t rehash the basics.
Instead, we’ll collaborate and discover and implement frameworks for making your stories and messages truly impactful as we dive into the art and science of creating compelling content that compounds over time.
In this session, we will equip you with practical tools to enhance the emotional connection in your content allowing it to compound engagement over time. You will gain the skills needed to elevate your marketing efforts in the ever-evolving world of tourism.

11:45 am Lunch

12:00 pm DEI Panel with Equity Over Everything