Tourism marketers often focus on bookings, but what if that’s the wrong goal? This session will explore what tourism can learn from the automotive world. Using the auto industry’s tier 1–2–3 model as a lens (manufacturer–region–dealer), we’ll examine the parallels to state tourism offices, destinations, and finally hotels, and discuss why measuring intent isn’t enough. This webinar will also cover how OTAs impact margins, why loyalty and retention matter more than ever, and how DMOs can shift their role, from chasing conversions to driving real demand and letting stakeholders close the deal. You'll leave with fresh thinking on how to measure the unmodeled value of your efforts and create strategies that lift your entire destination, not just room nights.

Across North America and beyond, destination leaders are increasingly seeking ways to engage Indigenous communities with respect and authenticity. Yet many still feel uncertain about where to begin or how to deepen their commitment. This interactive session creates space to start that journey together. Join Social Impact Committee Leads Teresa Ryder, Director of Partnerships at the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada and Rebecca Thomas, Public Relations Specialist at Discover Salt River for a dialogue on the importance of place, decolonizing our mindsets, and pathways to building meaningful relationships. Through speaker reflections and live Mentimeter engagement, we’ll address the discomfort of “getting it wrong" and the small but powerful shifts that help build trust with Indigenous communities. Whether you're just beginning or already on your path to reconciliation, this session invites you to pause, reflect, and take the next step toward becoming a more conscious and respectful destination leader.

Are you a first-time attendee for the upcoming Annual Convention in Chicago, July 9-11? Welcome aboard! To ensure you make the most out of this gathering of industry leaders, colleagues and peers, we invite you to our virtual Annual Convention First-Time Attendee Orientation. You will hear about the convention’s purpose, get an overview of the sessions, keynotes, networking opportunities, partner Flashes of Brilliance, and an opportunity to ask any questions you might have about the conference. IMPORTANT NOTE: This opportunity is ONLY available for those registered for Destinations International Annual Convention, July 9-11 in Chicago, IL. The orientation will be recorded, and the recording will be made available to all registrants within 1-2 days following the conclusion of the session.

Join us for an exhilarating session as Tourism Economics and Destinations International showcase the industry’s most advanced Website Impact Calculator (WIC)! This groundbreaking tool will empower you to connect your destination website's activity directly to influenced visitation and economic impact in your community. Using the same powerful economic modeling as the Event Impact Calculator, the WIC will help you track influenced visitor spending, identify effective content, and optimize visitor engagement. you’ll gain insights that allow you to advocate for your community and showcase the true value of your online presence. Bring your questions and enthusiasm as we dive into this game-changing tool. Don’t miss out on the chance to transform your website into a powerful driver of economic growth!

Understanding how to protect and strengthen destination reputation has never been more critical as societal issues increasingly influence traveler and event planner perceptions. Join Destinations International for an in-depth session that explores key findings from the recently released research study, Destination Reputation: Responding to Societal Issues, developed with the support of the Destinations International Foundation. This session will provide a deeper dive into the full set of research materials now available to destination organizations, including a comprehensive research report, a key findings summary, a customizable presentation template, and forthcoming action briefs. Attendees will gain a thorough understanding of how political climate, public safety, accessibility, and social values are shaping destination selection and long-term brand positioning.

Join Destinations International for an in-depth session on how to use the Event Impact Calculator (EIC) to better manage and respond to lost and cancelled international business events. In this webinar, we’ll explore how to effectively quantify the impact of these missed opportunities, and how to integrate the tool into your destination’s lost business workflow. Our team will share practical recommendations and considerations for enhancing your standard operating procedures (SOPs) to ensure you’re capturing and reporting international business losses with accuracy and strategic insight. This session will offer actionable steps to help your team better advocate for the value of international business events in your community.

Tourism Economics and Destinations International are launching the industry’s most advanced Media Impact Calculator for destination organization websites—a tool to directly tie activity from your website to visitation and economic impact in your community. Tune in as Adam Sacks unveils this game-changing product, which is built using the same economic modeling and platform as the Event Impact Calculator. In this session, you’ll learn how to track your website's impact on visitor spending, taxes, and job creation. Discover which sections of your site are most effective at driving visitation and how to identify untapped opportunity markets. Find out the ideal lead time to engage potential visitors and how to optimize your content to maximize visitation. You'll also get a glimpse into the seamless, integrated user experience with the EIC. Our standard-setting economic impact analysis quantifies the effectiveness of your content and allows you to optimize, advocate and deliver proven value in your communities. Be sure to bring your questions as we dive into this exciting new tool!

The Event Impact Calculator (EIC) is a staple and best practice in the day-to-day operations of nearly 370 destination organizations. During this webinar, we will review the common threads, frequently-asked questions, and best practices among subscribers when using the tool, including: • Setting event dates • Capturing the percentage of overnight, day, and local attendees • Making model adjustments to account for more organizer spending • Interpreting impacts • Finding hosting costs in your results • Adjusting results if run in the past or future Join us as we dive into these topics and more. Come prepared to learn, ask questions and increase your knowledge of and proficiency in the calculator!

Event Impact Calculator (EIC) subscribers have the option to connect directly to the calculator from within their iDSS platform to manage the sales, services and reporting process of their event calculations. Whether you are currently taking advantage of this option within iDSS or interested in learning more, this session will review how it connects in your CRM, what you can map, tag or customize and how to create custom reports; in addition, what the steps are to implement the integration. Join the DI and Tempest Teams for an open discussion and to get all your questions answered about the integration process.

Understanding how to protect and strengthen destination reputation has never been more critical as societal issues increasingly influence traveler and event planner perceptions. Join Destinations International for an in-depth session that explores key findings from the recently released research study, Destination Reputation: Responding to Societal Issues, developed with the support of the Destinations International Foundation. This session will provide a deeper dive into the full set of research materials now available to destination organizations, including a comprehensive research report, a key findings summary, a customizable presentation template, and forthcoming action briefs. Attendees will gain a thorough understanding of how political climate, public safety, accessibility, and social values are shaping destination selection and long-term brand positioning.

Destinations International is launching a virtual activation to gain recognition for the important contributions of the destination sector and those who work it in by promoting annual celebration of February 19 as "Destination Professionals Day." The first observation will be Wednesday, February 19, 2025. We encourage you to join this webinar to learn more about what's planned and how you, your colleagues and your organization can get involved to show your support.

Welcome, European Members! We are thrilled to welcome you to Destinations International, a global community of destination organizations. Our mission is to empower our members so their communities thrive. Through the power of travel, we strive to drive economic, social, and environmental impact, foster job creation, attract investments, and enhance community vitality. This roundtable is designed to introduce you to the key benefits of European membership, familiarize you with our team and departments and provide an overview of activities in 2025. This session is ideal for anyone in your organization who would like an overview of Destinations International or is new to our community. We look forward to seeing you there!

Across North America and beyond, destination leaders are increasingly seeking ways to engage Indigenous communities with respect and authenticity. Yet many still feel uncertain about where to begin or how to deepen their commitment. This interactive session creates space to start that journey together. Join Social Impact Committee Leads Teresa Ryder, Director of Partnerships at the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada and Rebecca Thomas, Public Relations Specialist at Discover Salt River for a dialogue on the importance of place, decolonizing our mindsets, and pathways to building meaningful relationships. Through speaker reflections and live Mentimeter engagement, we’ll address the discomfort of “getting it wrong" and the small but powerful shifts that help build trust with Indigenous communities. Whether you're just beginning or already on your path to reconciliation, this session invites you to pause, reflect, and take the next step toward becoming a more conscious and respectful destination leader.

Welcome, European Members! We are thrilled to welcome you to Destinations International, a global community of destination organizations. Our mission is to empower our members so their communities thrive. Through the power of travel, we strive to drive economic, social, and environmental impact, foster job creation, attract investments, and enhance community vitality. This roundtable is designed to introduce you to the key benefits of European membership, familiarize you with our team and departments and provide an overview of activities in 2025. This session is ideal for anyone in your organization who would like an overview of Destinations International or is new to our community. We look forward to seeing you there!

Unlock the true potential of sponsorships for your destination organization! During this BizOps Virtual Roundtable, experts will share strategies to transform sponsorship programs into powerful tools for expanding your organization’s reach and impact. Our expert panelists will cover: Expanding Sponsorship Options: Go beyond traditional cash sponsorships with in-kind donations, colunteer support, co-branding initiatives, and cause-marketing campaigns. Building Brand Awareness: Use sponsor networks to elevate brand awareness, amplify your message, and grow your audience. Finding Ideal Sponsors: Research and target businesses that align with your mission and audience, and develop a prospect list to approach potetial sponsors with confidence. Negotiation Tactics: Craft mutually beneficial sponsorship agreements, communicate your value effectively, and structure sponsorship packages to secure the resources your organization needs. This session is ideal for leaders in business development, finance, marketing and communications, and anyone eager to optimize resources and build strategic partnerships for their destination organization. Join us to learn how to attract the right sponsors, develop innovative and lasting partnerships, and drive greater, sustainable impact!

Are you a first-time attendee for the upcoming Annual Convention in Chicago, July 9-11? Welcome aboard! To ensure you make the most out of this gathering of industry leaders, colleagues and peers, we invite you to our virtual Annual Convention First-Time Attendee Orientation. You will hear about the convention’s purpose, get an overview of the sessions, keynotes, networking opportunities, partner Flashes of Brilliance, and an opportunity to ask any questions you might have about the conference. IMPORTANT NOTE: This opportunity is ONLY available for those registered for Destinations International Annual Convention, July 9-11 in Chicago, IL. The orientation will be recorded, and the recording will be made available to all registrants within 1-2 days following the conclusion of the session.

Are you a first-time attendee for the upcoming CEO Summit, March 23-25 in Savannah, GA? Welcome aboard! To ensure you make the most out of the exclusive gathering of industry leaders, we invite you to our virtual CEO Summit First-Time Attendee Orientation. You will hear about the summit’s purpose, get an overview of the content, speakers, networking opportunities, partner Flashes of Brilliance, and have an opportunity to ask any questions you may have about the summit. IMPORTANT NOTE: This opportunity is ONLY available for those registered for Destinations International CEO Summit on March 23-25, 2025 in Savannah, GA. The orientation will be recorded, and the recording will be made available to all registrants within 1-2 days following the conclusion of the session.