Tourism Academy 2021
Full Conference Agenda
The tourism conference for professionals who are transforming the landscape of travel through technology and marketing.
Monday, March 29th (Pre-Conference)
Monday, March 29th (Pre-Conference) 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Monday, March 29th (Pre-Conference) 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM
1:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday, March 30th (Day 1)
Tuesday, March 30th (Day 1) 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM
8:00 AM - 9:00 AM
Tuesday, March 30th (Day 1) 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Tuesday, March 30th (Day 1) 10:10 AM - 10:50 PM
10:10 AM - 10:50 PM

Beginner Basics
Tuesday, March 30th (Day 1)
Need a basic overview or refresh of iDSS? This session is perfect for new users to understand how iDSS can help you to save time and create effective workflows.

2019 Data Recap: How The Community Uses iDSS
Tuesday, March 30th (Day 1)
We dug into our data to highlight insights and best practices around how our community is using iDSS. Find out how your peers are using iDSS and get tips for improving your processes.

How to Build Community With Your Digital Platforms
Tuesday, March 30th (Day 1)
See real examples of how other destinations are using their CRMs, websites, and marketing to connect with their communities. We’ll share case studies and actionable ideas for leveraging your digital platforms to better support and communicate with your residents, local businesses, and stakeholders.

One-on-One Meetings
Tuesday, March 30th (Day 1)
Schedule time to meet individually with Tempest and iDSS experts.
Tuesday, March 30th (Day 1) 11:00 AM - 11:40 AM
11:00 AM - 11:40 AM

Roundtable: Membership & Accounting
Tuesday, March 30th (Day 1)
An interactive shirtsleeves-style conversation where you'll hear real examples about how your peers use iDSS. Take away new ideas and best practices for improving your membership and accounting workflows.

Beginner Sales
Tuesday, March 30th (Day 1)
A refresher on how to manage sales leads in iDSS. Get familiar with lead distribution and take home actionable ways to improve your leads workflow so you can win new business.

Local Love: Transforming Residents into Tourism Advocates
Tuesday, March 30th (Day 1)
Join us for a panel discussion exploring how destinations are including locals in their storytelling. Take away strategies for converting residents into brand ambassadors who will improve the overall visitor experience.

One-on-One Meetings
Tuesday, March 30th (Day 1)
Schedule time to meet individually with Tempest and iDSS experts.
Tuesday, March 30th (Day 1) 11:50 AM - 12:30 PM
11:50 AM - 12:30 PM

Visitor Center & Inquiries
Tuesday, March 30th (Day 1)
Review best practices for using iDSS to manage inquiries and Visitor Center activity. Hear from your peers who are using inquiries to collect valuable data and measure success.

Services Best Practices
Tuesday, March 30th (Day 1)
With iDSS reports and queries, actionable data is right at your fingertips. Find out how to identify the most critical data to report on, how to use industry standard reports, how to build custom queries, and more.

Big Thinking for Small DMOs
Tuesday, March 30th (Day 1)
Hear from smaller destination organizations about how they maximize their resources and use innovative strategies to drive success. Take away tips and frameworks for thinking big when it comes to leadership, funding, and more.

One-on-One Meetings
Tuesday, March 30th (Day 1)
Schedule time to meet individually with Tempest and iDSS experts.
Tuesday, March 30th (Day 1) 12:30 PM - 2:00 PM
12:30 PM - 2:00 PM
Tuesday, March 30th (Day 1) 2:10 PM - 2:50 PM
2:10 PM - 2:50 PM

Media & Advertising
Tuesday, March 30th (Day 1)
Are you fully leveraging the media and advertising capabilities within iDSS? During this session, we will showcase a client utilizing the Google Analytics integration and other workflows and share the benefits of using this integration.

Itineraries & Expenses
Tuesday, March 30th (Day 1)
iDSS can help you to manage itineraries and expenses for your sales and services team. Find out how to leverage these valuable tools to increase your effiiency and accountability.j

A Travel Marketing Guide to Google Chrome & Data Privacy
Tuesday, March 30th (Day 1)
In two years, Google Chrome will no longer support third-party cookies. This panel will unpack what this means for media buying, targeting, and travel marketing data going forward.

One-on-One Meetings
Tuesday, March 30th (Day 1)
Schedule time to meet individually with Tempest and iDSS experts.
Tuesday, March 30th (Day 1) 2:50 PM - 3:10 PM
2:50 PM - 3:10 PM
Tuesday, March 30th (Day 1) 3:15 PM - 3:55 PM
3:15 PM - 3:55 PM

iDSS Email Campaign Creation
Tuesday, March 30th (Day 1)
Are you using iDSS for your email marketing yet? This session will take you through an entire campaign and share tips and best practices for succcess.

Sales & Reporting Best Practices
Tuesday, March 30th (Day 1)
If you're working as part of a sales team, find out how to use reporting and best practices in iDSS to improve your day-to-day sales activities. We'll share tips for tracking your teams success, using data to lead sales meetings, and more.

Does Your Destination Offer A Unified Visitor Experience?
Tuesday, March 30th (Day 1)
Do you have a large geographical area to represent or a range of tourism assets with different audiences? This session will explore unique challenges and share case studies from destinations that have created a unified visitor experience from disparate elements.

One-on-One Meetings
Tuesday, March 30th (Day 1)
Schedule time to meet individually with Tempest and iDSS experts.
Tuesday, March 30th (Day 1) 4:05 PM - 4:45 PM
4:05 PM - 4:45 PM

Email Campaign Best Practices
Tuesday, March 30th (Day 1)
We'll look at email campaign statistics across our community to identify best practices around email timing, message content, and more. See how other destinations are succeeding with email and take home new ideas for your campaigns.

iDSS API Overview
Tuesday, March 30th (Day 1)
Are you using the iDSS API? Do you want to learn more? This session will demonstrate how the API can help you to update partner data or local events on your website or push inquiries into iDSS from online forms and RFPs. We will also showcase some creative API use-cases from across the community.

Session Coming Soon
Tuesday, March 30th (Day 1)
More session details coming soon.

One-on-One Meetings
Tuesday, March 30th (Day 1)
Schedule time to meet individually with Tempest and iDSS experts.
Tuesday, March 30th (Day 1) 5:30 PM - 8:00 PM
5:30 PM - 8:00 PM
Wednesday, March 31st (Day 2)
Wednesday, March 31st (Day 2) 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM
8:00 AM - 9:00 AM
Wednesday, March 31st (Day 2) 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Wednesday, March 31st (Day 2) 10:10 AM - 10:50 AM
10:10 AM - 10:50 AM

iDSS Publish
Wednesday, March 31st (Day 2)
iDSS Publish can help your team generate consistent, elegant, branded communications on-the-fly. See case studies from destinations currently leveraging Publish and learn how to get started with Publish in your organization.

Where to Find Inspiration?
Wednesday, March 31st (Day 2)
How do you ensure your marketing and visuals are fresh and inspiring? In this session, Michael will share strategies and resources for renewing your approach to branding and visual storytelling, plus case studies from destinations doing stunning work.

One-on-One Meetings
Wednesday, March 31st (Day 2)
Schedule time to meet individually with Tempest and iDSS experts.
Wednesday, March 31st (Day 2) 11:00 AM - 11:40 AM
11:00 AM - 11:40 AM

Introducing Extranet 2.0
Wednesday, March 31st (Day 2)
The iDSS Extranet can help you to maximize partner engagement. We'll showcase the latest iDSS Extranet developments and share case studies and best practices for increasing engagement with your community.

Does Your Content Spark Joy?
Wednesday, March 31st (Day 2)
Just like Marie Kondo's "KonMari" method for decluttering your home, we'll share case studies and best practices for pruning your content and only keeping the most effective and engaging pieces.

One-on-One Meetings
Wednesday, March 31st (Day 2)
Schedule time to meet individually with Tempest and iDSS experts.
Wednesday, March 31st (Day 2) 11:50 AM - 12:30 PM
11:50 AM - 12:30 PM

iDSS Team Activity
Wednesday, March 31st (Day 2)
This session will provide an introduction to the new Team Activity feature in iDSS Cyclone with plenty of resources and features for taking your meetings and trade shows to the next level.

How to Plan & Execute Your Most Successful Photo Shoot
Wednesday, March 31st (Day 2)
What goes into a succesful destination photo shoot? Veteran commercial photgrapher Grant Taylor will walk through tips for a successful shoot from working out technical logisitcs to developing a creative strategy.

One-on-One Meetings
Wednesday, March 31st (Day 2)
Schedule time to meet individually with Tempest and iDSS experts.
Wednesday, March 31st (Day 2) 12:30 PM - 2:00 PM
12:30 PM - 2:00 PM
Wednesday, March 31st (Day 2) 2:10 PM - 2:50 PM
2:10 PM - 2:50 PM

iDSS Attend
Wednesday, March 31st (Day 2)
This session will provide an introduction to the new Attend feature in iDSS Cyclone. A revamped housing and registration platform to support meetings sales success.

How To Use Video-Based Social Platforms To Reach Travelers
Wednesday, March 31st (Day 2)
TikTok and Instagram Stories are on every marketer’s radar in 2020. How can you use these platforms to attract travelers, engage locals and stand out? We’ll cover how travel brands are using these video-based platforms with examples that are fun, inspiring and effective. We’ll also provide a framework for planning and storyboarding using examples from leading destination marketers.

One-on-One Meetings
Wednesday, March 31st (Day 2)
Schedule time to meet individually with Tempest and iDSS experts.
Wednesday, March 31st (Day 2) 2:50 PM - 3:10 PM
2:50 PM - 3:10 PM
Wednesday, March 31st (Day 2) 3:15 PM - 3:55 PM
3:15 PM - 3:55 PM

iDSS Tips & Tricks
Wednesday, March 31st (Day 2)
When working with the iDSS user community, our team sees a lot of innovative tips and workflows and cool ideas. This session will share a roundup of the best tips and tricks from real users, to make sure you are maximizing the potential of the platform in your day-to-day.

What Keeps Us Up At Night?
Wednesday, March 31st (Day 2)
Destination Organizations today are tasked with a lot more than just marketing. How does your organization approach regulatory and policy issues, protect its funding model, navigate government relations, and work with public and private partnerships to support economic development? This session will explore hot-button issues impacting travel and tourism organizations and share governance strategies for you to continue advancing your mission

One-on-One Meetings
Wednesday, March 31st (Day 2)
Schedule time to meet individually with Tempest and iDSS experts.
Wednesday, March 31st (Day 2) 4:05 PM - 4:55 PM
4:05 PM - 4:55 PM

iDSS Roadmap
Wednesday, March 31st (Day 2)
It's been an exciting year for iDSS. This session will review all of the latest features and updates rolling out on the platform.

State of the State Tourism Office
Wednesday, March 31st (Day 2)
Hear directly from state tourism directors about best practices for collaborating with your state tourism office and how to get the most out of state resources.

One-on-One Meetings
Wednesday, March 31st (Day 2)
Schedule time to meet individually with Tempest and iDSS experts.
Wednesday, March 31st (Day 2) 5:30 PM - 8:00 PM
5:30 PM - 8:00 PM
Wednesday, March 31st (Day 2) 8:00 PM - 11:59 PM
8:00 PM - 11:59 PM
Thursday, April 1st (Day 3)
Thursday, April 1st (Day 3) 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM
8:00 AM - 9:00 AM
Thursday, April 1st (Day 3) 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Thursday, April 1st (Day 3) 10:10 AM - 11:40 AM
10:10 AM - 11:40 AM
Thursday, April 1st (Day 3) 11:50 AM - 12:30 PM
11:50 AM - 12:30 PM

Roundtable Session: Admin Best Practices
Thursday, April 1st (Day 3)
An interactive shirtsleeves-style session, where you can discover new ways to revolutionize your workflow, maximize your efficiency, and increase your overall impact with iDSS. This session will connect you with your peers to share real scenarios and solutions for administrators.

Becoming A Community Shared Value Through Our New Tourism Lexicon
Thursday, April 1st (Day 3)
Words matter in politics, and those words need to be chosen carefully. If we are going to be successful in changing the narrative surrounding our industry, it starts with a values-based approach. That means talking to stakeholders in a manner that is simple and emotional and connects their values to your organization. In this session, we demonstrate why our industry must utilize a new tourism vocabulary to connect with elected officials and residents in a meaningful way and how to implement the lexicon with your staff, your board, and your key stakeholders.

One-on-One Meetings
Thursday, April 1st (Day 3)
Schedule time to meet individually with Tempest and iDSS experts.
Thursday, April 1st (Day 3) 12:30 PM - 2:00 PM
12:30 PM - 2:00 PM
Thursday, April 1st (Day 3) 2:10 PM - 2:50 PM
2:10 PM - 2:50 PM

So Fresh & So Clean: Data Hygiene
Thursday, April 1st (Day 3)
A clean and consistently updated database is a cornerstone for your organization's success. This session will cover best practices for data upkeep. Take away ideas and processes to ensure your database is updated regularly.

Measuring Economic Impact
Thursday, April 1st (Day 3)
Learn the best practices around using industry-standard tools like the Event Impact Calculator to measure your organization's economic impact, and how to communicate the information to stakeholders in an efficient and powerful way.

One-on-One Meetings
Thursday, April 1st (Day 3)
Schedule time to meet individually with Tempest and iDSS experts.
Thursday, April 1st (Day 3) 2:50 PM - 3:10 PM
2:50 PM - 3:10 PM
Thursday, April 1st (Day 3) 3:15 PM - 3:55 PM
3:15 PM - 3:55 PM

Roundtable Session: Engaging Your Members & Partners with iDSS
Thursday, April 1st (Day 3)
In this interactive shirtsleeves-style session, see examples of how the iDSS community uses the platform to drive greater member and partner engagement. From leveraging data to identifying new outreach opportunities, learn how to increase your community's engagement.

A Roadmap for Website Success
Thursday, April 1st (Day 3)
What are the latest trends in website design and marketing that can drive success for your destination organization? Explore case studies and examples from destinations using audience-driven design to increase brand awareness and engagement.

One-on-One Meetings
Thursday, April 1st (Day 3)
Schedule time to meet individually with Tempest and iDSS experts.
Thursday, April 1st (Day 3) 4:05 PM - 4:55 PM
4:05 PM - 4:55 PM

Roundtable: Sales Session
Thursday, April 1st (Day 3)
In this interactive shirtsleeves-style session, we'll walk through common destination sales challenges and kickstart peer-to-peer discussions to share ideas and best practices for maximizing your success.

Session Coming Soon
Thursday, April 1st (Day 3)
More session details coming soon.

One-on-One Meetings
Thursday, April 1st (Day 3)
Schedule time to meet individually with Tempest and iDSS experts.