Tourism Academy 2025 Highlights

One word to describe Tourism Academy 2025? Epic.

If you missed this year’s conference, you missed something special but don’t worry, we’ve gathered the highlights here for anyone with FOMO or anyone eager for a sneak peek at Tourism Academy 2026.

PRE-CONFERENCE ACTIVITIES

To get a lay of the land, early arrivals joined a walking tour of Downtown Minneapolis, exploring striking architecture, local history, and the riverfront that shaped our host city’s character.

Later, the group combined two of America's favorite pastimes: networking and baseball. Attendees headed to North Loop Green for a tailgate and then cheered on the Minnesota Twins at Target Field!

DAY ONE

We started the day by lacing up our sneakers, grabbing our bibs, and setting off on a 3-mile fun run led by Minnesota-based Anderson Races. The route included photo stops at Minneapolis landmarks and wrapped up back at the hotel with a well-earned stretch and cool-down session.

Then back at the conference, Alex Heimann, CEO of Tempest, kicked things off with opening remarks alongside Melvin Tennant, CAE, President & CEO of Meet Minneapolis, who officially welcomed us to the city and set the tone for an inspiring week ahead. We also listened to a special message from U.S. Senator and fellow Minnesotan, Amy Klobuchar.

Day one sessions ranged from iDSS trainings and deep dives into the future of search to exploring the creative choices behind the industry’s best websites, sharing Sports Tourism Marketing tactics, and building stronger community engagement with partners and stakeholders.

Then… things took an unexpected turn.

Word spread that a murderer was on the loose! During the lunch keynote, attendees teamed up for the iDSS Murder Mystery, piecing together clues to uncover who “killed” the CRM. Solving the case was no easy task, but this team of detectives cracked it with stunning precision.

As sessions wrapped up for the day, we headed to the hotel’s patio for Tourism Academy’s inaugural Smart Women Who Get Sh*t Done Happy Hour. The women of the conference, along with their allies, gathered for an evening of networking, collaboration, and empowerment before heading out to the Opening Reception.

The night’s main event took place at the Mill City Museum. Once a bustling flour mill, this preserved landmark offered jaw-dropping views of the Mississippi River and a fascinating glimpse into Minneapolis’ history as a hub of the flour milling industry. Local vendors served up a taste of the city while the museum opened its doors exclusively to our guests. A clear highlight of the night was the multistory Flour Tower and an immersive exhibit where visitors step inside a freight elevator cab and are transported to different floors, each recreated to look like a working mill from the city’s past.

DAY TWO

To set the tone for the day, attendees had the option to rejuvenate their minds with a peaceful morning Sound Healing Session before diving into another full day of programming.

After breakfast, Josiah Brown, also known as the New York Sherpa, took the stage for his session, Living the Destination Effect: Gaining Support Through Actionable Advocacy. Josiah shared insights from the Destination Effect project, which highlights how destination marketing organizations advocate for their communities and showcase the vital work DMOs do to drive tourism and economic impact.

The second day of Tourism Academy was packed with educational sessions, roundtable discussions, and panels. We explored how destinations are preparing for major events like the World Cup and America’s 250th, learned about a crisis response toolkit using iDSS and websites, joined a lively Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?-style session where attendees took the hot seat, and so much more.

Midday, we took a networking break that’s sure to be talked about for years to come… thanks to a surprise visit from a litter of puppies. Not only were they up for adoption, but they were also up for endless snuggles as attendees ooh’ed and ahhh’d over every adorable moment with our furry guests.

For the lunch keynote, Jeff Robinson from Visit Indy delivered an inspiring talk on activating cities around mega events. He shared how Indianapolis tapped into pop culture and trending moments to elevate its brand, rally the entire city, and create marketing campaigns that welcomed visitors while showcasing why Indy has become a destination to watch.

After a day of inspiration and education, we brought down the house, yet again, at our Closing Party. The band and special guests played the hits all night long while conference attendees and members of the Tempest Team got on stage to battle it out once again in a creative showcase of talents during the annual Lip Sync Battle.

The night saw special appearances from a 6’4 Pink Unicorn, Prince look-alikes paying homage to the singer’s hometown, and a gaggle of Jonas Brother impersonators. If the energy of our attendees wasn’t already spilling out of the conference walls, the atmosphere inside the music venue was absolutely electric.

DAY THREE

Wrapping up Tourism Academy 2025, we closed the conference with final remarks from the Tempest team, followed by a series of breakout sessions and hands-on collaborations. Attendees dove into topics like writing AI-forward content for websites, unlocking the full potential of the Craft CMS, and leveraging the partner extranet to boost engagement and strengthen community connections.

Tourism Academy 2025 marked ten incredible years of conferences, and we couldn’t have imagined a better way to celebrate this milestone with such an engaged and inspiring community. From inspiring sessions to unforgettable moments, this year truly set the bar higher than ever.

A huge thank you to Meet Minneapolis for hosting us this year — your city, your team, and your warm welcome made this milestone conference unforgettable. And now, with new ideas, stronger connections, and a decade of Tourism Academy behind us, we’re ready to make next year's conference our biggest and boldest yet.

We can’t wait to see what’s in store for Tourism Academy 2026 as we take the energy, ideas, and connections we built in Minneapolis down to Jacksonville, Florida next year.