Join your colleagues in the destination marketing industry in Alexandria, touted to be the Birthplace of America!
Top Reasons to Attend:
Learn. No matter how experienced you are, everyone can learn. You’ll be exposed to a variety of points of view, new ideas and trends, new ways to conduct business and to be more productive.
Network. Collaboration is the way to approach networking. You’ll uncover ideas and be inspired when you get to know each other on a personal level.
Encounter new vendors and suppliers. They are some of the best people for you to get to know if you want to learn more about the current industry climate. Discovering innovative products and services is necessary to stay competitive in today’s fast-paced world.
Have fun. All work and no play can get old fast. The agenda mixes a social aspect into your learning experience. Never underestimate the power of a little fun mixed with some interesting people!
Conference Agenda:
Tuesday, June 5, 2018
12:00 pm Exhibitor Set Up
2:30pm Welcome and Introductions
2:45pm Minnesota’s Tourism &
Hospitality Industry… Then and Now.
Dan McElroy, President and
CEO, Hospitality MN
With
retirement on the horizon, Dan McElroy is still right in the middle of
activities at the State Capitol. Dan
will share with us the latest issues facing tourism that are hot topics right
now. Dan will also share insights on MN
Tourism from a perspective you may not have considered before. Why tourism and hospitality matter so much
for MN and more. In his career, Dan has
owned businesses, served on Burnsville’s City Council, Mayor of Burnsville, served
in legislature, key leader in the Governor Tim Pawlenty administration to
Hospitality MN. This will be the last
time Dan McElroy will have a chance to speak to our group before retirement.
3:15 pm Break
3:30 pm How to Compete
and Win with Smaller Budgets.
Steve Markuson, Twin Cities Gateway. Joe Henry, Lake of the Woods Tourism
Moderator: Dave Looby
The travel and tourism industry marketplace has never been so challenging and competitive yet offer so many unparalleled opportunities. This session will demonstrate how digital marketing, social media and earned media can level the playing field to enable any destination to compete and generate incremental visitation and measurable results. Examples of specific solutions that can be scaled to any budget will be provided. Learn why getting your stakeholders on the same page and strategic objectives are the key to success; what digital marketing solutions are working for others; how social media and earned media can drive organic search; and much more!
4:30 pm Adjourn to Arrowwood Resort/Hampton Inn
5:30 pm Bus Pick Up At Hampton Inn
5:50 pm Bus Pick Up At Arrowwood Resort
6:15 pm Arrive Carlos Creek Winery, wine
tasting and tour
7:30pm Board bus to Bug-A-Boo Bay
8:00 pm Dinner lakeside at Bug-A-Boo Bay on
Lake Le Homme Dieu
Wednesday, June 6, 2018 (Note,
breakfast on your own)
9:00 – 10:00
a.m. CEO Roundtable (Executive Staff Exclusive)
Back by popular demand, CEO’s, Executive Directors and leaders of DMO’s
get together in a roundtable environment to discuss topics pertinent to leading
a tourism organization. Some topics to
start the conversation… Merging or working together as CVB/Chamber, board
retreats, performance reviews and a variety of other topics on the minds of
leaders.
10:15 a.m. MACVB... Collaborating for Success Group Activity
With a plethora of experience and wisdom in the
room from all corners of the state, topics regarding our businesses will be
discussed in a round robin style. This
activity has brought about valuable collaboration in the past and was requested
again by many. What topics would you
like to bounce off of tourism colleagues?
11:00 a.m. Break
11:15
a.m. MN Legislature...
Challenges and Opportunities
MACVB Lobbyists: Todd Hill and Tony Kwilas, Hill Capitol Strategies
With this year’s session just wrapped up, take this opportunity
to learn about the current topics in the legislature that affect tourism, how
they may affect your destination, what you need to do about them and how your
colleagues are handling them.
12:30
p.m. Lunch and Learn
John Edman, Explore MN Tourism
Explore MN Tourism is constantly doing research on trends in
MN and the Midwest and adapting their marketing efforts to take advantage of
the latest information. John Edman will
lead provide us a firsthand look at the newest campaigns, ads and strategies from
Explore MN Tourism.
1:30
p.m. Getting the Most out of Analytics
Kat Gritzmacher, W.A. Fisher
As an account manager
for advertising and website clients for over 12 years, Kat Gritzmacher works
with Google Analytics nearly every day. She will explain the basics for
beginners: how to find out how many users are visiting your site, where they
are coming from and how they got there. She will also discuss how to interpret
analytics data to determine the effectiveness of both your website content and
your advertising. For those with a fundamental knowledge of Analytics, she will
dive deeper to explain how to track results from paid search and online
advertising programs by using goals and conversions.
3:00 p.m. Adjourn
Hosted by Explore Alexandria
Sponsors:
$95.00/attendee; $50/each additional attendee from the same organization
Non-MACVB member $150.00/attendee (CVB/DMO organizations)
Sponsorships are available for vendors starting at $500.00 (call for more information)
Meetings will be held at Gathered Oaks, a unique event venue surrounded by scenic views
Please note: Single guest rooms are SOLD OUT at Arrowwood Resort (2100 Arrowwood Ln, Alexandria, MN 56308).
Room Type & Price:
Two Bedroom Cottage ($298 per unit)
Three Bedroom Townhome ($447 per unit)
Four Bedroom Townhome ($596 per unit)
Four Bedroom Cottage ($596 per unit)
Guestrooms will be reserved until 5/21/18. It is the attendees responsibility to make their reservations by calling 866-386-5263 or the hotel directly at 320-762-1124.
Hampton Inn (320-763-3360) does have single rooms available at the special rate of $129.95. You must mention that you are attending the MACVB conference to receive this rate.
Transportation to and from the evening activities on June 5th will include Hampton Inn and Arrowwood Resort.
Refer to detailed agenda for specific meeting times.
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