Schedule at a Glance

• Understand what it means to be a destination marketer, manager and leader.
• Understand global and national constraints, opportunities and trends affecting destination marketing and management.
• Learn the key factors and new initiatives that make destination marketing professionals and organizations successful.
• Discern the destination visioning and strategic planning process and how the community and
• industry become stakeholders in branding and tourism development.
• Know the latest thinking and solutions to current destination issues and challenges such as branding, funding, performance accountability, community relations/advocacy, industry partnerships and visitor relationship management.

• Discuss the essence of leadership and the qualities needed to excel, both for your organization and within the community.
• Review the factors that contribute to organizational success, including organizational values, and company culture.
• Adopt key leadership concepts and discuss the importance of emotional intelligence
• Demonstrate the implications of not following best practices in financial leadership, and review the benefits of doing a comprehensive organizational assessment.
• Highlight essential communications tools including the business plan, annual report, stakeholder meetings, and others.
• Discuss key human resources practices such as salary studies, handbook development, job descriptions and performance evaluations.
• Understand how to find the right board member, the benefits of solid board governance, and effective ways to communicate with your board.
• Consider the importance of crisis communications and how you can ensure your DMO is prepared.

• Discuss the essence of leadership and the qualities needed to excel, both for your organization and within the community.
• Review the factors that contribute to organizational success, including organizational values, and company culture.
• Adopt key leadership concepts and discuss the importance of emotional intelligence
• Demonstrate the implications of not following best practices in financial leadership, and review the benefits of doing a comprehensive organizational assessment.
• Highlight essential communications tools including the business plan, annual report, stakeholder meetings, and others.
• Discuss key human resources practices such as salary studies, handbook development, job descriptions and performance evaluations.
• Understand how to find the right board member, the benefits of solid board governance, and effective ways to communicate with your board.
• Consider the importance of crisis communications and how you can ensure your DMO is prepared.

• Understand what it means to be a destination marketer, manager and leader.
• Understand global and national constraints, opportunities and trends affecting destination marketing and management.
• Learn the key factors and new initiatives that make destination marketing professionals and organizations successful.
• Discern the destination visioning and strategic planning process and how the community and
• industry become stakeholders in branding and tourism development.
• Know the latest thinking and solutions to current destination issues and challenges such as branding, funding, performance accountability, community relations/advocacy, industry partnerships and visitor relationship management.

Click here to register

Instructors: Maura Gast, Kristin McGrath, and Jack Wert

The Fundamentals is an interactive educational course focusing on evolving trends in the travel and tourism industry and marketplace and how destination organizations successfully align with these changes. Key to this success are the operations of the destination organizations and its place within the travel and tourism industry. Some of the key topics covered include:

• The destination organization's evolving role and value to the destination.
• The destination organization’s operating environment and structure.
• Marketing and Management
• Strategic Planning
• Research/Data Analysis
• Technology
• Leisure & Convention Sales
• Engaging tourism stakeholders in destination place-making
• Super trends for destination organizations
• DMAP Accreditation and CDME Credential

• Log into member portal
• Click Events at the top of the page
• Click 2019 Annual Convention
• My Agenda
• Click the “plus” button next to the “Civitas Funding Forum” to add the session to your cart
• Checkout and pay

Roundtrip transportation will be provided for the evening (America’s Center Complex to Ballpark Village).

Presented by Miles Partnership

Ideas, Insights & Innovation from Around the World

Now in its eighth year at Destinations International’s Annual Convention, Global All-Stars serves as an incredible platform for exciting new ideas, insights and innovation from around the world. In 2019, the speakers will cover the topical theme of trust, focusing on “Trust in Places, the Future and in Products. Emphasizing the importance of “Trust in Place,” Signe Jungersted, will share the essential lessons from Copenhagen, Denmark on what worked and what didn’t from implementing its ground breaking 2017 destination management strategy. In “Trust in the Future”, we’ll hear from Mark Ellwood of Conde Nast Traveler on the major trends reshaping travel and tourism’s future – and how destinations, dreamers & businesses are responding in smart, innovative ways. Finally, “Trust in Products” will feature incredible insights from Allon Cohne of Vibram on the outdoor adventure industry where consumer trust and confidence is both fundamental and essential – vividly brought to life in the Academy Award-winning film ‘Free Solo’. You won’t want to miss a minute of the inspiration and insights from Global All-Stars 2019.

Destinations International is proud to partner with Explore St. Louis and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater St. Louis (BGCSTL) to give back to the community and help those families in need. Join us to help fill backpacks with school supplies that will benefit the Adams Park club.

Sarah Robb O'Hagan is an executive, activist and entrepreneur. In a fast-paced presentation, Sarah will show a roadmap for becoming the most "extreme" version of yourself by operating at the edge of your potential and by building highly-collaborative, focused and successful teams. Drawing on her decades of experience at some of the world's most influential brands, she will share practical takeaways including how to make failure your fuel and bring out the "extreme" in others.

Destinations International is proud to partner with Explore St. Louis and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater St. Louis (BGCSTL) to give back to the community and help those families in need. Join us to help fill backpacks with school supplies that will benefit the Adams Park club.