Official Site of the Wisconsin Governor's Conference on Tourism

Agenda

SUNDAY, MARCH 4

12pm – 5:15pm: Registration

3pm – 5pm: Governor’s Council on Tourism Meeting
Join your representatives on the Governor’s Council on Tourism during their quarterly meeting to discuss issues facing the tourism industry, review ongoing programs and strategic plans with Department staff and the Council’s committee chairs. Conference first-timers are encouraged to attend this informative meeting and receive a personal welcome and introduction from Council Chair Lola Roeh and Tourism Secretary Stephanie Klett.

6pm – 10pm: Opening Reception
Picture the Fun – Radisson Hotel & Conference Center

MONDAY, MARCH 5

6:30am – 4:30pm: Registration

7:30am – 8:15am: Kick-Off Breakfast
Join us for a hearty breakfast and brief welcome from Tourism Deputy Dave Fantle and your Green Bay hosts: Green Bay CVB President/CEO Brad Toll, City of Green Bay Mayor, James Schmitt and Brown County Executive, Troy Streckenbach.

8:30am – 9:30am: Opening Address:
Tourism Secretary Stephanie Klett and Governor Scott Walker will launch the conference with a look back at some of the significant events and achievements of the previous year and their vision for the industry and its role in Wisconsin’s economy going forward.

9:45am – 11:00am: Keynote Presentation with Peter Shankman
The New PR is Spelled “Customer Service” - In an era of social media, the new advertising is "personal recommendation." Gone are the days of the billboard, welcome to the generation of "We went here, see these photos, check out this status, and join us." For the travel and tourism professional, no shift has ever had as much of an effect as the shift from traditional to social will. But therein lies the problem, what do you do? It's not enough to have a Facebook page and gather some likes. Social media should be working hard to generate revenues for your business. If it isn’t, you’re doing it wrong.. In fact, you can almost look at social media as another aspect of marketing - one in which you're required to be well-versed or kiss your visitors goodbye as they go to a more interactive landscape. Whether a multi-billion dollar company, or a small mom and pop business, the new marketing and public relations start with customer service. In this new age of broadcasting, your job is give the customer such an amazing experience, that they do your PR FOR you. Peter discusses how, in this fun, example-filled keynote conversation.

11:15am – 11:45am: Presentation by Adam Sacks, Managing Director of Tourism Economics
Hunker Down or Forge Ahead? - Adam Sacks presents candid reflections on the economy and opportunities for Wisconsin's tourism industry. In the midst of unrelenting headwinds and evolving risks, it's been hard to enjoy the economic recovery. Adam will share some of Oxford and Tourism Economics' latest perspectives regarding where to look for opportunities, which risks are the most serious, and how to plan a business strategy in the midst of it all.

12 noon – 1pm: Lunch and Department of Tourism Showcase
Sit back and enjoy lunch with a highlights reel showing the best of 2011 including the Department’s TV ads, earned media, program highlights and more.

1:15pm – 2:45pm: Concurrent Breakout Sessions

• Be a PR Matchmaker: Dust off your leisure suit and Beach Boys 45 for a tourism twist on the classic 1960s dating game. Chicago Sun-Times travel editor Lori Rackl and Midwest Living travel editor Kendra Williams will serve as our bachelorettes as Wisconsin’s destinations, attractions and events vie for their attention. The goal? To learn how to best position and promote your tourism opportunity to the media. The session will conclude with a panel discussion featuring Lori, Kendra, and representatives from the Department and its PR agencies Laughlin Constable and Geiger PR & Associates.

• Who is Your Customer? Adam Sacks will provide a detailed review of the Wisconsin visitor based on research conducted for the Wisconsin Department of Tourism. An open discussion will address strategies to capitalize on Wisconsin's market strengths.

• Hyper-Connected: A look at QR codes, NFC, and the Digital Layer of the Tourist Experience: We already know that mobile devices have changed the behavior of the traveling public. We're all making changes in our marketing plans to accommodate the hyper-connected traveler. As this technology continues to mature, we're faced with new challenges and opportunities to communicate with travelers in real time. Join Sara Santiago as we explore the opportunities and challenges of QR codes and NFC (Near Field Communications). Sara will talk about how people are using this technology, and more specifically, how they aren't. During the discussion, you'll learn more about specific behavior of the mobile connected consumer, how to implement mobile touch points in your destination and in your marketing efforts, and what to expect in the the next few months and years.

• Room Tax Reform: What Is It and What Can It Do For Us: How Room Tax is spent, and the amount that is allocated to tourism promotion and development, continues to challenge the tourism industry around the state. Find out about new Room Tax Reform legislation and the efforts by tourism industry partners to effect change that helps support and grow tourism at the local level.

1:15pm – 3:15pm: Leadership Marketing Program
When you think of "social media," you imagine someone in their twenties coming to you asking you to approve an expense that usually results in "This will build buzz," or "this will be cool!" The problem is, you can't justify that, nor can you in any way, tie that to revenue. And that's the problem with most social media campaigns. In order for any company or industry to truly embrace social media, you first need to understand that it's a direct offshoot of marketing, and without marketing, and the basic marketing tenets applied to it, social is nothing more than a waste of time. Join Peter Shankman as you discuss how to make social media an actual viable channel for your public relations, marketing, and advertising activities, one that will actually work in concert with all your other events to help create revenue and drive new spending visitors.

3:00pm – 5:30pm: Marketplace/Taste of Wisconsin
Break out your green & gold spirit-wear and cheeseheads for this year's Packer-themed Marketplace. Highlights include an appearance from a surprise Green Bay Packers player and giveaways for premium Packers gear as well as 80+ information-packed booths.

TUESDAY, MARCH 6

6:30am – 10am: Registration

7:45am – 8:45am: Wisconsin Tourism Partnership Breakfast with the Wisconsin Arts Board

9:00am – 10:00am: Opening Program with Peter Greenberg
The Interconnected Economy: Global, National and Regional Impacts on International Business - No one knows international business like front-line global journalist Peter Greenberg. The multiple Emmy Award-winning CBS correspondent has more than 11 million miles of direct worldwide experience under his belt, and his insight on globalization, trade, and cross-cultural marketing--as well as travel, tourism, and all industries that rely on them--is unprecedented. Not only is Greenberg an expert on the global, national, and regional impacts of modern trade policy, terrorism, health, and human rights, but he also offers your audience an insider's perspective on business issues immediately relevant to your organization. Learn the secrets of the interconnected economy from America's premier travel expert.

10:15am – 11:45am: General Session with Bob Brown
Service Excellence for Lifetime Loyalty - In a world where only superior service ensures loyalty are you and your staff armed with the tools, knowledge and service pizzazz to attract, retain customers for life? Or are you paying the price of mediocre service? Keep your customers from defecting in a heartbeat! In this program, you will learn: The Six Building Blocks of a Service Star, The Art of Respectful Phrasing, The Six Steps of Handling Customer Complaints, The Empathy Tool Box and Service Dazzlers.

12 noon – 1pm: Lunch
Hosted by 2013 Destination: Also learn with the conference dates and locations thru 2020!

1:15pm – 2:45pm: Concurrent Breakout Sessions

• Social Media for Destination Marketers: How can you integrate social media into your existing marketing plan? Social media marketing gives us the ability to move from just broadcasting a message to actually having a dialogue with your customers. Come with questions, but be prepared to learn about how you can use Facebook, Twitter and other social network to promote your brand and business to the right audience. Specifically, we will address common questions about: determining what social networks are right for your business; best practices in developing content for Twitter and Facebook; how social media can improve your "findability" in search engines; paid and organic methods to encourage growth of your social channels and how mobile and social impact and influence each other.

• Brand Reputation Management: Your listing on TripAdvisor is your connection to the largest travel audience on the web, so it’s vitally important that it sends the right message to the travelers who see you there. Find out how to maximize the impact of your listing with marketing messages, key photo placements, videos, search techniques and more. You’ll also learn how to market your property beyond your own listing by mining other parts of the community, and interacting with travelers from around the world or around the corner. TripAdvisor will also share data on the latest trends it sees from the 50+ million travelers who plan trips there every month. We’ll also take your questions about content integrity, handling negative reviews and anything you’d like to ask.

• Looking to the Future in the Northwoods: In the Northwoods, tourism businesses have their own unique set of challenges. We heard some of them during the Governor’s Northern Wisconsin Economic Development Summit, but we want to continue the conversation. Please join us for a round-table discussion about the outlook and opportunities for our industry in the North.

1:30pm – 4:00pm: Leadership Program
Presentation & Coaching for Star Performance with Bob Brown - Every manager every executive knows the importance of great presentations they make their message come alive, enhance learning and boost morale. And every manager also knows the impact of effective coaching how it turns talent into performance, builds guest and employee loyalty and brings dollars to the bottom line. Yet these two competencies are two of the most intriguing and difficult to master. You will learn: The Ten Ingredients of a Dynamite Presentation, The Seven Steps of Running a Magnificent Pre-Shift, Casting for Star Performance, Six Coaching Strategies for Star Performance and The Art of the Coaching Conversation.

3pm – 4:15pm: Concurrent Breakout Sessions

• Disability Etiquitte: This presentation is for anyone – with or without a disability – who wants to interact more effectively with people with disabilities. In this presentation, we’ll cover the basics – terminology tips for a variety of disabilities, workplace and classroom etiquette, accommodations, communication, personal space needs and more.

• Surviving to Thriving: Frank discussion of how you can survive in a banking environment that looks at hospitality like a toxic asset. If your hospitality business survives the banking environment, how do you increase your revenue to be a healthy small business again? The information will be through the eyes of someone who has been there and is still here and loving hospitality in 2012.
(NOTE: This program is only available during the second group of breakout sessions.)

• Resources for Becoming a Sustainable Business: Customers may be asking about your green credentials. How do you answer them? Tom Eggert, Executive Director of the Wisconsin Sustainable Business Council, will share resources and stories about business accomplishments in the sustainability arena. If you have been thinking about going green or taking your existing practices a step further, this session should provide resources and answers for you. The sustainability movement is growing stronger in the tourism industry and Wisconsin wants to lead the way. Customers are seeking out businesses that represent their own values, sustainability is rapidly becoming a determining factor when travelers plan their trips. Come learn what your business can do to get started or continue towards sustainability.

5pm – 6:15pm: Dinner Reception

6:30pm - 9pm: Governor’s Dinner and Awards Celebration
Presented by the Governor and sponsored by the Governor's Council on Tourism, the Governor's Tourism Award recognizes and honors people and organizations that have made a significant impact on Wisconsin's travel and tourism industry. These awards are designed to acknowledge those individuals and businesses that have shown dedication, creativity and excellence. Presentation of the awards will be made during the Governor's Dinner and Celebration.

9pm - ???: Post - Reception

If you have any conference-related questions, please send them to Dawn Zanoni, Special Events Manager at dzanoni@travelwisconsin.com or, call Dawn directly at 608/266-3978.