This in-person event will bring together all sectors of Pennsylvania's travel and tourism industry for three days of insightful and meaningful content and networking.  

Schedule & Speakers 

Monday, October 24

8:30 a.m.  – 10:30 a.m.          DMO Council Meeting
11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.         Tourism Coalition Meeting
1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.           Kickoff Lunch with Keynote Speaker Harriet Stein – "The Power of Leading with Awareness"
3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.           Breakout Sessions:

• Consumer Attitude Research: Brochures and other media

• When Shift Happens...leaders need the tools & skills to turn those situations around & produce a positive outcome for them, their team, and their guests. Hospitality leadership & HR coach Matt Heller will share strategies for handling tense encounters.

4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.             Reception with Exhibitors - Sponsored by MediaOne

Exhibitors: Arrivalist, Carvertise, Bandwango, Beyond Spots & Dots, Getaways On Display, Hello Social, Live.Work.Play, MediaOne, Sojern, TravelTV (formerly WMVision)                               

Tuesday, October 25

8:00 a.m. – 8:45 a.m.              Networking Breakfast & Exhibitor Marketplace
9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.           Panel – Beyond the Marketing: Through the Eyes of Visitors
10:15 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.           Breakout Sessions:

• 10:15 a.m. – 11:15 a.m. | The Guest Experience: How to keep a personal touch in times of automation

• 10:15 a.m.  – 11:15 a.m. | Using Digital Advertising to Build Your Destination's Brand

• 11:15 a.m.  – 11:45 a.m. | Refreshment Break & Exhibitor Marketplace

• 11:45 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. | Why Tourism is Important in Non-Traditional Ways

• 11:45 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. | Authentic Travel Experiences: Meeting Expectations (Greg DeShields – Tourism Diversity Matters)

12:45 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.           Networking Lunch & Exhibitor Marketplace

2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.             Breakout Sessions:

• 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. | Autism, Accessibilty and Taking Action: Improving Guest Experience for ALL (Meredith Tekin – President, International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES)

• 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. | Business Succession Plans (Isidore Ogoussan, Allied Financial Advisors, LLC)

3:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.              Refreshment Break & Exhibitor Marketplace
3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.             Keynote: The State of Tourism (Adam Sacks, Tourism Economics)
6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.             Bus to Off Site Dinner at Susquehanna Art Museum

Wednesday, October 26

8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.              Networking Breakfast / Exhibitor Marketplace
9:00 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.            State Agency Updates Panel
10:15 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.           Refreshment Break & Exhibitor Marketplace
10:45 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.          Industry Update: PRLA – Legislative Priorities and Advocacy followed by Short-Term Rentals (Panel)
11:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.           Refreshment Break & Exhibitor Marketplace

12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.           Lunch

12:30 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.           PA Tourism Office Update

1:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.             State of the Tourism Industry & Becoming a Better Advocate with Representative Bud Cook

2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.              Optimizing Your Google & Yelp Profiles (Miles Partnership)

Accommodations 
The conference hotel is the Hilton Harrisburg, 1 North 2nd Street, Harrisburg, PA  17101. Our Conference Rate is $144 plus tax per night, with a cutoff date of October 3.  After October 3, please contact Heidi Howard at hhhoward@prla.org for overnight accommodation information.

Sponsorships
Sponsorship Packages are available for the Tourism Summit. Please contact Heidi Howard at hhoward@prla.org for more information.