State of Washington Tourism Conference
A huge thank you to everyone who made the 2025 conference in Spokane a success! Due to funding constraints, SWT will not host a 2026 State Tourism Conference, but we hope to see everyone again in 2027. Please check back for updates.
Here are just a few highlights from the 2025 conference in Spokane:
- Recognizing excellence in the tourism industry at a new awards dinner
- Connecting with colleagues from around the state during speed networking
- Attending insightful breakout sessions and hearing updates about the upcoming FIFA World Cup 26™
- Exploring Spokane and enjoying an evening reception at the Gesa Credit Union Pavilion in Riverfront Park. A special thanks to Visit Spokane.
2025 Conference Program
View a detailed schedule for each day of the conference below.
Day 1: Join colleagues for pre-conference tours, topical workshops, and a new awards dinner.
Washington State Destination Marketing Organizations meeting.
Note: This is a closed meeting.
Note: This is a closed meeting.
Registration will remain open from 11 AM to 5 PM. Conference programming begins at 3 PM.
– Greenbluff Tour (11 AM-3 PM)
– Scale House Market Tour (11:15 AM-2:45 PM)
– Downtown Spokane Walking Tour (Noon-2 PM)
Using Locl (Meeting Room 4)
Discover how your business can easily manage, optimize, and even automate your Google Business Profiles and listings with Locl. Through a partnership with SWT, visitor-facing businesses receive free access to Locl’s powerful platform, which includes insights and tools that help track visibility and performance and support long-term growth. Learn how to improve online visibility, engage more customers, and provide better trip-planning and in-market search experiences to visitors.
Content Writing and Search Optimization (Meeting Room 5)
Authentic storytelling is a cornerstone of content marketing, but ensuring your web and social content is discoverable can be daunting. Participants will discuss writing content in the age of AI, with an emphasis on generative search optimization (GEO) techniques. We’ll also touch on optimizing social content for search following the 2025 update from Google. Come prepared to share tips, tools, and challenges with your colleagues.
How to Make a Research Plan (Meeting Room 6)
Behind every successful project is a smart plan to measure what matters. Maybe you’re looking to welcome more visitors or trying to manage traffic at a busy attraction—either way, a strong research approach can guide the way. Join Steve Cohen, Director of Research and Insights at Travel Portland, and Melissa Elkins, Director of Research & Information Systems with Experience Olympia & Beyond, for a session on how to design effective research plans. You’ll also have plenty of time to connect with colleagues, trade ideas, and hear how others are solving research challenges.
How to Shoot Video/Photo for a Visitor Audience (Meeting Room 4)
Capturing a destination through a visitor’s eyes takes more than technical skill—it requires story, perspective, and intention. Learn how to craft visual narratives that connect travelers to the heart of your destination. Photographer Berty Mandagie and Adam Deer of GreenRubino will share practical techniques for framing, lighting, and movement, as well as strategies for capturing authentic moments that highlight people, culture, and place. This hands-on session will also explore editing, sound, and AI tools to help bring the visitor experience to life.
How to Craft FAM Tours (Meeting Room 5)
FAM Tours, or Familiarization Tours, are essential for tourism professionals, providing firsthand experiences to enhance destination knowledge. Explore utilizing platforms like Travefy, streamlining itinerary planning, and engaging with local partners to foster relationships. Participants will learn how to make their tours focus on education, networking, and create memorable experiences that benefit suppliers and the travel community.
AI Skill Sharing and Tools (Meeting Room 6)
Connect with colleagues to discuss the latest in AI as it relates to tourism. Come and share your own experiences with AI and hear from peers in the tourism industry on different chatbots, prompt writing, organization policy, helpful resources, and more.
Welcome to Spokane! Don your best attire and join your peers in recognizing industry excellence during a new awards dinner in the Grand Pennington Ballroom of the Davenport Hotel (formerly the Historic Davenport). Venue address: 10 S Post St. – Second Floor
Recommended attire: Cocktail dresses, gowns, and suits and ties are encouraged.
Lights, camera, action! Swing by the Washington Filmworks photo booth to strike a pose and celebrate the magic of film in Washington.
Day 2: Enjoy a full-day of educational sessions, a lunch keynote, networking, and an off-site reception.
– Breakfast opens at 8:30 a.m.
– General session starting at 9 a.m.
– SWT market updates: Looking ahead to 2026 and beyond
– Annual meeting
Enjoy connecting with peers and vendors between sessions.
Outdoor Recreation Summer Review (Maple)
The state’s outdoor recreation sector—a cornerstone of our economy and identity—faced severe summer 2025 strains due to federal and state budget cuts. With roughly 4,400 federal land management jobs lost regionally, parks and trails are grappling with staffing shortages, deferred maintenance, and operational reductions. This panel will explore these challenges and spotlight community-led wins and strategic investments that are helping to sustain access and resilience.
Speakers:
– Moderator: Caroline Villanova, Mountain to Sound Greenway
– Diana Dupuis, Washington State Parks
– Allie Tripp, Washington Trails Association
– Dan Moore, Adventure Hub
Turning Numbers into Narratives: Making Customer Data Work for Tourism Marketing (Cedar)
Discover how to transform raw information into actionable insights and compelling stories that resonate with stakeholders—no matter their data background. This session explores practical strategies and real-world examples to help you drive smarter decisions, inspire buy-in, and deliver measurable results for your organization.
Speakers:
– Moderator: Adam Acampora, Woodinville Wine Country
– Jon Lakefish, Lakefish Group
– Kirk Grogan, Tiphaus
Strategic Partnerships: From Competition to Collaboration (Birch)
Stop working harder when you could be working together. See how Lynnwood’s diverse tourism stakeholders used one focused retreat to break a 20-year pattern of working in silos, going from competitors to collaborators with a shared vision, concrete action plan and shared accountability. Join us to unpack the process that made this breakthrough possible and explore how similar approaches could work in your destination.
Speakers:
– Una McAlinden, Creative Strategy Solutions
– Ryan Bush, City of Lynwood
Enjoy lunch and a keynote conversation between SWT CEO David Blandford and Eric Edge, Alaska Airlines’ Vice President of Brand and Marketing.
Workforce Development in the Tourism Sector (Maple)
A well-trained and informed tourism workforce enhances the visitor experience and aids in the stewardship of destination communities. While training varies for frontline workers, tourism and community leaders can leverage local knowledge, resources, and partnerships for workforce development. Learn how destination communities across Washington manage these efforts with a range of strategies involving industry awards and events as well as educational institutions and the Certified Tourism Ambassador™ (CTA) program.
Speakers:
– Sonja Halverson, Washington Hospitality Association
– Stephanie Gangle, Yakima Valley Tourism
– Carla Jellum, Central Washington University
A Multimedia Approach to Engaging the Next Generation of Travelers (Cedar)
Reaching the next generation of travelers requires more than beautiful photos. This session explores how destinations can use short-form video, interactive tools, user-generated content, and immersive storytelling to inspire action. Learn how to adapt your marketing strategy and engage younger audiences across today’s evolving media landscape.
Speakers:
– Sarah Hupp Foster, Madden Media
– Noel Burgess, Multimedia Storyteller
Hiking Toward Healthy Ecosystems and Economies: The Intersection of Tourism and Land Stewardship (Birch)
Tourism is often seen as a threat to natural ecosystems, yet healthy, beautiful landscapes are exactly what draw visitors. Tourism—when done thoughtfully—can help strengthen both local economies and the environment. For more than two decades, Earth Economics, a research institution based in Tacoma, has studied the economic impact of outdoor recreation across Washington State. This session will explore how spending by outdoor recreation visitors flows through local economies, supporting jobs, businesses, and community wellbeing. We’ll also share real-world examples of communities that have turned the popularity of their natural assets into lasting investments in open spaces and outdoor recreation.
Speaker:
– Carson Risner, Earth Economics
Join us for an exciting speed networking session at the conference, where you’ll have the opportunity to connect with your peers in a dynamic and engaging environment. Exchange business cards and learn a fun fact about your tourism colleagues, fostering connections that can lead to future collaborations. This is a fantastic chance to expand your network, share insights, and discover new opportunities within the tourism industry. Don’t miss out on this lively experience.
Join colleagues for an evening reception at this iconic structure in the heart of Riverfront Park. The reception will be fully indoors with access to outdoor spaces.
Suggested attire: Casual; wear your branded destination gear or dress to rep your favorite Washington destination.
Sponsored by Visit Spokane
Day 3: The conference concludes with a half day of educational programming.
Get the day started with a buffet breakfast ahead of the half-day conference program.
Balancing Growth and Sustainability: Outdoor Recreation Funding, Policy, and Conservation (Maple)
Washington’s outdoor recreation boom—$22.5 billion in economic impact and over 121,000 jobs in 2023—powerfully supports tourism in rural and urban communities alike. However, the outdoor recreation industry continues to face funding headwinds. Learn how some coalitions are working to elevate policy at the State and National level and how one local organization is making an impact in the Spokane area through the Glen Tana Conservation Area.
Speakers:
– Moderator: Mike Moe, SWT
– Betsy Robblee, Mountaineers
– Yvonne Kraus, Washington Wildlife & Recreation Coalition
– Dave Schaub, Glen Tana and Inland Northwest Land Conservancy
The Future of Agritourism in Washington State (Birch)
At its most visionary, agritourism can help keep farmers farming while creating not only economic opportunities for your region, but also authentic connections between people, food, and the land. Discover first-hand the new legislative recommendations that came out of the WA Dept of Commerce’s 2025 “Agritourism Study & Report,” as well as innovative ways to encourage, develop, support and promote agritourism in your region.
Speakers:
– Maressa Valliant, Eat Local First
– Micha Ide, Washington State Department of Agriculture
– Jenn Tate, Earth & Sky Studios
Oh, Canada! Navigating the Northern Shift in Tourism (Cedar)
As Canadian visitation patterns evolve, what does it mean for Washington’s tourism economy? This session explores the ripple effects of border trends, currency shifts, and travel behaviors across our state, region, and nation. Hear from destination leaders on how they’re adapting strategies to welcome and retain Canadian travelers.
Speakers:
– Moderator: Bridget Baeth, JayRay
– Jerod Fuchs, Brand USA
– Liz Johnson, Visit Seattle
– Kristen Keltz, Skagit Tourism Bureau
Join SWT for a closing general session with updates about FIFA World Cup 26TM from Visit Seattle’s World Cup Activation Lead Jorge Gotuzzo and FWC2026 Chief Strategy Officer April Putney. This session will also feature exciting prize drawings (attendees must be present to win).
Lunch will be provided following the closing session, with to-go boxes available.
Tourism Industry Awards
Please note the application period is now closed.
Outstanding Marketing Program Award
Nominated marketing programs, projects, or campaigns must be a component of the organization’s overall marketing program. Successful nominations detail the primary program elements and successful quantitative or qualitative outcomes, including but not limited to a notable increase in user engagement, website visitation, overnight stays, visitor spending, or tax revenue.
- Budget under $500K
- Budget over $500K
NEW: Outstanding Event
Recognizes an event that celebrates the vibrancy and unique aspects of Washington State. Event must be exclusive to Washington and must have been created in the past three years or have a new evolution. Submission should show how the event contributed to overnight tourism and overall community vibrancy.
Destination Stewardship Award
Recognizes an individual, business, or nonprofit organization that effectively promotes environmental awareness, institutes regenerative travel, or espouses community values and well-being in the State of Washington.
NEW: Creative Partnership
Recognizes two or more organizations that partnered in a unique, unexpected, or strategic way to advance tourism or hospitality programming in their communities. Award submission should include outcomes of partnership as well as how the organizations came together to accomplish a shared goal and promote tourism as a shared community value.
NEW: Advancements in DEI
Celebrates advancements in diversity, equity, and inclusion that have made a noticeable impact on an organization, business, or community. Awardee should have specific programming, campaigns, or platforms used to advance diversity within their role or through efforts in their community.
NEW: Outstanding Customer Service
Awards an individual who demonstrates outstanding welcoming, commitment to service, and positive impact on the visitor experience. This award is presented to an individual who works directly on the front lines with visitors, whether in a hotel, restaurant, tour operator, casino, bed & breakfast, attraction or other capacity interacting directly with guests.
Rising Star in Tourism Award
Presented to a new industry professional or volunteer who has made outstanding contributions to the tourism efforts of a business, nonprofit organization, community, or tourism segment. Nominees must have tenures in tourism of less than five years and be currently employed in Washington’s tourism industry. Self-nominations are not accepted.
NEW: Community Contributor
Designed to recognize an individual or organization in the tourism and hospitality industry that is investing in their community and increasing quality of life for residents and visitors alike. This award recognizes outstanding impacts through programming, advocacy, or convening the community to make progress.
Tourism Hall of Leadership Induction
The Tourism Hall of Leadership recognizes individual tourism professionals or volunteers who have made significant, positive, and long-lasting contributions to the industry in Washington. Inductees must be nominated by a member of the tourism industry within the state. Induction may be considered for active industry members, retired members, or be made posthumously. Generally, up to three inductions are considered each year.