Agenda

Coming Soon! 🦅

An exciting optional activity that will get you out into nature to explore Austin like a local.

Happy Hour

Join us for a welcome happy hour at Rules & Regs, the Fairmont Austin’s rooftop bar! Drop in for a drink and a snack before heading out for an evening on your own.

Sponsored by DANG Creative

Enjoy the Night!

The night is yours to connect with SEE attendees, speakers and organizers! Head out to nearby neighborhoods and enjoy all that Austin has to offer, or rest up after your travels in the comfort of the Fairmont Austin.

Breakfast

Welcome & Opening Remarks

CrowdRiff Keynote

Catch up on everything CrowdRiff! We’ve had a jam packed year, and it’s time to share what we’ve been up to.

Music & Tourism Panel

How can vibrant music scenes boost local tourism and create unforgettable experiences? Join industry experts as they discuss insights, success stories, and practical tips on leveraging music to attract visitors and enrich your city.

Morning Break

From the Main Street to the Metaverse: Crafting Immersive Travel Experiences for Next-Gen Nomads

Let’s go on a journey from the Main Street to the Metaverse with Karan Dang, the CEO of DANG and former creative leader at Disney and Walmart. In this session, Karan will unveil how the travel industry can captivate the next generation of explorers by blending physical and digital realms.

Discover how iconic destinations can be reimagined for the digital age, from the immersive wonders of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge to the virtual landscapes of Walmart’s foray into the metaverse. Karan will share exclusive insights on crafting unforgettable experiences that resonate with Gen Z and Gen Alpha travelers, using DANG’s proprietary Next-Gen Centricity™ methodology.

Lunch

Destination Makers’ Labs

A fresh take on the breakout session! In the Makers’ Labs, attendees will follow a learning journey custom designed for SEE:
→ Seek: an expert-led overview of the topic
→ Explore: a relevant case study from a DMO
→ Experience: guided round table discussion

Beyond Green: Empowering Destinations to Holistically Infuse Sustainability

Speakers: Carrie Hodgen & Whitney Smith – Tourism Cares

Case Study – Sustain the Flow: Reuse at the River with Sarah Smith – Visit San Marcos

Building Strong Community: Overcoming Challenges and Creating Thoughtful Strategies

Speaker: Maria Skrzynski – Destination Ann Arbor

Case Study: How Visit Austin Builds Collaborative Marketing Partnerships with Jenna Livingston & Lauren Brown – Visit Austin

Afternoon Break

Networking Moment

This is your time: DMOs can meet up and chat all things travel! Stop by a product booth to learn about how you can better use CrowdRiff, or get a sneak peak at things coming down the pipes. We’ll see where the conversation takes us!

Creator Panel

We know DMOs have Creators on the brain (90% of customers we surveyed in our 2024 Trends Report believe creator marketing will be big in the year ahead). We’ll hear from the creators themselves and the DMOs that they work with about process, learnings and insider advice!

Closing Remarks

Banger’s Day 1 Celebration 🎉

Just around the corner from the Fairmont is Austin’s historic Rainey Street! Join us for a night out at Banger’s with live local music, hundreds of drinks on tap, and the best BBQ in the neighborhood.

Breakfast

A quick welcome back!

Travel Content Across Google

Pull out your notebooks and start building your strategy for 2025! Google’s Farah Shirzadi will share new user experiences with AI, the importance of high-quality content powering features across Google, and the tips you need to support local businesses in your destination.

TikTok

In this keynote, the TikTok team will share insights straight from the source on how the entertainment platform is driving action in the travel space. TikTok will be onsite throughout the event to give us a deep dive on how DMOs can build their own activation playbook!

Coming soon!

Morning Break

Destination Makers’ Labs

A fresh take on the breakout session! In the Makers’ Labs, attendees will follow a learning journey custom designed for SEE:
→ Seek: an expert-led overview of the topic
→ Explore: a relevant case study from a DMO
→ Experience: guided round table discussion

The Lazy Girl’s Guide To Content Curation

Speakers: Emily Tepper – Visit Galena & Rose Noble – Visit Spokane

The Triple A Method of building sustainability and intersectionality in your business or projects.

Speaker: Assetou Coulibaly – Accent Inns & Hotel Zed & Roar & CHIWARA CO

DMOs Becoming Media Powerhouses

Speaker: Brianna McEnroe – Discover Long Island

Case Study: Flip your visitor guide on its head (and use Crowdriff to do it!) with Jen Kuhn Karanja & Ashley Pettay – Discover Madison

Lunch

Call An Expert

We’ve wrangled the best of the best: hop between tables staffed by experts across our industry. Talk short-form video strategy, UGC, accessibility, and more in this Call An Expert session. Experts include those from:

• CrowdRiff
• DANG
• Google
• Simpleview
• TikTok
• Tourism Cares

Organic Lightning Rounds #1: Maximizing SEO Strategies for Destination Visibility

Organic Lightning Rounds #2: Maximizing Impact: OHTO’s Strategic Use of UGC, Crowdriff, and Short Videos in Destination Marketing

Organic Lightning Rounds #3: with Off Madison Ave

How Birding Brought Accessibility to Austin

Contemporizing Culture: Navigating Traditional Storytelling Through Modern Media

In this keynote session, Zane Buchanan will explore the transformative power of digital platforms in the preservation and dissemination of Indigenous cultures, offering a global platform to amplify Indigenous voices. Together, we will investigate pioneering initiatives that seamlessly intertwine ancient wisdom with modern storytelling techniques.

Closing remarks