2021 TEXAS TRAVEL SUMMIT SCHEDULE (per Jennifer Roush, 8/27/21) *Schedule is subject to change. SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2021 *Meetings held at the Embassy Suites. 1:00pm – 2:00pm TTA Officers/Finance Committee Joint Meeting (Closed Meeting) – Sanborn B at the Embassy Suites 1:00pm – 5:00pm Offsite Excursions *All buses will stage on 5th Ave between the Amarillo Globe News Center and the Embassy Suites, North of the main entrance of the Embassy Suites Don Harrington Discover Center – Adult Science Experiments and Space Theater Create a liquid nitrogen adult beverage or a Beerology Class (either way, an adult beverage will be involved). (Registration required; Space is limited to 25 people) Blue Sage Pottery Class Hand craft your own personal pottery with professional guidance, and we will ship your creation home to you after the conference. (Registration required; Space is limited to 12-14 people) 2:30pm – 4:00pm TTA Executive Committee Meeting (Closed Meeting) – Sanborn B at the Embassy Suites 5:15pm – 9:00pm Offsite TTA Board of Directors Dinner (Closed to Board Members Only) Buses will pick up on 5th Avenue outside the Embassy Suites (north of main entrance of hotel) and depart at 5:15pm for a cocktail reception at the Panhandle- Plains Historical Museum. Next, we’ll depart for an evening dinner at the beautiful Palo Duro Canyon State Park. You won’t want to miss this amazing experience! Beverages will be provided on the bus to/from the Canyon. Reception sponsored by Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum Dinner sponsored by Amarillo Convention & Visitors Bureau and Texas State Parks MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2021 *Meetings held at the Amarillo Civic Center, unless otherwise noted. 8:30am – 11:00am TTA Board of Directors Meeting (Open to TTA Members starting at 9:15am) – Yellow Rose Ballroom AB at the Embassy Suites Page 1 of 8 9:00am – 12:00pm Offsite Excursions *All buses will stage on 5th Ave between the Amarillo Globe News Center and the Embassy Suites, North of the main entrance of the Embassy Suites Palo Duro Canyon Hike Hike a canyon trail with a knowledgeable guide at Palo Duro Canyon. Two difficulty levels are available to choose from: light hike and a more challenging hike. (Registration required; Space is limited to 30 people) Creak House Honey Farm Enjoy a short education session followed by a Bee Hive Tour at the Creek House Honey Farm. Also included are a wine/mead tasting, charcuterie boards and time to shop in the unique gift shop. (Registration required; Space is limited to 30 people) 9:00am – 5:00pm Conference Registration – Heritage Room Prefunction Area 9:00am – 12:00pm Vendor Village Table Set-Up – Heritage Room 11:00am – 12:00pm DMO Council Meeting – Yellow Rose Ballroom AB at the Embassy Suites Join the DMO Council, Erika Boyd with Texas Travel Alliance, and Scott Joslove with Texas Hotel & Lodging Association in a discussion on hot tax. 1:00pm – 6:15pm Vendor Village Open – Heritage Room 1:30pm – 1:50pm Welcome by Texas Travel Alliance and Amarillo CVB – Heritage Room Speakers: Erika Boyd, President & CEO, Texas Travel Alliance and Kashion Smith, Executive Director, Amarillo Convention & Visitors Bureau 1:50pm – 2:50pm The Outlook for the Texas Economy and the Travel and Tourism Industry – Heritage Room Dr. Perryman will discuss his latest projections for the Texas economy with an emphasis on the travel and tourism industry. Topics will include the effects of COVID-19 and other challenges facing the economy, as well as other trends influencing future patterns. Keynote Speaker: Dr. Ray Perryman of The Perryman Group Sponsored by Visit Fort Worth 2:50pm – 3:10pm Communications Break 3:10pm – 4:00pm Travel Texas: Looking Ahead, Together – Heritage Room Join Travel Texas as we provide insights from our recovery efforts and reveal how the 2022 strategy will continue to build on the positive momentum of 2021 as we welcome even more travelers back to Texas. You will get a preview of our 2022 marketing and advertising plans as well as how partners can participate in cooperative programs. Speakers: Tim Fennell, Tourism Director, Travel Texas and Nate Gieryn, Tourism Research Manager, Travel Texas Page 2 of 8 4:00pm – 5:00pm What in the Wide World of Sports is going on in Austin? – Heritage Room The first special legislative session of the year was mostly a standoff between Republicans who hope to pass stricter voting laws before the next election, and Democrats who, outnumbered, decamped to Washington, D.C. for almost a month to block the bill. Now a second special session is underway, with many of the same issues and some new ones on tap, including how to fund schools during a new COVID-19 outbreak. And there's a third session coming, when the U.S. Census delivers pandemic-delayed numbers needed to draw new political maps for the state's congressional delegation, its legislative seats and the State Board of Education. And that's all before we start talking about the 2022 political cycle, which is already underway. Keynote Speaker: Ross Ramsey, Executive Editor and Co-Founder, The Texas Tribune 5:00pm – 6:00pm Cocktails with Vendors – Heritage Room Join us and reconnect with your industry peers. Meet with our vendors to learn about their offerings. Vendors include AJR Media Group – AAA & Texas Highways, AJR Digital Media Services -AJR Digital and TourTexas.com, Miles Partnership, Texas Historical Commission, Texas Monthly, Texas State Parks, Travel Texas, Sojern, OSM: Austin Monthly and San Antonio Magazine, and Meeting Professionals International. Cocktails available for purchase. 7:00pm – 8:30pm Opening Night Kick-Off Reception at Big Texan Steak Ranch Amarillo CVB is excited to kick off the conference at the Big Texan Steak Ranch! No party at the Big Texan is complete without a good 72 oz Steak Challenge, or in this case, Great Steak Challenge. Teams of four can register to see who can take down the 72oz challenge the fastest. You can sign your team up now here! There will also be a Cowboy Fast Draw competition that attendees can sign up for at the event. The Fast Draw competition is very straight forward – the contestant to shoot the target the fastest wins! Everything will take place in the covered outdoor beer garden where there will be plenty of space to reconnect with friends, eat, drink, and compete. *Buses will pick up on 5th Avenue outside the Embassy Suites (north of main entrance of hotel) and will run continuously from 6:30pm – 8:30pm. Sponsored by Amarillo Convention & Visitors Bureau and Big Texan Steak Ranch TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2021 *Meetings held at the Amarillo Civic Center, unless otherwise noted. Breakfast is on your own and is included in your stay at the Embassy Suites (breakfast available from 6am – 9am). 8:00am – 11:00am Conference Registration – Heritage Room Prefunction Area 8:00am – 6:30pm Vendor Village Open – Heritage Room 8:00am – 10:00am Coffee Break Sponsored by Expedia Group Media Solutions Page 3 of 8 9:00am – 10:00am Brand USA Path to Recovery – Heritage Room Chris Thompson, Brand USA president & CEO will discuss the current state of international travel and Brand USA’s path to recovery. Speaker: Chris Thompson, President & CEO, Brand USA Sponsored by Galveston Island Convention & Visitors Bureau 10:15am – 11:15am Pocket Full of Stones – Heritage Room The year 2020 brought us unprecedented disruption. And with disruption comes new trends that our organizations need to understand in order to better connect with our customers and market our services. Consumers are forever changing how they interact with brands and the brands who can adjust their efforts are the ones who will see success as we hope to come out of this pandemic. Gathan will share insights and highlights on how we can constructively use these consumer trends to build better marketing programs and better organizations. Keynote Speaker: Gathan Borden, Vice President of Marketing for VisitLEX Sponsored by Tripadvisor 11:30am – 12:30pm Networking Luncheon – Heritage Room Sponsored by Miles Partnership 12:45pm – 1:45pm Concurrent Breakout Sessions – Regency Rooms Ring the Alarm Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are a journey. In the midst of COVID-19, last year also brought about a social justice movement that our country hasn't seen in years. Brands and organizations were faced with looking in the mirror to address their efforts on diverse and inclusive marketing. In this breakout session, Gathan will dive deeper into what diverse and inclusive marketing looks like along with some tips and tactics to help you improve your efforts along this journey. Speaker: Gathan Borden, Vice President of Marketing for VisitLEX Sponsored by Madden Media The State of the Workforce and Our Texas Employers: Before, During and After the Pandemic Prior to the pandemic, Texas was experiencing 31 consecutive months of record- breaking job-growth, historically low unemployment rates, and a thriving business climate. This session will provide an update on our workforce and Texas employers throughout the pandemic, and an opportunity for a unique Q&A session with an employment law attorney from the Office of the Commissioner Representing Employers. Speaker: Commissioner Aaron Demerson, Texas Workforce Commission and TBA Page 4 of 8 Recreation Grants - Parks, Trails, Sports Facilities The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department administers the Local Park Grants program which provides funding for communities throughout the state to construct, renovate and enhance recreation opportunities for citizens and visitors. These opportunities can range from competition sports complexes, recreation centers, hike and bike trails, community gardens, playgrounds and splashpads. This presentation will cover all the available grant opportunities through TPWD, who is eligible, how to apply, and how these opportunities can improve the marketability of local communities.