More Pathways to Prosper:
Partnerships, Innovation, Service
January 24-25, 2012

Kahler Grand Hotel
Rochester, MN
Reservations: 800 533-1655

Conference Sponsors

 NOTE: Conference speaker presentations will be posted as soon as they are recieved.  A separate page has been added for the speaker presentations – click here to go to the 2012 Tourism Conference follow-up page.

Schedule

Monday, January  23, 2012 - Pre-Conference Activities

3:00 – 5:00 p.m. – Option 1 – Mayo Clinic Art and Architecture Tour
3:30 – 6 p.m. – Option 2 – Educational Session on Social Media with Dave Serino, Think! Social Media USA and Lee Aase, Mayo Clinic, Director of the clinic’s Center for Social Media

Reception & Dinner is included with both options at Dooley’s Pub

Tuesday, January  24, 2012 - Morning Pre-Conference Meetings/Conference Day 1

9:00 a.m. – Conference registration open until 5:00 p.m.

10:00 a.m. – MACVB Silent Auction opens

11:30 p.m. – Lunch and Opening Session
Keynote Presentation; Stan Gadek, Sun Country Airlines

1:00 p.m. – Breakout Session I

• “Don’t Wait for Things to Happen – Make Them Happen!”
  Mary Anderson, Anderson Race Management; Riki McManus, Upper Minnesota Film Office; Sean Dowse, Minnesota Music Coalition/Sheldon Theatre 
• “Twitter and Facebook for Beginners”
  Dave Serino, Think! Social Media USA

click to get instructions for setting up Twitter and Facrbook for your organization

• “Sales 101”
  Jenny  Heger, National Sales Manager, AmericInn
• “Are ‘Deals’ Really a Good Deal for You?”
  David Madden, Living Social Escapes; Ray Faust/Ben Ganje, Star Tribune and Dave Jarvis, Afton House Inn, Afton/Hudson Cruises, CURRENT Restaurant

3:15 p.m. – Explore Minnesota Tourism Presentation
John Edman, Director, Explore Minnesota Tourism

4:30 p.m. – End of Tuesday sessions

6:00 p.m. – Opening Reception in the Travel Marketplace

7:00 p.m. – Excellence in Tourism Awards Banquet

9:00 p.m. – 11:30 p.m.
After party in the Elizabethan Room & Lord Essex Restaurant (Main floor, Kahler Grand Hotel)

Wednesday, January  25, 2012 - Conference Day 2

7:00 a.m. – Breakfast in General Session Room

8:00 a.m. – General Session
Stevie Ray – “Customer Service Worth Traveling For”

9:45 a.m. – Breakout Session II

• “Determining the ROI for Your Marketing Program”
  Tabatha Kidder, The Saint Paul Hotel, Current President, Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association Int’l (HSMAI)
• “Legislative Outlook for Tourism and Hospitality”
  Dan McElroy, Hospitality Minnesota, Margot Imdieke, MN State Council on Disability  and panel of lobbyists
• “Inside the Brain of a Travel Writer”
  Beth Gauper, Publisher/Editor of Midwest Weekends.com; Gary Knowles, Madison, WI radio journalist, Kendra Williams, Midwest Living Travel Editor
• “Working With Leisure Groups – Current and Future Trends”
  Dan Holter, Heartland Tours & Travel; Michael Pileggi, Owner/CEO, Performance Tours; Karla Hynes, Club Director, Preferred Advantage Club

11:15 a.m. – Luncheon   

“Tips and Tools to Make Social Media Work for You”
Dave Serino, Think! Social Media USA

 1:00 p.m. – Breakout Session III

• “Revenue Management 101”
  Garth Peterson, IDeaS Revenue Solutions &Tabatha Kidder, St Paul Hotel (Current President HSMAI)
• “Are ‘Deals’ Really a Good Deal for You?”
  David Madden, Living Social Escapes; Ray Faust/Ben Ganje, Star Tribune and Dave Jarvis, Afton House Inn, Afton/Hudson Cruises, CURRENT Restaurant
•  “Tourism, Natural Resources and Trails – Opportunities for Minnesota”
  Courtland Nelson, DNR; Dorian Grilley, Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota and Nancy Hanson, MnUSA
• “Technology II – Hot Trends and Techniques”
  Dave Serino, Think! Social Media USA.

2:30 p.m. – Wrap up session and prize give-away

3:00 p.m. – Conference ends

For additional questions contact
Gayle Junnila gayle.junnila@state.mn.us