43rd Arkansas Governor’s Conference on Tourism to be held on March 12-14 in Little Rock

Governor Asa Hutchinson, U.S. Travel Association President Roger Dow and Anne Madison of Brand USA headline the event

Little Rock, AR, 2017-Mar-02 — /Travel PR News/ — Tourism partners from across the state will meet at the 43rd Arkansas Governor’s Conference on Tourism March 12-14 at the Little Rock Marriott and Statehouse Convention Center. This year’s theme is “Showtime! Spotlight on Arkansas Tourism!”.

The annual gathering of Arkansas’s tourism industry offers sessions on a variety of topics such as bringing new travelers to the state, festival planning and promoting communities and attractions.

The opening keynote speaker for the event is Anne Madison, chief strategy and communications officer for Brand USA, the nation’s destination marketing organization. Also speaking will be Roger Dow, president and chief executive officer of the U.S. Travel Association; Chris Stone, president of VisitGreenvilleSC; and Amir Eylon, president of Longwoods International USA Inc., a leading travel research firm. The conference will culminate with the presentation of the 2017 Henry Awards and an address by Governor Asa Hutchinson.

Other conference topics include:

• Presentation of the 2017 Tourism Hall of Fame Awards to Chuck Haralson and Ken Smith
• Making Your Community Bicycle Friendly
• Festival Planning 101
• Guerrilla Marketing of Little Rock’s Southside Main Street District (SoMa)
• Nature Tourism in The Natural State
• Communications Strategies and Best Practices
• Marketing to a Diverse Crowd
• Developing a Film Festival for Your Community

The Arkansas Tourism Development Foundation’s annual auction will take place Monday night. The money raised from the silent and live auctions funds scholarships for individuals seeking careers in the hospitality and tourism industries.

The Arkansas Governor’s Conference on Tourism was first held in 1975 at Dogpatch, U.S.A.

SOURCE: Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism

MEDIA CONTACT

Leah DiPietro – Communications Manager

Little Rock, AR
leah.dipietro@arkansas.gov
501-682-7606