Destinations International, the world’s largest resource for official destination organizations, convention and visitors bureaus and tourism boards, announced that registration is open for the 2021 Advocacy Summit, taking place Oct. 26-28 in Houston, Tex. There will be more than 20 educational sessions focusing on funding, using data for advocacy, leadership case studies, community awareness and equity, diversity and inclusion.
Registration and more information may be found here. This will be the fifth Advocacy Summit by Destinations International and the first time the event has taken place in Houston.
“We are thrilled to be hosting our fifth Advocacy Summit in the United States’ most diverse destination,” says Don Welsh (pictured left), president and CEO of Destinations International. “More than ever before, destination organizations are the key to a community’s success and the Advocacy Summit will equip destination organization leaders with the tools, resources, information and strategies they will need to move their destinations further toward recovery and enhance community and stakeholder engagement. With all the dynamic changes taking place, this is a must-attend event for destination organization leaders.”
“I’d like to thank Destinations International for selecting Houston as the location for this year’s Advocacy Summit,” says Michael Heckman (pictured right), acting president and CEO of Houston First. “Destinations International does incredibly important work and, for years, the summit has been a great resource for our destination marketing industry in equipping our colleagues with the knowledge and tools to be incredible ambassadors for their respective cities. We look forward to hosting our industry colleagues and partners, especially at such an important and pivotal time for our industry.”
“I think this year’s Advocacy Summit will be the most important one that we have done,” says Jack Johnson (pictured left), chief advocacy officer of Destinations International. “If the pandemic has shown us anything, it is the importance of the residents in our economic ecosystem. They have always been there, but we haven’t valued them. This year’s Advocacy Summit will concentrate on the strategies and tactics that it takes to cement that relationship to become the public good that every destination organization should be. Bringing the residents and visitors together is our mission.”
In addition to the Advocacy Summit, the 2021 Advocacy Summit Funding Forum presented by Civitas will also be taking place on Oct. 26. This is an optional, in-depth funding conversation that will tackle the current state of destination organization funding as well as the future of funding in the era of crisis response and recovery research.
For a complete agenda and more information about the summit, please click here.
Destinations International is the world’s largest resource for official destination organizations, convention and visitors bureaus (CVBs) and tourism boards. Destinations International is about serving destination marketing professionals first and foremost. Together with almost 6,000 members and partners from nearly 600 destinations in 15 countries, Destinations International represents a powerful forward-thinking, collaborative association: exchanging bold ideas, connecting innovative people and elevating tourism to its highest potential. For more info, visit www.destinationsinternational.org.
