Suggested attire for the day: We encourage attendees to wear company-branded apparel to represent their organization. As portions of the event will take place outdoors, casual and comfortable attire is recommended.

Early Arrival Experiences

• Gatlinburg Golf Course
• Ole Smoky Behind the Scenes Tour
• Gatlinburg VIP Guest Card
• Arrowmont Tours
• Blowing Cave Mill
• Orange142 Barre Class

Please see our FAQ for more information on early arrival experiences. 

7:30am-5Pm

Registration Office Open - Mills Registration 1 & 2

8am-10Am

Regional Directors Meeting & Breakfast (Invite Only) - Mills Room 2

8:30am-2pm

11Am-12pm

Play Tennessee Membership Meeting (Invitation Only) - Mills Room 3

12pm-2:30pm

Tennessee Tourism Committee (Invitation Only) - Ogle Room

2pm-3pm

Conference Kick-Off Presented by Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies - Mills Foyer & Tennessee Ballroom

Kick off the Governor’s Conference 2026 in unforgettable style with Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies. This high-energy welcome experience blends the extraordinary with the unexpected, featuring photo opportunities with our penguin mascot Norman and a live mermaid, along with up-close encounters with our Animal Ambassadors—featuring penguins and Rumple the giant burmese python. Guests will also enjoy cutting-edge entertainment with humanoid robots and robo dogs, interactive moments with Oddy (our Cybertruck activation), and a variety of captivating sideshow performers throughout the space.

3PM-4:30PM

Opening Session - Tennessee Ballroom

Sponsored by M&M Productions & Visit Knoxville

Welcome Remarks

Behind the Welcome: Your Association at Work

Sara Beth Urban, CEO & President, TNHTA

Just as a great guest experience starts long before someone checks in, a strong hospitality industry is built long before success shows up in the numbers. Behind every legislative win, workforce initiative, educational program, industry partnership, and member service effort is a network of people working together to move Tennessee hospitality forward. Join TNHTA President & CEO Sara Beth Urban for an inside look at how your association has been working "behind the welcome" to advocate for our industry, support our members, and help create opportunities across the state. 

Keynote Address

F.U.N Always Wins

Matt Graifer, Chief Potassium Enthusiast, Savannah Bananas

“F.U.N. Always Wins,” focused on the importance of creativity, adaptability, and creating memorable experiences. Through stories from the Savannah Bananas and his own experiences in teaching, event management, and life itself; Matt demonstrates that success often comes from making experiences fun, unexpected, and engaging.

Creating Fun - During seven and a half years of teaching, he taught 23 different courses and focused on making learning fun and different. This philosophy connects directly to hospitality and tourism because businesses in these industries are not simply selling a product or service—they are creating experiences. Fun means finding ways to make customers feel entertained, valued, and excited to return.

Adaptability: Hospitality professionals must be prepared to think quickly and turn problems into opportunities. Severe weather happens, but The Bananas can pivot and improvise entertainment  to keep the audience engaged. 

Experiment: The most successful hospitality professionals are willing to experiment, respond to challenges, and create moments that customers will remember. “FUN Always Wins” ultimately encourages us to think differently, embrace change, and make every experience more engaging and meaningful.

Going above and beyond. The easiest approach is to do what is expected, but the Bananas work harder to create a more interactive and memorable experience. Since the inception of the team in 2016, fun has been the first order of business, but unlike models where companies crack the mold and stick with the same formula, the Bananas, and the Professor himself, continuously challenge themselves to evolve and ask, "what else can we do?

5:30pm-8pm

7AM - 7:30AM

Morning Barre with Orange142 - Registration Required HERE

Myrtle Point Room in the Courtyard Marriott

7:30AM – 4PM

Registration Office Open - Mills Registration 1 & 2

Mystery Bottle Pull Open – Mills Registration 3

Sponsored by the Tennessee Distillers Guild

7:30AM – 3:30PM

Complimentary Headshots sponsored by the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development

Photos taken by Madison Bumpus

Please click here to sign up for an available time slot!

7:30AM – 8:30AM

Breakfast - Tennessee Ballroom

8:30AM – 9:45AM

General Session - Tennessee Ballroom

Sponsored by AJC Ads X Access Atlanta

Keynote Address

Faithful Presence

Bill Haslam, Former Tennessee Governor

9:45AM – 10AM

Snack Break - Mills Gallery & Greenbrier Room

Don't forget to visit our exhibitors to fill in your bingo card for a chance to win fun prizes!

Featuring Ripley's, Gatlinburg SkyPark, Anakeesta, Ober Mountain, Appalachian Bear Rescue, and Tennessee ProStart.

Additional activities located in Mills Auditorium and Mills Gallery. 

10AM – 10:40AM

breakout sessions

PR in the Age of Scroll, Share, and Story – Meeting Rooms 1-3

Sponsored by Journal Communications

Presented by: Austin Martin, Director of Communications, Anakeesta; Tiffany Carpenter, Principal, MP&F Strategic Communications; Wes Ramey, Public Relations Director, Dollywood Parks & Resorts; Howard Lin, Social Media Manager, Dollywood Parks & Resorts.

This presentation explores how public relations evolves in a fast-moving, digital-first media landscape. It highlights how brands and organizations must capture attention in a world dominated by social media feeds, short attention spans, and constant information sharing. The presentation covers how storytelling, authentic content, influencer relationships, and real-time engagement play a critical role in modern PR strategies. It also examines how traditional media relations intersect with social platforms, digital creators, and audience-driven narratives, emphasizing the importance of creativity, credibility, and adaptability in building meaningful brand connections today.

The Algorithm Ate My Tourists: Winning the Battle of AI Attention - Meeting Rooms 4-5

Presented by: Cassandra Razzi, Orange 142

Today's travelers ask highly specific, conversational questions such as: “Plan a 4-day family trip to Tennessee with kid-friendly attractions and outdoor adventures,” or “Where can I find accessible hiking trails and live music in the Smoky Mountains?”

Instead of scrolling through links, they receive curated recommendations and complete itineraries, often without visiting a website.

In this session, I explain what Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) means and how Tennessee tourism professionals, including DMOs, attractions, lodging partners, and local businesses, can stay visible in this evolving landscape.

You'll learn how to make your content "answer-ready" so AI tools like ChatGPT, Google's AI Overviews, and voice assistants include your destination in their travel recommendations.

TNHTA Advocacy Update - Meeting Rooms 6-7

Presented by: Sara Beth Urban, President & CEO, TNHTA; Dustin Goforth, Founding Partner Capitol & 5th Public Strategies; Ashley Harbin, Partner, Adams & Reese, LLP

Visitation Distilled: How Destinations & Attractions Build Smarter Marketing with Visitor Intelligence - Meeting Rooms 8-9

Sponsored by Expedia

Presented by: Charity Tombs, Executive Director, Tennessee Whiskey Trail; Austin Martin, Head of Data & Measurement, Parli & Co. | A Marketing Collective; Trisha Stefani, Tourism Industry Lead, Azira

Better marketing starts with a clearer picture of how visitors move. Using the Tennessee Whiskey Trail as a live case study, we'll show how location and audience data revealed existing visitation patterns and how we built campaigns around them. You'll see the process, the surprises, and leave with a framework you can use to improve your own marketing — plus a little tasting, so you can see what the fuss is about.

10:40AM – 11AM

Snack Break - Mills Gallery & Greenbrier Room

Don't forget to visit our exhibitors to fill in your bingo card for a chance to win fun prizes!

Featuring Ripley's, Gatlinburg SkyPark, Anakeesta, Ober Mountain, Appalachian Bear Rescue, and Tennessee ProStart.

Additional activities located in Mills Auditorium and Mills Gallery. 

11AM – 11:40AM

Breakout Sessions

Top 5 Compliance Mistakes - Meeting Rooms 1-3

Sponsored by Asure

Presented by: Courtney Leyes, Partner, Fisher Phillips; Ted Boehm, Partner, Fisher Phillips

Tennessee hospitality employers lose millions annually in penalties, lawsuits, and back wages—often from preventable compliance mistakes. This session exposes the five most costly errors affecting restaurants, hotels, and attractions and provides immediately actionable solutions. Attendees will learn to conduct compliance audits, implement protective policies, and avoid the pitfalls that have derailed competitors.

The Youth Sports Advantage: Filling Tennessee's Calendar and Winning Local Support - Meeting Rooms 4-5

Presented by: Ashley Whitaker, Partner, The Sports Facilities Companies

Youth and amateur sports are one of the fastest-growing segments of U.S. travel — and one of the few a destination can schedule deliberately into its slowest months. Tournament formats mean predictable, multi-night, multi-family stays on weekends most other visitor segments can't touch, which is exactly why it's become one of Tennessee communities' most effective tools for smoothing seasonal dips. But visitor spend isn't what actually gets these projects built — political will is, and youth sports facilities earn it because they serve two audiences at once: traveling teams on tournament weekends, and local kids and families every day in between. This session breaks down both halves of that equation: how to read whether your market can support real visitor demand, and how to build a facility — and the case you bring to your council — that delivers for residents first and visitors second, using the public-private financing tools (TIF, HOT/lodging tax, special districts) Tennessee communities are already using to get these projects approved. Rocky Top Sports World, built with the City of Gatlinburg and Sevier County a few minutes from this conference, is the local proof point, backed by lessons from a 100+ facility national portfolio. Leave with a framework for making the case for youth sports tourism — one that works at the gate and at the council podium.

Great Companies Don’t Just Hire Leaders, They Build Them From Within - Meeting Rooms 6-7

Sponsored by Sir Speedy Music City

Presented by: Graci Burnett, Marketing Manager, A. Marshall Hospitality; Claire Crowell, CEO, A. Marshall Hospitality; Jaime Blainey, Director of Operations, A. Marshall Hospitality; Darius McDonald, Founder & CEO, Vanguard Strategy Partners

Hiring for a role is difficult, whether it's a front-line position or the highest level finding the right fit takes multiple resources. Fostering a positive and engaging company culture is also difficult and requires multiple resources. This presentation will discuss how a positive, thriving company culture that focuses on employee development and retention at all levels can help close the hiring gap by creating employees who are ready for promotion instead of hiring an external candidate.

Attracting the Affluent Traveler: Using Research, Data, and Marketing to Drive Results - Meetings Rooms 8-9

Sponsored by Remote Area Medical

Presented by: James Harencher, President & CEO, Response Marketing Group

What happens when research stops sitting on the shelf and starts shaping how destinations reach their most valuable travelers? This session explores how destinations can better identify and attract affluent and ultra high net worth visitors by connecting research, marketing strategy, and large scale travel data.

Using Alys Beach as a case study, the presentation will show how independent research, targeted creative, and disciplined media investment helped identify high value audiences and guide marketing decisions. The example serves as a roadmap for how destinations can turn research into practical action.

The session will then expand the conversation with broader travel data, including flight search trends and hotel demand across economy, midscale, and luxury properties. These insights help explain how affluent travel demand is evolving and where opportunities exist (and where they don't).

11:40AM – 12PM

Pre-Lunch Break

Don't forget to visit our exhibitors to fill in your bingo card for a chance to win fun prizes!

Featuring Ripley's, Gatlinburg SkyPark, Anakeesta, Ober Mountain, Appalachian Bear Rescue, and Tennessee ProStart.

Additional activities located in Mills Auditorium and Mills Gallery. 

12PM – 1:30PM

Governor’s Luncheon General Session - Tennessee Ballroom
Sponsored by AdCritter

Remarks from Governor Bill Lee

Keynote Address

Commissioner Mark Ezell

Tennessee Department of Tourist Development Update + Economic Impact Report

1:30PM – 1:50PM

Break

Don't forget to visit our exhibitors to fill in your bingo card for a chance to win fun prizes!

Featuring Ripley's, Gatlinburg SkyPark, Anakeesta, Ober Mountain, Appalachian Bear Rescue, American Eagle Foundation and Owl Ridge Raptor Center.

Additional activities located in Mills Auditorium and Mills Gallery. 

1:50PM – 2:30PM

Breakout Sessions

It All Starts with Funding: Best Practices for Securing, Sustaining, and Protecting Tourism Funding - Meeting Rooms 1-3

Sponsored by Atlanta Magazine

Presented by: Commissioner Mark Ezell, Tennessee Department of Tourist Development; Josh Gibson, Chief Analytics & Strategy Officer, Tennessee Department of Tourist Development; Melanie Beauchamp, Assistant Commissioner Rural Tourism and Outreach, Tennessee Department of Tourist Development; Tony Funderburg, Director of Sales & Advertising, Sevierville Chamber of Commerce; Alicia Phelps, Executive Director, Northeast Tennessee Tourism Association; Maureen Haley Thornton, President & CEO, Visit Franklin; Zach Stephens, President & CEO, Livingston-Overton County Chamber of Commerce

Strong tourism programs begin with sustainable funding. Dedicated funding, dedicated staff, and strategic marketing are the foundation for destination marketing organizations (DMOs) to grow visitation and strengthen local economies.

In this breakout session, hear firsthand from DMOs of all sizes that have successfully navigated funding challenges. Panelists will share their experiences securing tourism funding for the first time, defending existing budgets, and overcoming funding threats. Walk away with practical strategies, lessons learned, and actionable best practices to help your organization build, protect, and sustain tourism funding for long-term success.

Crafting Immersive Stories: Captivate Audiences with Experiences That Transport and Inspire - Meeting Rooms 4-5

Presented by: Jacquelyn Blackwell, Director of Tourism Partnerships, Atlas Obscura

In a world where audiences crave more than just information, immersive storytelling has become the key to engaging travelers on a deeper level. This session will teach you how to craft stories that not only inform but also transport your audience into the heart of your destination. Discover techniques for creating vivid, multi-sensory narratives that make visitors feel like they’re already there, sparking curiosity and driving engagement. Learn how to leverage new media, dynamic content, and emotional connection to create unforgettable stories that resonate with today’s travelers and leave a lasting impression.

MEASURING WHAT MATTERS: Moving from Clicks to Visitation, Overnight Stays, and ROI - Meeting Rooms 6-7

Presented by: Will Crockett, Regional Tourism Sales Manager, Advance Travel & Tourism; Christy Betz, Account Executive, Advance Travel & Tourism.

Tourism marketing success is often measured in clicks, impressions, and engagement—but how do those metrics translate into actual visitors and economic impact?

This session will break down how destination marketing organizations can move beyond vanity metrics and start measuring what truly matters: visitation, overnight stays, and return on investment. Attendees will learn how to connect digital campaign performance to real-world results using data-driven strategies and reporting tools.

Through real campaign examples from destinations across Tennessee and beyond, we’ll explore which metrics are most valuable, how to interpret them, and how to communicate results effectively to stakeholders, boards, and funding partners. Whether you’re working with a small budget or a large-scale campaign, this session will provide practical, actionable insights to help you prove—and improve—your marketing impact.

If You’re Not at the Table, You’re on the Menu: The Role of Political Action Committees (PAC) in Hospitality - Meeting Rooms 8-9

Presented by: Shawn Danko, President & Chief Manager Kooky Canuck

A talk on PAC engagement for hospitality operators. Most operators understand regulations affect them but few understand how policy actually gets shaped. The key is positioning PAC involvement not as partisan politics, but as industry self-defense and economic stewardship. Framing the practical impact on businesses and hospitality workers making it relevant to everyone from line cooks to owners.

2:30PM – 2:50PM

Break

Don't forget to visit our exhibitors to fill in your bingo card for a chance to win fun prizes!

Featuring Ripley's, Gatlinburg SkyPark, Anakeesta, Ober Mountain, Appalachian Bear Rescue, American Eagle Foundation and Owl Ridge Raptor Center.

Additional activities located in Mills Auditorium and Mills Gallery. 

2:50PM – 3:30PM

Breakout Sessions

State of Media Today - Meeting Rooms 1-3

Presented by: Kyle Grainger, Owner, Smokies LIVE; Hunter Foster, VP of Media & Communications, Desginsensory; Joseph Nother, Chief Creative Officer & Co-CEO, Designsensory; Greg Wilkerson, The Mountain Press

The local media landscape is changing rapidly. This session explores key trends across television, newspapers, digital publications, and emerging media channels, while offering insights into what reporters, editors, and producers are looking for today. Learn how to build stronger media relationships, earn meaningful coverage, and identify opportunities to increase visibility for your destination, business, or event.

Beyond the Viral Moment: Why Long-Form Storytelling Still Wins in Tourism Marketing - Meeting Rooms 4-5

Sponsored by BMI

Presented by: Kristen Lodge, Vice President of Sales & Marketing, Gatlinburg SkyPark

In an era dominated by short-form, viral videos, attraction and tourism marketers often feel pressure to chase the next trending moment. But does going viral actually translate into visitation, loyalty, or long-term brand value?

This session explores the difference between viral moment marketing and long-form storytelling; and why destinations need both, but not equally. Through real-world examples and practical strategy, attendees will learn when viral content makes sense, when it falls short, and how long-form storytelling builds emotional connection, trust, and repeat visitation over time.

Rather than choosing one over the other, this session provides a framework for integrating viral moments into a broader, purpose-driven storytelling strategy that supports long-term growth.

Why This Matters for Tennessee Tourism:

Destinations across Tennessee are rich with stories, culture, and experiences that can’t always be captured in a 15-second clip. This session helps tourism marketers leverage modern platforms without sacrificing authenticity, depth, or long-term value.

Building a Hospitality Brand from the Inside Out: Purpose, Culture, and Scalable Growth - Meeting Rooms 6-7

Sponsored by the Department of Retail, Hospitality, and Tourism Management, University of Tennessee Knoxville

Presented by: Melissa Bletter, CEO, Ancient Lore Village; Micah Spicer, VP of Brand and Business Development, Ancient Lore Village

Many hospitality brands begin with a property. The strongest begin with a purpose.

In this session, leaders from Boyd Hollow Resorts share how they built a hospitality brand rooted in purpose, culture, and storytelling before pursuing growth. Drawing on the development of Ancient Lore Village and decades of hospitality experience, Melissa Blettner discusses the power of servant leadership, culture-driven teams, and her HEART leadership framework.

Micah Spicer explores the brand strategy that transformed a single destination into a scalable hospitality platform for future resorts, immersive entertainment, and branded experiences.

Together, they demonstrate how purpose-driven leadership and a people-first culture create the foundation for sustainable growth, exceptional guest experiences, and long-term brand value.

The Tennessee Advantage: Data That Defines Your Competitive Edge - Meeting Rooms 8-9

Presented by: Katie Stadius,  Director of Product Experience, Zartico

This session reveals Tennessee's tourism performance through a comprehensive national dataset of geolocation and spend data. We'll equip you with actionable intelligence that is used by destinations to assist strategic planning, optimize marketing decisions, and strengthen advocacy efforts.

What you will discover:
- How Tennessee performs against national and regional benchmarks
- Tennessee’s unique differentiators - uncovering unique market positions and key audiences that drive tourism growth
- Seasonal patterns that influence audiences, visitation, and spend behaviors
- International visitor impact - understanding the trends, visitation drivers, and differences between international and domestic visitors
- Regional breakdowns revealing localized opportunities for DMOs and tourism professionals across Tennessee’s diverse regions

This presentation delivers practical insights and strategies that you can immediately apply to marketing, campaign development, advocacy, and strategic planning, while illuminating overarching and rapidly changing trends that shape the tourism industry.

3:30PM – 4:00PM

Last chance for Mystery Bottle Pull! - Mills Registration 3

Sponsored by the Tennessee Distillers Guild

3:30PM – 4:30PM

Exhibitor Reception - Mills Foyer

6PM

Stars of the Industry Cocktail Reception - Mills Foyer

Suggested Attire: Dress to Impress (Cocktail/Black Tie Optional). Wear purple to celebrate the state flower: Purple Iris.

Sponsored by LocaliQ | USA TODAY NETWORK

Featured Distilleries:
Ole Smoky • Old Mountain Wine Company • Sugarlands Distillery • Tennessee Shine Co. Gatlinburg

7PM – 9PM

Stars of the Industry Awards Gala - Tennessee Ballroom

Sponsored by Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development

Commissioner Deniece Thomas Welcome Address

A special thank you to Lundy Thomas Advertising & PR for producing the videos that honor our most prestigious awards: Hotelier of the Year, Restaurateur of the Year, and Tourism Professional of the Year.

9:30PM – 12AM

Stars of the Industry After Party at Altitude Rooftop Bar Hotel Indigo Gatlinburg

Sponsored by Advance Travel & Tourism + BMI

Featuring DJ Smoke

7AM – 8AM

Complimentary Headshots sponsored by the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development

Photos taken by Madison Bumpus

Please click here to sign up for an available time slot!

7:30AM – 9AM

Registration Office Open - Mills Registration 1
Breakfast - Tennessee Ballroom

9AM – 10:30AM

Closing General Session - Tennessee Ballroom
Sponsored by Nashville Convention and Visitor's Corporation

Keynote Address

The Power of Partnership: How Brand USA Puts Tennessee in Front of the World

Angie Briggs, Senior Vice President, Industry Partnerships and Engagement & Chief Development Officer, Brand USA

Whether you represent a major city or a smaller county, Tennessee is already showing up in Brand USA's work around the world. Angie Briggs, Senior Vice President of Industry Partnerships and Engagement and Chief Development Officer at Brand USA, sets the stage on where global demand for the United States stands today, then shows what the partnership between Tennessee Tourism and Brand USA delivers for destinations across the state. Come learn where your region fits and how we can better partner together moving forward. 

10:30AM

Conference Concludes