ARKANSAS GOVERNOR S CONFERENCE ON TOURISM March 9-11, 2014 Embassy Suites and 3303 Pinnacle Hills Parkway Rogers, AR 72758 Sunday, March 9 11 a.m. 5 p.m. REGISTRATION Business Center North Entrance Arkansas The Natural State Gift Shop Located next to Registration 4:00 5:30 p.m. HOSPITALITY SUITE Salon C-E 6:30 8:30 p.m. Opening Reception Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art (Buses will transport delegates to/from the museum starting at 6:00 p.m. with the last bus departing the museum at 9:00 p.m. Gather in the lobby of the Embassy Suites. Light hors d oeuvres will be served. A list of restaurants will be available for those who plan to have dinner after the reception.) 8:30 11:30 p.m. HOSPITALITY SUITE Salon C-E Monday, March 10 7 a.m. 6 p.m. REGISTRATION Business Center North Entrance Arkansas The Natural State Gift Shop Located next to Registration 8:30 a.m. OPENING CEREMONY North Rotunda
9:00 a.m. GENERAL SESSION The Transformative Power of Travel - Featuring Andrew McCarthy, actor, director and award-winning travel writer. Grand Ballroom V Sponsored by AJR Media 10:00 10:30 a.m. REFRESHMENT BREAK Sponsored by Visit Rogers Embassy Suites Rogers 10:45 11:45 a.m. CONCURRENT SESSIONS a. The Art of Storytelling Andrew McCarthy, Actor, Director and Travel Writer and Debbie Geiger, president of Geiger and Associates, an award-winning PR firm that specializes in media market for travel and tourism industry clients. Grand Ballrooms 1 & II b. Social Media for Tourism Sales Featuring social media expert, Crystal Washington. c. I-Plan Arkansas: The Plan for Investing in Infrastructure Improvements in Arkansas Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department Director Scott Bennett will share information about the new highway campaign 12:00 1:30 p.m. ARKANSAS, INCORPORATED Create Partnerships. Build Business. Featuring Richard W. Davies, Chairman of the Board Join us for the first ever, stockholders meeting and luncheon. Learn how you can reap even bigger rewards as a major stakeholder in one of The Natural State s largest industries tourism. Grand Ballroom VI Sponsored by Hoffman Media 1:45 2:45 p.m. CONCURRENT SESSIONS a. Arkansas Steps Into the National Spotlight: How Your Community or Business Can Benefit from Participation in
State-Sponsored Media Tours. Featuring Debbie Geiger, president of Geiger and Associates, an award winning PR firm that specializes in public relations and media marketing for travel and tourism industry clients. b. The Art of Viral Social Media Featuring Crystal Washington, a nationally recognized social media expert. c. I-Plan Arkansas: The Plan for Investing in Infrastructure Improvements in Arkansas. Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department Director Scott Bennett will share information about the new highway campaign. 2:45 3:15 p.m. REFRESHMENT BREAK 3:15 4:45 p.m. Arkansas, Incorporated Create Partnerships. Build Business. Featuring Joe David Rice, CEO, and the 3-A marketing team Learn insider information that will make your stock in Arkansas, Incorporated even more valuable. Grand Ballroom V 5:30 7:30 p.m. ARKANSAS TOURISM DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION FUNDRAISING AUCTION, Plus Tips for Ta-tas Bid on hundreds of valuable silent and live auction items, including trips, spa treatments, handmade merchandise, restaurant gift certificates, print advertising and online marketing packages, weekend getaways, jewelry, artwork, and more. Proceeds from the auction benefit the ATDF scholarship program and help defray costs associated with the Governor s Conference on Tourism. In addition, all tips collected at the beverage stations during the auction will be donated to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute/Breast Cancer Research Project. Honorary bartenders will be a few familiar tourism faces, who also happen to be breast cancer survivors or survivor family members. Ambassador C-E
PLEASE NOTE: The previously announced appearance by Joe Nichols has been cancelled due to family obligations. 8:00 11:00 p.m. HOSPITALITY SUITE Salon C-E Tuesday, March 11 7:00 a.m. 6:30 p.m. REGISTRATION Business Center North Entrance Arkansas The Natural State Gift Shop Located next to Registration 7:45 9:00 a.m. Arkansas Tourism Industry Breakfast Tourism Marketing Tenets (Best Practices That Turn Ordinary Into Extraordinary) Featuring Lynette Xanders, CEO of Wild Alchemy, a nontraditional branding and research company, who will share how travelers plan trips and other interesting tidbits learned from focus groups. Grand Ballroom VI Sponsored by Southern Living/Time Inc. 9:15 10:15 a.m. CONCURRENT SESSIONS a. Wayfinding & Tourism: You CAN Get There from Here -- Featuring Jan Carpman, a wayfinding expert who co-authored the book, Directional Sense: How to Find Your Way Around. Arkansas offers a rich array of tourist destinations, but what happens when visitors can t easily find the attractions they seek? Jan Carpman, PhD, a nationally known wayfinding expert, will introduce you to the topic of wayfinding and explain what you need to know in order to help visitors easily find their way to, around, and out of destinations, such as parks, museums, gardens, lodging, restaurants, and more. She ll explain how unfamiliar visitors navigate, what they expect, the components of a wayfinding system (hint: it s more than just signs), and steps you can take right now to assist visitors in finding and enjoying our state s unique places without getting lost along the way.
10:15 10:45 a.m. REFRESHMENT BREAK b. Arkansas Tourism Insights (The Basis of Recent Marketing Momentum) -- Featuring Lynette Xanders, CEO of Wild Alchemy, a non-traditional branding and research company c. Historic Preservation and Storytelling: The Keys to Increased Tourism and Community Pride -- Featuring Dr. Ruth Hawkins, executive director of Arkansas State University s Arkansas Heritage Sites program; Cathy Cunningham, community development consultant, Southern Bancorp Community Partners; Claude Legris, executive director, Fort Smith Convention and Visitors Bureau; and, Steve Arrison, CEO, Visit Hot Springs. Sponsored by the Department of Arkansas Heritage 10:45 11:45 a.m. CONCURRENT SESSIONS 12:00 1:30 p.m. LUNCH THAT ROCKS a. Wayfinding & Tourism: You CAN Get There From Here Featuring wayfinding expert Jan Carpman b. Is Your Community Camera-Ready? Is Arkansas? Featuring Christopher Crane, Arkansas Film Commissioner c. Historic Preservation and Storytelling: The Keys to Increased Tourism and Community Pride -- Featuring Dr. Ruth Hawkins, executive director of Arkansas State University s Arkansas Heritage Sites program; Cathy Cunningham, community development consultant, Southern Bancorp Community Partners; Claude Legris, executive director, Fort Smith Convention and Visitors Bureau; and, Steve Arrison, CEO, Visit Hot Springs. Sponsored by the Department of Arkansas Heritage Presiding: Richard W. Davies, Executive Director Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism Address: The Honorable Mike Beebe Governor of Arkansas Presentation: Culture That Rocks
Featuring Jim Knight, former senior director of training and development at Hard Rock International, who will share insights on culture, guest service, employee branding and philanthropy Sponsored by Arkansas Life magazine 1:45 2:45 p.m. CONCURRENT SESSIONS a. Culture and Service That Rocks - Featuring Jim Knight, former senior director of training and development at Hard Rock International. b. Is Your Community Camera-Ready? Is Arkansas? Featuring Christopher Crane, Arkansas Film Commissioner c. Planning and Implementing a Regional Signage System Featuring Mike Malone, President of the Northwest Arkansas Council 2:45 3:15 p.m. REFRESHMENT BREAK Sponsored by the Texarkana A & P Commission, host of the 2015 Arkansas Governor s Conference on Tourism 3:15 4:00 p.m. GENERAL SESSION Keynote Address: A Newcomer s View of The Natural State Featuring U of A Head Football Coach, Brett Bielema Grand Ballroom V Sponsored by Arkansas Business Publishing Group 4:00 4:15 p.m. Q & A with Coach Bielema 4:30 6:30 p.m. HOSPITALITY SUITE Salon C E 6:30 7:15 p.m. HENRY AWARDS RECEPTION Co-hosted by the Arkansas Hospitality Association Sponsored by Midwest Living/Meredith Travel Markets 7:15 p.m. HENRY AWARDS BANQUET Grand Ballroom VI Co-hosted by the Arkansas Hospitality Association
8:45 11:00 p.m. HOSPITALITY SUITE Salon C E