GTC19 Schedule

GACVB BBQ Cornhole Tournament & Scholarship Fundraiser
Wild Leap Brew Co. - just voted best new brewery in the U.S.
308 Main St, LaGrange, GA 30240
(not included in conference registration - separate ticket purchase required) 
Register Here 

Plan to come early and join your colleagues for a BBQ dinner and beverages at the Wild Leap Brew Co. as teams battle it out to be the cornhole champions - all in support of GACVB education programs. The 3rd GACVB BBQ & Cornhole Tournament benefits our educational programming including the annual scholarship opportunities for attending industry conferences. Support tourism education and bring your cornhole team or just come for the food, fun and fellowship with old and new friends. 

$50 Dinner ticket includes Dinner and Beverages - All proceeds go to Education Programs.
Cornhole Tournament Registration is $25 per person / $50 for a team.
Limited to 32 Teams. First Place Team wins $100.

Conference Begins - Opening General Session 
Welcome and Presentation of Colors
Keynote Presentation:  Reactivate your Human KINDNESS
Speaker:  Juliet Hall, Own Your Opportunities
We are born as free spirits. We want to experience and explore and do everything. However, some of the first words we learn as children are “NO”, “DON’T” and “STOP.” We build fences around our community. We learn to doubt people and their intentions. We put labels on everyone because it’s safe. And somewhere along the way, we lose our ability to be kind. 

But what if the person you pass on the street is the key to your future? What if a kind word or interaction changed a life and changed yours? 

We’ve been taught, “It’s not personal. It’s business.” However, in my talk, “Reactivate Your Human KINDNESS”, I charge the audience to flip that, and to know that in tourism, every business is personal.

 Takeaways - the attendees will learn:
1.  Examples of kindness-in-action through admired brands
2.  The seven basic needs of humankind
3.  Five ways to reactivate their human KINDNESS

Best (and worst!) Practices in Sports Tourism Marketing
Speaker:  Jon Schmieder, Huddle Up Group
According to Sports Events Magazine, the $11.4 billion sports travel market is the fastest growing and most recession resistant segment in tourism. The organizations and communities that understand the industry and how to capitalize on sports tourism have benefited the most from this growth. 

An ever growing industry, the sports travel market provides ample opportunity for organizations to capitalize on the industry growth if they understand how to play the game. In this interactive session, sports tourism industry consultant, Jon Schmieder, will discuss the best and worst practices of sports tourism marketing. The session will include the Huddle Up Group’s 2019 list of the 10 critical trends every community should consider when marketing their destination. 

Takeaways:
1.  Determine the elements of sports tourism best practices that can be applied to your destination including business development strategies, branding, and servicing and creating events.
2.  Identify the worst practices your destination currently uses and develop a plan to improve your organization’s sports tourism efforts.
3.  Define what success in the sports tourism industry looks like for your organization.

Brand Bootcamp

Georgia Visitor Profile Study
Speaker:  Vicki Allen, DK Shifflet
Come hear about who Georgia's domestic visitors are and their travel characteristics. Information will also be provided on overall domestic visitation in the United States to give context to where Georgia fits in nationally and regionally.

LEC Tier 3 - Strategic Excellence
Get the Big Things Right - Your Future Depends on It Part 1
Speaker:  Shana Young, Leadership Institute at Columbus State University
Participants will work through the elements of strategic planning: Vision, Strategy, Leadership (Direction, Movement, and Alignment) and Measurement. The ability to recognize the difference between tactical and strategic planning and thinking will become clear. Participants will gain a deeper appreciation for the impact of vision. This session will provide the building blocks for a strategic plan for your organization. 
You must attend both parts 1 & 2 to receive LEC credit.  Click here for more info on the LEC program.

Adventure awaits as you discover the activities and recreational options at Great Wolf Lodge Georgia. We will “glamp” poolside to taste and sip the flavors of our childhood outdoor explorations, adult-style. Great Wolf Lodge Georgia, our conference headquarters, has a 40,000-square-foot adventure park and nearly 100,000-square-foot water park. There are adventures for guests of any age!

Recognized as one of the state's top industries, tourism in Georgia has enjoyed an impressive stretch of year-over-year growth. The Tourism leadership team from the Georgia Department of Economic Development will share an overview of strategic programs, campaigns and initiatives designed to support the continuation of record-breaking growth and leverage state resources to boost the efforts of partners statewide.

Accommodations Tax 101 Q&A
Speaker:  Tyler Reinagel, Ph.D., Georgia Department of Community Affairs
Attention attendees - review the Georgia's Hotel-Motel Excise Tax Webinar before the conference so you're familiar with the basics.  Then come to class ready for a full question & answer session with the Department of Community Affairs.  The session is designed to provide CVBs, hoteliers, and local governments what they need to know about reporting, audit disclosure, and general compliance requirements, as well as clarification of the allowable uses of the tax.

LEC Tier 3 - Strategic Excellence
Get the Big Things Right - Your Future Depends on It Part 2
Speaker: Shana Young, Leadership Institute at Columbus State University
Participants will work through the elements of strategic planning: Vision, Strategy, Leadership (Direction, Movement, and Alignment) and Measurement. The ability to recognize the difference between tactical and strategic planning and thinking will become clear. Participants will gain a deeper appreciation for the impact of vision. This session will provide the building blocks for a strategic plan for your organization. You must attend both parts 1 & 2 to receive LEC credit.  Click here for more info on the LEC program.

Beercation Destination: Tapping into Georgia’s Emerging Craft Beer Tourism
Nancy Palmer, Executive Director of Georgia’s Craft Brewers Guild, leads a panel of creative brewery owners and marketers to discuss the state of Georgia’s beer industry, profile beer tourists, and explore effective marketing opportunities, including new product launches, product placement, festivals, events, tours, itineraries, beer blogs and more.

LEC Tier 3 - Strategic Excellence
Get Engaged Without the Ring - Creating a Culture of Engagement Part 1
Speaker: Chelsea Powell, Leadership Institute at Columbus State University
According to Gallup 7 out of 10 workers are apathetic or totally disengaged. The root cause – Dysfunctional organizational culture. Participants will learn about the impact culture has on an organization and discuss how to create an engaging environment that motivates, stretches and inspires your team. The climate and culture of an organization is determined by a variety of factors, including artifacts, espoused beliefs and values, and underlying assumptions. Participants will understand what organizational culture means, what influence culture has on an organization, and discuss how one goes about building, influencing, or changing an organization’s culture.  You must attend both parts 1 & 2 to receive LEC credit.  Click here for more info on the LEC program.