2025 Agenda
Click HERE to download the agenda.
Wednesday, April 16, 2025
10:00 am - 12:00 pm5
Maine Scenic Byways Summit - Spring Session (open meeting)
12:00 pm - 3:30 pm
2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Educational Workshops - Session 1
Join us for an update on the new Frances Perkins Center National Monument, and the roll out of the heritage tourism plan developed for the site.
Frances Perkins Center Heritage Tourism Plan
Cheryl Hargrove, Hargrove International & Giovanna Gray Lockhart, Frances Perkins Center
Learn how you can work with the Office of Tourism to identify the influencers and travel writers whose reach and values align with your brand, and how to build relationships that result in storytelling that both resonates with their audiences and reaches your most wanted visitors.
Working with Influencers and Travel Media
Charlene Williams, Marshall Communications
Data Informed Marketing: Where to Find the Data and How to Use It
Andria Godfrey, Miles Partnership & Erin Dinkel, Downs and St. Germain
3:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Educational Workshops - Session 2
4:00 pm - 4:15 pm
Refreshments
4:45 pm - 5:15 pm
2025 Maine Tourism Awards Ceremony
ChatGPT for Curious Beginners
Cary Weston, CM Weston
Discover how ChatGPT can be more than just a tool—it can be a practical partner in making your daily work simpler and more efficient. This workshop is built for those who are new to ChatGPT and want practical, no-nonsense guidance to get started immediately. In this session, we’ll break down how to use ChatGPT in ways that save you time, make your tasks easier, and give you confidence in tackling your goals. What you’ll walk away with: • Proven steps to make ChatGPT work for your unique needs. • Simple ways to reduce effort and maximize productivity starting today. • Guiding principles that will set you up for success, no matter your experience level. This workshop is designed for those who appreciate clear, actionable advice and want to make smarter use of their time and resources. Join us, and let’s make your workday a little lighter.
In this session you will learn more about how to leverage the state research and other data platforms to help inform and focus your marketing and business decisions. We will discuss different data sources and help sort through them so that you know which sources to use to find the visitors best aligned to your business/organization that will positively impact your bottom line.
12:00 pm
Registration Opens
4:15 pm - 4:45 pm
Keynote:The Future of Tourism: Leaning Into High-Value Visitation
Joseph Diaz, Afar Magazine
Travel has many benefits. It also comes with costs. In a time when more and more people are visiting our destinations, learn how you can lean into the trends and insights that drive growth while maximizing the benefits and minimizing the costs for all stakeholders.
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Maine Savings Amphitheatre VIP Tour
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Historical Tour of the Penobscot Theatre Company
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Stephen King's Derry, Maine
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The Birds & The Bees - Environmental Stewardship at Bangor Municipal Golf Course
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Beautiful Bangor Art Walk
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Maine Discovery Museum
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Wabanaki Public Health & Wellness Tour
5:15 pm - 7:00 pm
Welcome Reception
Marketing to Outdoor Enthusiasts: Essential Insights for Adventure Travel
Chris Adams and PJ Yesawich, Miles Partnership
Join this essential workshop for the latest research and practical marketing tips on engaging with Outdoor Adventure Travelers. Explore how exceptional food, vibrant events, plus local culture (your destination’s ‘Plus’ Factor) play a pivotal role in attracting outdoor enthusiasts. This session will share the latest research on the US Outdoor Enthusiast Traveler – with custom insights for Maine including outdoor visitor’s motivations, media use and how they plan and book travel. The session will be illustrated with practical examples of successful outdoor adventure marketing from around the world – from Iceland to New Zealand, Oregon to Maine.
Join us at the Bangor Cross Insurance Center to kick off the Maine Governor’s Conference on Tourism with an evening of networking, celebration, and Maine charm. Enjoy appetizers, a complimentary drink ticket (cash bar available), and the chance to connect with fellow tourism professionals.
We’ll also celebrate this year’s Tourism Awards winners and their incredible contributions to our industry. In honor of Paul Bunyan’s iconic statue outside the venue, the reception is flannel-themed—so bring your best plaid!
We look forward to celebrating with you.
The Governor’s Conference on Tourism Awards recognize individuals, businesses and organizations that have distinguished themselves through their work and contributed to the growth of tourism in Maine. Recipients are selected following a committee review of nominees to determine how well they satisfy the award criteria and demonstrate support of the principles of the Maine Office of Tourism’s Destination Management Plan.
Join us for an engaging session that unpacks the key themes and insights gathered during the Maine Office of Tourism’s statewide listening tour. These conversations with a variety of industry partners across the state have helped shape the latest updates to Maine’s Destination Management Plan—offering a fresh perspective on the opportunities, challenges, and priorities ahead of us. In this interactive session, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of the trends influencing Maine’s visitor economy and explore how they connect to your own work. With guidance from Coraggio Group facilitators, you’ll have the opportunity to reflect on these insights and begin shaping strategies that align with Maine’s evolving tourism landscape. You’ll leave with a clear understanding of the connection between your input and MOT’s commitment to the tourism industry and plan for action. This session is intended to create an opportunity for you to better leverage the resources and programs available to you through MOT.
Shaping Maine’s Tourism Future: Insights & Action from the Fall Statewide Listening Tour
Sarah Meaney & Colleen Floyd, Coraggio Group
Generously sponsored by:
Thursday, April 17, 2025
7:30 am - 8:30 am
8:30 am - 9:00 am
9:00 am - 10:00 am
Breakfast & EXPO
Welcome!
Plenary: Cultural Heritage Tourism Trends and Opportunities
Moderated by Cheryl Hargrove, Hargrove International
Panelists: Jill Sawyer, Abbe Museum, Rachel Ferrante, Maine MILL, & Giovanna Gray Lockhart, Frances Perkins Center
Every place has a story to tell, often found in historic sites or cultural traditions of the people who settled or live there. Cultural heritage tourism shares these stories with visitors and is a growing industry segment. Learn how Maine destinations are implementing planning and resources to develop exciting, impactful cultural tourism offerings and opportunities for our state.
10:00 am - 10:30 am
10:30 am - 11:25 am
Coffee Break & EXPO
Breakout Session 1
Wabanaki Cultural Tourism Strategic Plan
Sarah Woog & Matt Lewis, Four Directions Development
The Wabanaki Cultural Tourism Plan, developed by Wabanaki leaders in collaboration with key stakeholders, outlines a vision for advancing cultural tourism in Maine that celebrates the rich heritage of the Wabanaki Nations—Penobscot, Passamaquoddy, Maliseet, and Mi’kmaq. Attendees will learn about the plan’s goals to promote regenerative tourism rooted in Wabanaki cultural traditions, expand economic opportunities for tribal communities, and create authentic, culturally meaningful experiences for visitors. The session will cover key areas of the plan, such as developing cultural heritage tourism destinations and promoting the stewardship of natural and cultural resources. This session is essential for anyone interested in the intersection of cultural tourism, economic development, and outdoor recreation and for those who want to learn how to engage with and support this growing segment of Maine’s tourism economy.
Going Beyond the Trailhead: How AMC Leverages Land Conservation to Build a Community of Recreationists, Volunteers, and Nature Nerds
Moderated by Steve Tatko, AMC
Panelists: Alex DeLucia, AMC; Sarah Nelson, AMC; Scarlet Batchelor, AMC
The Appalachian Mountain Club, winner of MOT's 2024 Stewardship Award, manages 114,000 acres of forestland in Piscataquis County. This panel will explore how sustainable tourism can be an economic driver for communities, especially in rural Maine. Presenters will highlight AMC's approach to land management as a model, including world-class nordic skiing, awe-inspiring night skies, and the growing sport of gravel biking, all balanced with sustainable forestry. Further, we will outline how AMC draws on its Research team's expertise on climate change to design and build trails that will meet the needs of Mainers and visitors for years to come. Panelist(s): Alex DeLucia, Director of Trails, Appalachian Mountain Club Sarah Nelson, Director of Research, Appalachian Mountain Club
Employee Training and Retention
Charles Galemmo, Maine Community College System
How do you build a positive workplace culture? Training benefits employees and employers and contributes to a positive workforce culture and staff loyalty. This session will provide information on resources for training and professional development for hospitality workers, including online training programs, and how to received funding assistance for employee training through the Maine Workforce Development Compact program.
Working with Influencers and Travel Media
Whitney Raymond, Marshall Communications
Learn how you can work with the Office of Tourism to identify the influencers and travel writers whose reach and values align with your brand, and how to build relationships that result in storytelling that both resonates with their audiences and reaches your most wanted visitors.
ChatGPT for Marketing Your Business
Cary Weston, CM Weston
Discover how ChatGPT can help you better understand your audience, improve your website, and simplify your content creation process. This workshop is designed for business owners and marketers who want straightforward, actionable advice to enhance their marketing efforts. In this session, we’ll explore how ChatGPT can become your marketing assistant, helping you craft content that resonates, streamlining your messaging, and making your marketing tasks easier to tackle. What you’ll walk away with: • Tools to better understand your audience and what they care about. • Practical steps to improve your website content and keep visitors engaged. • Simple ways to create blogs, social posts, and other marketing materials quickly and effectively. This workshop is for anyone who wants to make their marketing more effective. Join us and see how ChatGPT can fit right into your strategy.
11:25 am - 11:30 am
11:30 am - 12:30 pm
Break
Breakout Session 2
Cultivating Real Maine Tourism: Building the Maine Brand Through Cross-Sector Collaboration in Agritourism
Moderated by Chadley Hollas, Cultivating Tourism, Panelist: Cassandra Prenn-Vasilakis, Hipcamp; Kerry Payne, Blenheim Park; Matt McAdam, McDougal Orchards
This presentation explores the power of cross-sector partnerships in elevating Maine’s agritourism businesses. Drawing on a recent technical assistance project with the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry, we’ll showcase how strategic alliances among farmers, local businesses, and tourism professionals can create unique visitor experiences that increase visitor engagement. Local farm products, rural culture, and agritourism are an integral part of the Maine experience that encourage repeat visits, motivate travelers to extend their stays, and generate economic benefits that ripple through other sectors, from lodging to retail, creating a more resilient rural economy. Learn more about agritourism in Maine, from legacy farms to recent start-ups, and how you can collaborate.
Downtowns: Opportunities for Collaboration, Economic Development and Storytelling
Anne Ball, Maine Downtown Center; Tyler Waterson, A Morning in Maine; Amy Grommes-Pulaski, Discover Downtown Westbrook
Maine’s historic downtowns are places where visitors can enjoy local foods and shopping, access to outdoor recreation and cultural sites and events such as performances in historic theaters and opera houses. These unique places are economic engines for their communities and central hubs for visitor exploration and activities. The Maine Downtown Center, which oversees Maine’s National Main Street Program, has 25 downtowns formally in the program and serves as a statewide resource for any community interested in revitalizing their downtown. The downtown organizations provide opportunities for the tourism industry through collaboration, storytelling, and preservation-based economic development. Please join us for a conversation with some of our downtown leaders and our tourism partners as they share what they are doing together to attract visitors and provide unique and meaningful tourism experiences in Maine’s downtowns.
Developing Collaborative Outdoor Experiences
Moderated by Jeff McCabe, Maine Office of Outdoor Recreation
Panelists: Nicolle Littrell, DoryWoman Rowing; Polly Mahoney, Mahoosuc Guide Service, Jennifer Neptune
Join this session for a discussion with a panel of Registered Maine Guides who are partnering with non-traditional businesses and community organizations to create unique and memorable Maine experiences for visitors seeking something truly and authentically local. Each of these guiding businesses have made connections with people in their communities that are not typically considered part of the travel and tourism mix resulting in powerful storytelling and positive outcomes for all.
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm
1:30 pm - 2:15 pm
Tracking the ROI on Your Advertising
Rob LaBelle, Strategic Digital Marketing
If you are using advertising for your hospitality or other tourism-related business, do you know which channels are performing the best? If you cannot track the revenue and website visitors being driven by marketing channels, you could be leaving a lot of money on the table or worse. Understanding which of your marketing tactics are actually working will help you spend less for a greater ROI. Learn how to track your advertising and which channels are working the best in 2025.
Unlock the potential of international tourism for your business by exploring the latest trends, visitor numbers, and key markets driving travel to Maine and New England. Learn why this growing segment is vital to your success and how to position your business to attract and cater to overseas visitors. We will dive into actionable strategies, showing you how to collaborate with regional, state, and national partners to maximize your impact. Whether it’s forging new connections or revitalizing traditional ones, you’ll discover the best ways to work with receptive operators and international tour companies who are eager to collaborate with local businesses. This session will equip you with practical insights to leverage these partnerships and enhance your business year-round. Don't miss this opportunity to gain the tools and knowledge needed to succeed in the expanding international market.
Attracting International Travelers; How International Visitation Can Work for You
Kerrie Tripp, Discover New England
Lunch
Plenary: Transforming Maine Through Sports Tourism
Moderated by Jennifer Stoll, Cimarron Global Solutions
Panelists: Sheila Brennan Nee, Maine Sports Commission; Russell Walters, Northern Outdoors
Sports tourism is on the rise and with FIFA World Cup 2026, the 2028 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles and the 2034 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, the “golden age” for sporting events in the US will be over the next 10-year cycle. From community events using natural assets like trails and waterways to sport venues offering spectator sports, Maine can set itself apart as a sports tourism destination with year-round impact throughout all eight regions of the state that enhances the quality of life for Maine communities. Learn about emerging trends in the sports tourism industry nationwide and throughout North America, how the Maine Sports Commission is charting a course to Transform Maine Through Sports Tourism, and how you can catch the wave and benefit from sports tourism, whether you are in a rural or urban part of Maine.