Montana Office of Tourism

2012 Montana Governor's Conference
on Tourism and Recreation

2012 Montana Governor’s Conference on Tourism and Recreation
Dates: April 11-13, 2012
Location: Best Western Heritage Inn, 1700 Fox Farm Road, Great Falls, MT 59404, 406-761-1900, 1-800-548-8256, heritageinn@bwheritageinn.com, www.bestwestern.com/prop_27029 

1:00-8:00 pm | Wednesday
Conference Registration
Sponsor: Outside
Room: Russell Room

1:30-3:30 pm | Wednesday
Great Falls Historic Trolley Tour (42 person limit, pre-registration requested)
Host: Great Falls Historic Trolley, Carol Place 
Room: Board Buses at Front of the Hotel

Free, 2-hour tour of Great Falls with stories of the community’s unique and distinctive natural, cultural, historical and human resources.

2:30-4:00 pm | Wednesday
MT Lodging & Hospitality Association (MLHA) Hospitality Council Meeting
Host: MT Lodging & Hospitality Association
Room: Montana/Alberta Room

3:30-5:45 pm | Wednesday
Afternoon at the Movies
Host: Great Falls CVB Conference Planning Committee
Room: American Room

Enjoy your own free, private screening of “Playing for the World: 1904 Fort Shaw Indian Girls Basketball World Champion Team,” a MT PBS Production served with an introduction and treats.

4:00-5:00 pm | Wednesday
Tourism Infrastructure Investment Program Grant Application Training
Host: MT Office of Tourism Development & Education Program 
Room: Lewis and Clark Rooms

If your organization is planning to submit a tourism-related facility improvement project for TIIP Grant funding in 2012 or beyond, this session will help you understand the priorities of the grant program, information being requested by the grant application, and tips on what makes a good proposal.
 
4:00-6:00 pm | Wednesday
Great Falls Historic Trolley Tour (42 person limit, pre-registration requested)
Host: Great Falls Historic Trolley, Carol Place 
Room: Board Buses at Front of the Hotel
Repeat of 1:30 pm Tour

4:30-6:00 pm | Wednesday
MT Tourism Business Improvement Districts (TBID) Meeting
Host: Billings TBID, John Brewer 
Room: Britain/Canadian Rooms

5:45-7:00 pm | Wednesday
Afternoon at the Movies
Host: Great Falls CVB Conference Planning Committee
Room: American Room
Enjoy your own free, private screening of “The Great Falls Story,” a production by Great Falls’ The History Museum and local filmmakers. Movie is served with an introduction and treats.

7:00-10:00 pm | Wednesday
Welcome Reception
Sponsor: Montana State Parks
Room: Convention Area

Come celebrate the opening of the conference with all your friends and partners, make new friends, hear from our MT State Parks and enjoy the atmosphere created by Great Falls musician Richard Matoon. Finger foods and refreshments available.

Thursday, April 12, 2012

7:00 am | Thursday
Conference Registration
Sponsor: Outside
Room: Russell Room

7:00-8:15 am | Thursday
New Ambassadors Breakfast (for 1st time conference attendees)
Sponsor: TripAdvisor
Room: American, Britain, Canadian Rooms

8:30-9:45 am | Thursday
Welcome and Feature Presentation: Outlook 2012 – Travel and Tourism
Presenter: Dr. Suzanne Cook, Senior Advisor, U.S. Travel Association, Washington, D.C.
Sponsor: Yellowstone National Park Lodges - Xanterra
Room: Convention Area

Dr. Cook directed the U.S. Travel Association’s Research Program - considered THE SOURCE for reliable, consistent information about travel and tourism in the US – before making her recent move into a Senior Advisor position with that organization. In her presentation, she’ll be sharing the latest national and international travel data from the Research Program and its other research partners.

9:45-10:30 am | Thursday
Networking Break
Sponsor: Audubon/Media West
Room: French Quarter Exhibit Area

10:30-11:45 am | Thursday
Feature Presentation: Building Your Brand One Story at a Time – Strategic Storytelling
Presenter: Bill Baker, BBandCo, Vancouver, BC
Sponsor: SKI Magazine, Skiing Magazine
Room(s): American, Britain, Canadian Rooms (overflow Montana/Alberta Room)

It’s a crowded marketing world out there, and brands have a tougher time than ever breaking through and connecting with people in meaningful and lasting ways. In this keynote presentation, Bill Baker will show us how storytelling, when properly practiced, can help branders and marketers tap into human nature and do so in a way that takes advantage of the changing media landscape, especially the rise of social media. He’ll provide us with five lessons we can apply to attract people to our brand, connecting them to its higher sense of purpose and each other in the process.

Noon-1:15 pm | Thursday
Montana Grown Luncheon 
Sponsor: Voices of Montana Tourism
Room: Convention Area

Enjoy Montana grown and produced foods along with updates from the MT Office of Tourism.

1:30-2:45 pm | Thursday
Concurrent Break-Out Sessions & Field Trip

Putting TripAdvisor to Work for You
Presenter: Meredith Dillon, Midwest DMO Sales Manager, TripAdvisor
Room: American Room

TripAdvisor® is the world's largest travel site offering trusted advice from real travelers and a wide variety of travel choices and planning features with links to booking tools.  Join Meredith Dillon in a discussion on how to make TripAdvisor work for you by utilizing best practices in reputation management, digital advertising, social networking and content distribution.     

Social Media Beginner Training
Presenter: John Hope-Johnstone, HPR Social Media, Corvallis, OR
Sponsor: The History Channel Magazine
Room: Britain Room

HPR Social Media Strategist John Hope-Johnstone returns to Montana to assist all skill levels better understand and utilize Social Media and internet marketing. John says the Beginner Training is for people who spend 1 to 2 hrs or less per week working with social media – either for personal or business uses – and who want to understand the basics of the social media landscape before diving in. If you’re already active on the big 4 social media sites (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube) to promote your brand, then look at the Intermediate and Advanced Sessions offered later Thursday and Friday morning.

MT Travel Trends and Tools
Presenters: Norma Nickerson, Director; Christine Oschell, Assistant Director; Kara Grau, Assistant Director of Economic Analysis, Institute for Tourism & Recreation Research (ITRR), Missoula, MT
Room: Canadian Room

ITRR Staff will share with you the latest research on what to expect in 2012 regarding visitation and Montana tourism activity. They will also look back at visitor expenditures trends in recent years and show you how to use their new on-line tool which allows you to create your own reports from ITRR data. 

Be A Champion for Montana’s Tourism Industry
Presenters: Mary Paoli, Voices of Montana Tourism PR Manager, Bozeman, MT; Lauren Crawford, Locust Street Group, Washington, D.C.
Room: Montana/Alberta Room

Building and strengthening teams is all about developing strong relationships.  Whether you are talking about an existing team in an organization or bringing people together to form a new team; how you choose to do the work is as important as the work you are there to do.  Using concepts from the Five Dysfunctions of a Team model, we will explore ways to create and strengthen teams.

Field Trip: Ursuline Retreat and Conference Centre (42 person limit, pre-registration required)
Host: Ursuline Centre Historical Foundation & Great Falls Historic Trolley
Room: Board Buses at Front of Hotel

Celebrating its Centennial this year, the six-story richly patterned brick and terra cotta Ursuline Centre has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1991 and is a rich repository for written, oral, and artifact history. This tour showcases the building’s beautiful marble entryway, a two-story chapel, an exceptional collection of Native American artifacts, exquisite furnishings, paintings and photographs as well as the Centre’s contemporary use as a public meeting and retreat facility.  

2:45-3:30 pm | Thursday
Networking Break
Sponsor: Arthur Frommer’s Budget Travel
Room: French Quarter Exhibit Area

3:30-4:45 pm| Thursday
Concurrent Break-Out Sessions & Field Trip

Sustainable Tourism Workshop
Presenters: Randy Gravatt, Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center, West Yellowstone, MT; Lora Burrowes and Doug Mulvaney, Kampgrounds of America, Billings, MT; Jeff Schmidt, Red Lodge Mountain, Red Lodge, MT; Heather Higinbotham, Yellowstone Business Partnership, Bozeman, MT
Room: American Room

Business owners and organization representatives who have completed the Yellowstone Business Partnership’s UnCommon Sense training program will share their experience with implementing the sustainable business practices and its affect on their “triple bottom line.”

Social Media Intermediate Training
Presenter: John Hope-Johnstone, HPR Social Media, Corvallis, OR
Sponsor: The History Channel Magazine
Room: Britain Room

John Hope-Johnston’s Intermediate Training is for those who spend 7 to 10 staff hours a week on Social Media and are ready to dive deeper into the top four social networking sites (LinkedIn, Facebook,Twitter and YouTube). The session will also look at secondary and upcoming platforms (location-based marketing sites, consumer generated reviews and group buying sites), and integrating industry specific promotions and groups into your expanding web repertoire. A Beginners Session is offered earlier Thursday afternoon and an Advanced Session Friday morning.

Coming Together to Expand Montana’s Tourism Story
Presenters: MT Office of Tourism and MercuryCSC Staff
Room: Canadian Room

In 2012, the MT Office of Tourism (MTOT) has been traveling Montana providing tourism and brand workshops in communities across the state. The “Coming Together to Expand Montana’s Tourism Story” workshop provides an overview of MTOT’s efforts supporting and promoting tourism statewide and engages community members in a brainstorming session to create ideas and actions to allow their area to attract and retain more visitors throughout the year. In this session, MTOT Staff and their partners at MercuryCSC will share insights from completed workshops and provide you details on how to schedule one in your community.

Be A Champion for Montana’s Tourism Industry
Presenters: Mary Paoli, Voices of Montana Tourism PR Manager, Bozeman, MT; Lauren Crawford, Locust Street Group, Washington, D.C.
Room: Montana/Alberta Room

2012 American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association (AIANTA) Conference MT Preview
Presenters: Ed Hall, AIANTA Board Member/BIA Transportation Specialist, Washington, D.C.; Jackie Yellowtail, Apsaalooke Nations Tourism Director/AIANTA Board Member, Crow Agency, MT; Ed DesRosier, Sun Tours/AIANTA member, East Glacier, MT
Room: Lewis & Clark Rooms

Native American tourism businesses, organizations and partners from across the country will be heading to Billings Sept. 23-26, 2012, for the 14th annual national AIANTA Conference. In this session AIANTA Board Members and Montana tribal tourism representatives will highlight the conference agenda, activities, attendees and opportunities for Montanans to learn what’s happening around the country, and share Montana.

Field Trip: Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail Interpretive Center (56 person limit, pre-registration required)
Host: Lewis & Clark National Heritage Trail Interpretive Center & Hall Transit
Room: Board Buses at Front of Hotel

On this guided tour, enjoy the award winning hands-on exhibits, displays and interpretation of the 1804-1806 journey of Lewis and Clark’s “Corps of Discovery” through western North America and the significant relationship-building experiences with the Plains and Northwest Indians who lived there. Montana and the Great Falls area are key parts of this story.

4:45-7:00 pm | Thursday
Networking Reception
Sponsor: Town Pump, Inc.
Room: French Quarter Exhibit Area

7:00-9:00 pm | Thursday
Montana Tourism Awards Banquet
Banquet Sponsor: Glacier Park, Inc.
Wine Sponsor: Certified Folder Display Services, Inc.
Special Guest: Lt. Governor John Bohlinger
Room: Convention Area

Let’s enjoy some good company and Montana foods while celebrating the good works of our peers with the presentation of the Montana Tourism Person, Event, Partnership and Community of the Year Awards. Here are this year’s Award Nominees:

9:00-11:00 pm | Thursday
Entertainment – The 49th Street Blues Project
Sponsor: Glacier Park, Inc.
Room: Convention Area

Friday, April 13, 2012

7:00 am | Friday
Conference Registration
Sponsor: Outside
Room: Russell Room

8:30-9:45 am | Friday
Feature Presentation: Brand USA, Inc. and the United States of Awesome Possibilities
Presenter: Diane Shober, Director, Wyoming Office of Tourism, Cheyenne, WY
Room: Convention Area

Brand USA, Inc., (formerly the Corporation for Travel Promotion) is the national organization created in 2010 to invite travelers from around the world to visit the United States. Brand USA Board Member Diane Shober will update us on the organization’s international promotion efforts, the new “United States of Awesome Possibilities” campaign, and how Montana can get involved and benefit from this effort.

9:45-10:30 am | Friday
Networking Break
Sponsor: Town Pump, Inc.
Room: French Quarter Exhibit Area

10:30-11:45 am | Friday
Concurrent Break-Out Sessions & Field Trip 

Sustainable Tourism Workshop
Presenters: Randy Gravatt, Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center, West Yellowstone, MT; Lora Burrowes and Doug Mulvaney, Kampgrounds of America, Billings, MT; Jeff Schmidt, Red Lodge Mountain, Red Lodge, MT; Heather Higinbotham, Yellowstone Business Partnership, Bozeman, MT
Room: American Room
Repeat of Thursday 3:30 pm session

Social Media Advanced Training
Presenters: John Hope-Johnstone, HPR Social Media, Corvallis, OR; Donnie Clapp, Community Manager, MercuryCSC, Bozeman, MT; Jan Stoddard, West Yellowstone Chamber of Commerce, West Yellowstone, MT; Tia Troy, Public Relations and Communication Manager, Glacier Country, Missoula, MT; Sarah Lawlor, Public Information Officer, and Thurston Elfstrom, Sr. Interactive Manager, MT Office of Tourism, Helena, MT
Sponsor: The History Channel Magazine
Room: Britain Room

John Hope-Johnstone’s Advanced Training is for those who spend 12+ staff hours on Social Media per week. For this session, John is joined by a group of active MT Social Media users to discuss and explore case studies and personal experiences in Internet and social media campaigns, increasing brand awareness, customer relations, lead generation and other marketing goals. Beginner and Intermediate Training Session are offered Thursday afternoon.

Putting TripAdvisor to Work for You
Presenter: Meredith Dillon, Midwest DMO Sales Manager, TripAdvisor
Room: Canadian Room
Repeat of Thursday, 1:30 pm session

MT Travel Trends and Tools
Presenters: Norma Nickerson, Director; Christine Oschell, Assistant Director; Kara Grau, Assistant Director of Economic Analysis, Institute for Tourism & Recreation Research (ITRR), Missoula, MT
Room: Montana/Alberta Room
Repeat of Thursday 1:30 pm session

RMI Update: Latest in MT’s International Tourism Efforts
Presenters: Mathias Jung, Rocky Mountain International (RMI), Cheyenne, WY; Marlee Iverson, Travel Trade Manager, MT Office of Tourism, Helena, MT
Room: Lewis & Clark Rooms

Rocky Mountain International and Montana Office of Tourism representatives provide an overview of Montana's international promotional efforts in Europe, Scandinavia and Australia. International visitor arrivals to the U.S. are expected to grow 5-6 % annually during the next five years with current forecasts expecting a record 64 million international travelers, spending $152 billion here during their stays.  Learn some of the latest international travel trends and how you can develop new international business.  

Field Trip: C.M. Russell Museum (56 person limit, pre-registration required)
Host: C.M. Russell Museum & Hall Transit
Room: Board Buses at Front of Hotel

On this special tour you’ll experience the C.M. Russell Museum’s nationally acclaimed exhibition The Bison: American Icon, Heart of Plains Indian Culture. The exhibition showcases the importance of the bison to the Northern Plains Indian culture from 1830 to today through artifacts and art. Blackfeet beadwork artist Jackie Larson Bread, whose work is part of the exhibit, will talk about her beadwork style and demonstrate beadwork technique. Bread is a member of the Montana Arts Council’s Circle of American Masters. 

Noon-1:30 pm | Friday
Montana Grown Luncheon & Exhibitor Giveaway
Sponsor: MercuryCSC and Spark Communications
Room: Convention Area

Enjoy Montana grown and produced foods while our Exhibitors share gifts with you. We’ll also have MT Office of Tourism program updates.

Our 2012 Conference concludes right after the Friday luncheon. Best wishes for a great 2012! We’ll get back together for the next Montana Tourism Conference March 24-26, 2013, in Helena.