Agenda
Week Overview
Monday, Nov. 11
Travel DayTuesday, Nov. 12
Explore Downtown Las Vegas Optional Activities Meet & Greet Opening ReceptionWednesday, Nov. 13
General Sessions, Keynote Speakers & Panels Learning Labs Evening Special EventsThursday, Nov. 14
Friday, Nov. 15
Post-Conference Events
Exhibitor Set-up
Registration
Registration
Networking Breakfast
Breaks/MealsNetworking
Networking Breakfast
Networking
Nevada Night Skies: Unlike Anywhere Else
General
Michael Okimoto, Commercial Photographer
Reno-based photographer Michael Okimoto presents Nevada night skies—some of the darkest, quietest and most ideal places to experience the stars in the continental United States. Hear stories about his personal experience shooting astrophotography all across the Western US and Nevada, specially designated dark skies found nowhere else, and why Nevada’s night skies make the best star-gazing destination, with a camera or the naked eye.
Welcome & Opening Session
General
Nevada Welcomes the World! As attendees at this essential Nevada tourism conference, you’ll be introduced as our valued guests and welcomed to Las Vegas by our host hotel the Plaza Hotel Casino, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority and our esteemed elected officials as they share their excitement and expectations for the future of tourism in Nevada.
US Travel’s International Update
General Session
Welcome U.S. Travel’s President and CEO, Roger Dow, who will offer his insight into the rapidly changing global landscape of international travel.
Connecting with Google’s Latest Trends & Newest Opportunities for Destinations
General
The world of Google is an ever-evolving and critical space for every segment of Nevada’s tourism industry. This session will highlight the latest trends and newest opportunities in Google Travel that destination marketers and other segments of the industry should know. In the last year, destinations around the country have become participants in the Google DMO Partnership Program to actively influence their presence in Google’s search and travel planning products beyond paid search and traditional SEO. Learn how their efforts have improved their market’s representation.
Media Marketplace
Marketplace
The Media Marketplace, one of the most valued elements of the Summit, makes available the best travel journalists, bloggers and social media influencers from key international markets for face to face conversations with tourism professionals from around Nevada who are looking to enhance their destination or tourist attraction profile.
How the Power of Music Defines Travel Choices
GeneralKeynote
Media veteran Andy Schuon will discuss music’s role in shaping the character of our national and regional destinations. There’s no more authentic expression of place than its sound, ¾ of all local culture is found there. Now ears will be delivering more content than ever before, as consumers replace their screens with seamless audio connectivity. Learn what travelers will experience next in the interactive world of music and audio.
Keynote Lunch Presentation – Travel Transformation: How AR and AI will reshape Travel and Tourism
Lunch Presentation
As a new decade dawns, a new era for the travel industry is on the horizon. One in which emerging technology and creativity lead the way and where experiences are augmented and personalized. From immersive tours to holographic concierges to robot restaurants and augmented wayfinding, now is the time for brands to rethink what travel means in the 2020s and beyond. Join Cathy Hackl for a preview of her book “The Augmented Workforce: How AI, AR and 5G Will Impact Every Dollar You Make“ and explore how travel and tourism are about to transform.
Optional Activities
Sun Buggy Off-Road Adventure
12:45 – 5:00 pm
Sun Buggy offers 30 minutes of our most popular Off-Road Adventure Tour in the Las Vegas area in this Vegas Mini Baja Chase. The Mini Baja Chase is fast-paced and not tailored for the weak at heart. This is the Las Vegas Driving Experience you’ve likely seen on TV as the Vegas Mini Baja Chase and has been featured by several different TV networks from around the world. The heart-pounding chase was billed as “Sin City’s Best Near Death Experience!” by Rolling Stone Magazine. THIS IS NOT A SLOW PACED OFF ROAD SIGHTSEEING TOUR (if you’d like slow and pretty we can take you to the Valley Of Fire instead). Your job will be to chase one of our expert Dunies. The only thing that will slow our Dunie down is if he’s waiting for you to catch up. At Sun Buggy, although we regularly host large events with hundreds of participants, the Mini Baja Chase is kept to less than 7 cars per Dunie to ENSURE that you get a nice fast ride!
Call to make your reservation: 1-866-728-4443; a confirmation email will be sent to you with instructions on time and meeting location.
GGTS registered participants only – Space is Limited.
Lip Smacking Foodie Tours
1:30 – 4 pm
Exclusive to Governor’s Conference Tourism Conference attendees only, this casual, afternoon stroll of eating and exploring provides the best overview of Vegas, plus leaves plenty of time for the Summit’s first of many networking events, the Meet and Greet that evening. The 2 ½-hour adventure takes you past iconic fountains, glitzy venues and people-packed promenades to the main attraction – the best restaurants that Las Vegas has to offer. Our expert guides have taken the gamble out of dining by curating the most memorable dishes to satisfy any palate, so you don’t have to waste precious time figuring it out yourself from hundreds of possible restaurants. Instead, get whisked immediately to your VIP table at each stop to enjoy 3 to 4 signature dishes, plus show-stopping desserts at the end of the tour for a most memorable afternoon. At each stop, sit next to a different Governor’s Conference Tourism Conference key industry partner to mix, mingle and network.
To make your reservation, visit the website at: https://vegasfoodietour.rezdy.com/340803/lip-smacking-foodie-tours-afternoon-culinary-adventures-11-12-19
Las Vegas Premium Outlet Mall North
12:00 – 5 pm
This airy, outdoor village-styled center is a must-see, must-shop for visitors of the famed Strip. Las Vegas North Premium Outlets® features over 175 designer and name-brand outlet stores offering savings up to 65% every day including kate spade new york, Michael Kors, Pandora, Tory Burch, Coach, Brooks Brothers Factory Outlet and many more. Enjoy dining at our full service sit down restaurant, The Cheesecake Factory. In a hurry? Try some of our eatery options like Shake Shack, Chipotle or our fabulous Food Court. Las Vegas North Premium Outlets is located at the north end of the Strip at the gateway of Downtown and Fremont Street.
Pick-up a goodie bag at the GGTS registration desk prior to visiting the Outlet Mall.
https://www.premiumoutlets.com/outlet/las-vegas-north
No formal transportation will be provided. You can access the Mall by taxi, ride-share or Downtown Loop bus.
Exhibitor Set-up
Pre-Function Area/Foyer
2:00 – 5:00 pm
Meet & Greet Reception
Fergusons Downtown, 1028 Fremont St. (Shuttles provided)
6:30 – 8:30 pm
We look forward to seeing everyone at the Meet & Greet Reception, 6:30 tonight at Fergusons Downtown, 1028 Fremont St. Join us at this fun and a funky new venue for treats, beverages and desert rockabilly music by the Rhyolite Sound. Shuttles will be available starting at 6:15 pm in the Plaza porte-cochere (facing Main Street – across from Fremont Street experience). Shuttles will make return trips to the Plaza until 10 pm. We hope to see you there, and on social media as well: please hashtag your posts, photos, and Tweets #GGTS19.
You can pick up your conference name badge tonight at Fergusons, or at the conference registration booth beginning at 7:30 a.m. Nov. 13.
Check out below the Rhyolite Sound!
Post-Reception
Atomic Liquors, 917 Fremont St.
8:30 pm
Lunch Presentation: IPW 2020 Preview & International Panel
Breaks/MealsGeneral
Rafael Villanueva of the LVCVA will present an IPW 2020 Preview and moderate a panel of international representatives from Japan, Korea and Latin America.
The Allure of New Districts
GeneralPanel Discussion
Both Vegas and Reno are fortunate to have attracted developers with bold visions for downtown real estate. Learn how Zappos and Jacobs Entertainment are making investments and exciting improvements in East Fremont and the Neon Line districts.
Learning Labs
Learning Labs
Lab One: Meet the New Nevada State Parks: Walker and Ice Age – Bob Mergell, Nevada State Parks Director
Lab Two: Social Media Challenges With Earned vs Paid Influencers – Jade Broadus, VP and Creative Director, Travel Mindset
UNLOCKING IMAGINATION THROUGH TRANSFORMATIONAL EXPERIENCES
Meow Wolf, a New Mexico-based arts and entertainment collection that has transformed into an award winning arts production company will open its second permanent exhibition in Las Vegas in 2020.
Break
Breaks/Meals
Inside the Metro CVA’s
General
Steve Hill, LVCVA and Phil DeLone, RSCVA
Join President and CEO of the LVCVA, Steve Hill, and President and CEO of the RSCVA, Phil Delone, as they give us their leadership perspective on what changes the industry will see this year in Vegas and Reno.
Learning Labs
Learning Labs
Lab One: Metrics Every PR Professional Needs to Know – Cyndi Greenglass, SVP Strategic Solutions, Diamond Communication Solutions Today, we are being tasked with providing more quantitative data, more analysis and more reporting. But we also have little time to spend on exploring all the details. So, when you have the attention of the decision makers, you need to make metrics and numbers more relevant, meaningful and memorable. We will address the top metrics you should be using to measure your online, offline, and digital efforts across all of your media channels. But we will not stop there, we will then show you how data visualization becomes your secret weapon. When done right, data visualization can help your clients, your colleagues, and even your boss understand and retain information, as well as provide credibility to your message. Join us at this session to learn the top 5 non-financial metrics and how to apply them, as well as how to avoid the 5 most common mistakes made in presenting metrics.
Lab Two: Perfecting your Sales Pitch – Michael Thomas, Rehearsal Do you ever wonder what separates the good from the great sales presentations? Forget about luck, the art of nailing your sales pitch comes down to science and masterful preparation. Michael will share what he has learned in over two decades winning and losing business in the trenches. He will provide you with a repeatable framework for standing out during the tourism sales process. And explore how new technology is making practicing these skills, the real key to getting the business, more scalable and approachable than ever before.
Break
Breaks/Meals
Future Forward: Creating an AR and AI Tourism Strategy in the Age of Emerging Tech
General
Futurist, speaker, and author, Cathy Hackl is a globally recognized augmented reality, virtual reality and spatial computing thought leader. She’s the #4 Top Technology Voice on LinkedIn, the highest honor on the platform.
Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality are fairly new mediums for communications and marketing professionals. How should your brand approach this space? Cathy Hackl will discuss the key considerations needed for planning your brand’s future in the era of spatial computing, from identifying key opportunities to developing a roadmap.
Sales Marketplace
Marketplace
The always-popular Sales Marketplace is an amazing opportunity to showcase your Nevada experience to delegates from worldwide markets. These are the folks who can help your destination or tourist offering garner its fair share of the nearly six million global travelers who visit Nevada every year and spend $7.5 billion during those visits. Want to learn about more sales-related trends and techniques? Make sure to attend the Sales Specific Presentation on Day 2 opposite the Media Marketplace.
The New Sports Capital of the World
GeneralPanel Discussion
Join Lisa Motley, Director of Sports Marketing and Special Events for the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority, for a panel discussion with representatives from the Vegas Golden Knights, NFL Raiders, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Ultimate Fighting Championship, University of Nevada Las Vegas and HyperX Esports along with special guests as they discuss the strategy and excitement behind Las Vegas emerging as the “New Sports Capital of the World”. Opportunities to win swag and tickets are abundant at this session!
Travel Nevada Closing Reception
Networking
Round out your 2019 GGTS experience at the Travel Nevada Closing Reception. It will be a fun and relaxing wind down from the two jam-packed days of the conference, a last chance to cement the valuable relationships made this year, and grab a few selfies with Nevada’s sports teams’ mascots – don’t forget to share them on Summit social media sites!
Opening Reception Hosted by the Plaza Hotel and Casino
Breaks/MealsGeneral
Mingle, munch and make connections! Join your fellow tourism professionals as you relax and recap the day! The Plaza will host a networking reception poolside with hors d’oeuvres and beverages. But don’t forget to save your appetite for the epicurean feast to follow!!!
Salute to the Industry Dinner
Lt. Governor Kate Marshall and the Department of Tourism will recognize Nevada industry partners in its inaugural GGTS awards ceremony.
Special appearance by iLuminate™, an entertainment technology company that combines state-of-the-art technology with electrifying entertainers who perform in the dark to create the ultimate performing arts experience.
- Nevada Industry
- International Tour Operator
- Nevada Tourism Partner