Agenda

The 2026 Nebraska Tourism Conference agenda is tentative and subject to change.

Breakfast is provided for Embassy Suites guests only. 

Monday, February 9

4-6 p.m. Registration Opens

Tuesday, February 10

8-9 a.m. Newcomer Breakfast

9-10:30 a.m. Opening Remarks and Keynote Speaker, The Road Less Traveled, Mike Smith

• The best adventures and boldest stories often come from unexpected paths. From skateboarding across Nebraska three times to transforming Lincoln’s Railyard into an X Games–style venue, Mike shares lessons learned from partnerships with Red Bull, Vans, Liquid Death, Toyota, and Microsoft. Infused with insights from his 15+ years of turning wild ideas into reality, this keynote inspires audiences to embrace disruption, reshape their stories, and spark bold ideas in their own communities.

10:30-11 a.m. Networking Break

11 a.m.-12 p.m. Breakout Sessions

• Boutique Boom: How Small Hotels are Shaping Big Hospitality Shifts
  • Boutique hotels are no longer just a big-city trend, they’re transforming hospitality in communities of all sizes. With design-forward spaces, local flavor, and personalized guest experiences, these properties are rewriting the rules of what a hotel can be. In this panel, hear from the visionaries behind three successful boutique hotels, each with a different story but a shared impact. They’ll discuss how they brought their concepts to life, why boutique was the right fit for their market and what it takes to thrive in today’s evolving travel landscape. Whether you’re from a small town, mid-sized city or tourism-dependent region, this conversation will offer fresh inspiration and practical insights on how boutique hospitality can help revitalize a community and elevate its brand.
• The Power of Podcasts in Tourism, Sheila Jenkinson, Chris Goforth (moderator), Kathryn Nygren and Veronica Casados
  
  • Tune into this breakout session to learn more about how travelers are using podcasts. Learn from seasoned creators on how to create and run your own podcast whether you are a DMO, business owner or independent creator. If you’re not ready to pick up the microphone learn how to pitch your area to podcasters from marketing professionals.
• Disruption by Design: Breaking the Rules Inside the Lines, Mike Smith
  • This interactive workshop gives attendees a design thinking experience aimed to turn bold ideas into reality. Drawing from adventures like skateboarding across Nebraska and storytelling projects such as Prairie Pirates, Mike helps attendees craft their stories, spark disruptive thinking, and create experiences that reimagine what’s possible for their communities.

12-1 p.m. Lunch

1-2 p.m. Keynote Speaker, 2025 DestinationNEXT Futures Study, Cassandra (McAuley) Gilbertson

• Join us for a deep-dive into the 2025 DestinationNEXT Futures Study, which explores the trends, forces, and signals shaping the future of destination organizations. In this session, you'll get an inside look at the most recent findings and discover what they mean for your strategy, your stakeholders, and your community. We'll unpack emerging (and ongoing) geopolitical factors, trends and strategies destination organizations need to consider, and shifting expectations, all grounded in original research and expert foresight. Whether you're planning your next strategic plan or simply trying to keep up with the pace of change, this session will help you make sense of what's coming and how to lead through it.

2-3 p.m. General Session, The Power of Partnership: Advocacy and Local Leadership in Tourism, Cassandra Gilbertson (moderator), Josh Moenning and Christa Yoakum

• This panel featuring current and former local officials will guide you through best practices and ways to connect with local leadership. Whether you engage primarily with city, county or state officials we recognize there are barriers to working effectively. This session will work to answer pressing questions of how to best partner with officials on every level from simple aspects such as preferred communication to more pressing matters. 

3-3:15 p.m. Networking Break

3:15-4:15 p.m. Breakout Sessions

• Everyday Inclusion: Welcoming Neurodivergent Guests, Kelly Nielsen
  • Whether you work or volunteer in arts, entertainment, sports, recreation, or other community venues–or simply care about making Nebraska a more inclusive place–this session is for you. Join us to explore practical ways to create welcoming experiences for neurodivergent guests, with a focus on individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). You'll gain a better understanding of autism, how it can impact a guest’s experience, and learn actionable strategies to foster a more inclusive and supportive environment for individuals with ASD and their families.
• Time for Community - Best Practices for Community Engagement, Chris Adams
  • Successful tourism relies on a welcoming, engaged local community. In this session we look across the US and around the world at how to build positive,  supportive partnerships with local residents and businesses. This session offers practical tips and best practice examples in community engagement including how successful events can build both local resident and visitor engagement, effective and low-cost ways to track and act on resident sentiment and the 5 most impactful ways to demonstrate the value of tourism to your local community, businesses and with political leaders.
• National Destination Funding Models & Trends including case studies from New Mexico, Tania Armenta

  • This session explores evolving funding models for destination marketing and development as communities seek sustainable and diversified approaches to supporting tourism and economic development. With insight from Civitas, the leading firm specializing in developing and advocating for unique tourism and travel promotion funding strategies, the session covers current national trends in destination funding, including lodging taxes, tourism improvement districts, public-private partnerships, and emerging alternative revenue sources. The presentation will also feature specific examples from Albuquerque and New Mexico, including funding structures, governance models, lessons learned, outcomes and considerations for applying innovative funding strategies.

• Beyond the Classroom: Walking Tour of Kindler Hotel and Lincoln Commercial Club
  • Get hands-on with this follow-up to the boutique hotels panel with a visit to the Kindler Hotel and Lincoln Commercial Club! Please meet at the registration desk to begin this session. 

6-8 p.m. Community Night

• Join us for Community Night at the Museum of American Speed, hosted by Visit Lincoln.  An evening to connect, explore, and celebrate Nebraska Tourism. Enjoy complimentary food and drinks while you experience this iconic museum, packed with legendary cars, history, and stories. Whether you’re a longtime resident or new to the community, this is a great chance to gather with friends and neighbors in an iconic setting. We look forward to welcoming you!

Wednesday, February 11

9-10:15 a.m. Opening Remarks and Keynote Speaker, Reframing Accessibility — From Obligation to Opportunity, Kristy Durso

• What if accessibility wasn’t just about compliance—but about connection? In this powerful keynote, accessibility advocate Kristy Durso blends personal storytelling, industry statistics, and real-world challenges to reframe the conversation around disability inclusion. Rather than focusing solely on legal requirements, Kristy reveals how accessibility is ultimately about two things: human connection and exceptional customer service. This session challenges assumptions, highlights the barriers disabled travelers face, and offers a compelling case for why inclusion is not only the right thing to do—it’s also good business.

10:15-10:45 a.m. Networking Break

10:45-11:45 a.m. Breakout Sessions

• Sports Tourism – Beyond the Bleachers: Turning Nebraska Events into National Drivers, Ana Bellinghausen, Sausha Durkan, Kristyna Engdahl and Avarie Howard
  • From the Men’s College World Series to the Omaha Supernovas and the Pinnacle Bank Championship, Nebraska punches above its weight in sports tourism. This session reveals how events can move beyond “game day” to become content engines, media magnets and visitor return drivers. Using real case studies from Hurrdat Sports and Hail Varsity, panelists will break down: content tactics that keep Nebraska in the conversation year-round, on-site activations that keep fans engaged all weekend, partnership models that extend reach and revenue and media strategies that generate national buzz.
• Destination Development Programs, Jenna Bartja and Faith Overall
  • As Visit Nebraska embarks on its pilot destination development program offering in 2026, tourism professionals will be awarded the opportunity to build more robust regional destination promotion strategies and products through an immersive, consultant-guided process. Whether you're a DMO leader, chamber of commerce director, public official, or rural stakeholder, this session offers an overview of Visit Nebraska’s newest program offering and valuable takeaways from peer states with similar programs.
• Revitalize and Renew: Building Resilient Tourism Futures, Will Suit, Liz Lovejoy Brown, Veta Jeffery and Rachel Kreikemeier (moderator)
  
  • In this everchanging tourism landscape it is more important than ever to be adaptable. This panel featuring a variety of tourism destinations from visitors centers to attractions helps to explore their paths of revitalization. Learn from their challenges and triumphs how they have been able to renew their destinations for bright futures.

12-1 p.m. Lunch

1-2 p.m. General Session, State Tourism Marketing Updates and Insights

2-2:15 p.m. Networking Break

2:15-3:15 p.m. Breakout Sessions 

• Crisis Communications: Build a Comprehensive Plan, Deborah Park and Veronica Casados
  • While we all hope we never need to use one, it is essential that we are prepared for when a crisis comes our way. During this session, TURNER PR will share insights and best practices for having (and building) a crisis communications plan. Our experts will dive into the importance of having a plan, where to start if you don’t have one, and the key pieces to help develop your plan. Important questions to think about include: Who is your spokesperson? Who are the key players in the room? What is your message? How will it be conveyed? We will also share case studies and examples of crises within our industry – and tips for how best to handle.
• The Invisible Concierge: How AI is Answering Your Visitors' Questions (With or Without You), Gray Lawry
  • Right now, an AI is telling someone about your destination. The question is: where did it get its information? As AI-powered search tools become travelers' first stop for trip planning, the traditional SEO playbook is being rewritten. This session cuts through the hype to show you exactly how AI search differs from what came before, what it means when visitors never click through to your site, and how you can position your destination to be the source AI trusts. Whether you're panicking or just curious, you'll leave with a clear action plan.
• Hospitality Happens Here: Opening Doors with Red Carpet Service, Jamie Bright, Kendra Mitchell and Cheryl Burkhart-Kriesel
  • Tourism starts long before a brochure or billboard—it begins with a friendly face and a confident recommendation. In this session, learn how Nebraska Extension’s Red Carpet Service program is used as a spark to help rural communities create lasting visitor impressions by equipping local front-line employees with pride, confidence, and hospitality know-how. You’ll hear how Cheyenne County hosts a successful annual training through creative partnerships with the Chamber of Commerce and local businesses, civic groups, and the high school. You'll also hear how small wins resulting from the program—like public restrooms for travelers in a small community or embedding service language in employee handbooks—can create ripple effects for community image and tourism outcomes. The session will also discuss future plans for a 2.0 version of the training for people who have already taken the basic session, as well as expanded partnerships with the school and the Chamber of Commerce. 

3:30-4:30 p.m. NETA Member Meeting

6 p.m. Awards Reception 

Thursday, February 12

8 a.m. NETA Breakfast 

10 a.m. Nebraska Tourism Commission Meeting

11 a.m. SENTC & Byways Meetings

Thank you to our Sponsors!