Timeline and Agenda | Go West Summit

Pre-Event Timeline

June 1 - Registration opens for Go West Summit 2022.
December 15 - Deadline for premium advertising submissions.
January 14 - Appointment selection opens. Click here for more details.
January 21 - Deadline for all other advertising artwork.
January 21 - Room Reservation Cut-off date at Grand Sierra Resort
January 28 - Deadline to modify profile. Changes to your online profile made after this date will not be reflected in the resource manual.
February 14 - Education Day
February 15-16 - Marketplace - Two days of face to face pre-scheduled appointments
February 17 - Adventure Day

On-Site Event Agenda

Sunday, February 13, 2022

1:00pm – 5:30pm	Go West Summit Registration. Pick up your welcome bag and event credentials. Grand Sierra Resort.
5:30pm – 7:30pm	Buyer Welcome Reception - Grand Salon Ballroom - Grand Sierra Resort Sponsored by Travel Oregon.

Monday, February 14 - Education Day

7:00am – 5:30pm	Go West Summit Registration. Grand Sierra Resort.
8:00am – 3:00pm	Buyer Site Tour Reno Tahoe will showcase their destination and hotel properties to buyers and journalists. Free transportation and lunch will be included. Tour area hotels while enjoying a bit of fun before Go West Summit! Full agenda here. (Buyers and Media only, please).
8:00am – 9:10am	State Caucus Sessions—Meet with suppliers from your state to discuss the latest news and programs and plan your Go West Summit strategy. Every state sponsor is given the opportunity to present a session. Confirmed sessions and their locations are posted below. Arizona - Crystal 5 California - Crystal 2 Montana - Supplier Lounge Nevada - Crystal 1 Oregon - Crystal 4 Utah - Crystal 3
9:15am – 10:30am	International Travel Forecast 2022 This session is designed to help suppliers focus their international promotion efforts in the right markets using the U.S. Department of Commerce’s 2020 dashboard and Brand USA's data. Which countries had the highest inbound-U.S. visitation? To which states did they travel? Did Go West destinations see declines? What does the future hold for international tourism? Presented by Julie Heizer, Deputy Director, National Travel and Tourism Office and Peter Dodge, Manager of Public Policy and Public Affairs, Brand USA.
10:40am – 11:50am	The Future or Travel and Tourism through the World Lens of the WTTC Join WTTC’s Helena Bononi for a look at the key trends, priorities, and opportunities ahead as we move through the pandemic to restart international travel. Sustainability and inclusion must be at the heart of a more resilient and competitive travel and tourism industry. Achieving success will require the engagement of all stakeholders from the early stages through the longer-term recovery to unlock the full growth potential of the Travel & Tourism sector in years to come. Featuring Helena Bononi, Vice President Membership and Commercial, World Travel & Tourism Council. In Partnership with IITA.
12:00pm – 1:15pm	Lunch - Grand Ballroom
1:30pm – 2:30pm	National Parks Updated - Managing Visitation in the Midst of the Pandemic This popular GWS session will provide an update on the short- and long-term plans of the National Parks Service and the major national parks, including changes resulting from the pandemic, planned infrastructure improvements and managing visitation and congestion. NPS, IITA and other tour industry associations are collaborating to find mutually beneficial solutions that will ensure the best possible visitor experiences. Presented by Peter van Berkel, President of Travalco and IITA Chairman and Kurt Rausch, Chief of Commercial Services Program, National Park Service In Partnership with IITA.
2:40pm – 3:30pm	Discussion on Destination Management & Stewardship This session shares how to care not only for our natural resources and destinations, but for visitors and the residents who call those destinations home. Presented by Tony Lyle, Chief Marketing Officer, Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority and Barb Bowman, CEO, Bowman & Associates, LLC.
2:40pm – 3:30pm	Next Chapter: How Do We Ensure a Strong Recovery U.S. borders are open for inbound travel, yet there will be ongoing challenges as we rebuild international travel and tourism – ups and downs of virus rates here and abroad, ongoing travel restrictions, and health and safety protocols, to name a few. Hear from this panel of IITA inbound operators about the challenges they’re facing, the opportunities they see ahead and their expectations for both the short- and long-term impact the pandemic will have on international inbound travel. Moderated by Lena Ross, Director of Product Development, America 4 You LLC with panelists Karin Omojola, VP Product, AmericanTours International, Emmanuelle Vaugeois, Founder, Scenic Roads, and Richard Wimms, Managing Director, Vacations to America. In Partnership with IITA.
3:40pm – 4:30pm	Infusing Community into your Sustainability Journey We all want to make the world a better place, particularly as we rebuild travel and tourism in the post-pandemic world. Sustainable travel and business practices will help us do just that. Changing the world can certainly feel overwhelming but engaging in more sustainable practices is not always as hard as we expect it to be. We can start making more responsible choices within our businesses and for our international clients at the community level where the learning, growing and evolving never ends. Join us for this session to hear from Tourism Cares on the power of community-based tourism, and how infusing people + places in the tourism value change can generate incredible positive impacts for destinations and the inbound travel industry. Presented by John Sutherland, Community Engagement, Tourism Cares. In Partnership with IITA.
3:40pm – 4:30pm	Building Your International Recovery Plan With the recent border openings, international travel to the US is back on center stage. But how strong can rural and gateway communities expect travel recovery to be? Which markets will be most likely to choose the West as their first trip? What will change in how they plan their travel to these places? As exciting as this development is, it can also be overwhelming. We can provide 5 simple steps to help rural and undiscovered destinations, hotels, and attractions attract this new wave of international travelers. Presented by Florian Herrmann, CEO, Herrmann Global.
4:40pm – 5:15pm	How-To-Summit Increase your chances of a successful summit! Learn everything from presenting your business card, to creative appointment tips. This session covers the basics of navigating Go West Summit. Presented by Barb Bowman, CEO, Bowman & Associates, LLC and Anina Grasso, Director of Travel Experiences Development, Destination America.
5:30pm – 8:30pm	Welcome Reception - Funquest - Grand Sierra Resort Please join Reno Tahoe for a night of fun, laughs, and fantastic food and drinks as we kick off Go West Summit! We have been apart for too long, Reno Tahoe looks forward to meeting and greeting you in person while giving you a taste of our city and all of the fun planned for the days ahead. Stay tuned for the unveiling of this year’s Welcome Dinner location; a venue guaranteed to offer fun for everyone!

Tuesday, February 15

7:00am – 5:30pm	Go West Summit Registration
7:00am – 9:00am	Pastry and Beverage Break
9:00am – 5:30pm	Supplier Lounge—Collect your thoughts and prepare for your next meeting.
9:00am – 12:00pm	Marketplace I — This is the first of four Marketplace sessions featuring 12-minute, one-on-one, pre-scheduled appointments.
12:00pm – 1:00pm	Lunch - Grand Ballroom
1:10pm – 5:30pm	Marketplace II
Evening	On Your Own Use this free night to establish a relationship with a potential client or customer—ask them to join you for dinner! Visit the on-site information desk for ideas before exploring local cafés and restaurants.

Wednesday, February 16

7:00am – 5:30pm	Go West Summit Registration
7:45am – 8:50am	Breakfast - Grand Ballroom — Presented by our 2023 Go West Summit destination host.
9:00am – 5:30pm	Supplier Lounge
9:00am – 12:00pm	Marketplace III
12:00pm – 1:10pm	Lunch - Grand Ballroom
1:15pm – 2:15pm	Speed Appointment Session — Meet with buyers at their tables for one full hour of unscheduled 5-minute appointments.
2:15pm – 5:30pm	Marketplace IV
6:00pm – 9:00pm	Closing Reception To celebrate and commemorate a very successful Go West Summit 2022, Reno Tahoe invites you and your new Go West besties to join us for a closing reception unlike any other. We look forward to wining and dining you, but don’t forget to pack those dancing shoes! Venue reveal coming soon, you won’t want to miss this!

Thursday, February 17 - Adventure Day

All Attendees Welcome! Sign up for tours from your user landing (login) page

FAM TRIPS

Buyers and journalists are invited to explore destinations and hotels across the American West before and after the show. Several multi-day excursions are offered. Check them out here.