Connections Schedule
September 8-11, 2025
Lake Charles, Louisiana
Our Speakers
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![Todd Brook]()
Todd Brook
Founder & CEO, Envisionit
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![Chris Ihrig]()
Chris Ihrig
Chris Ihrig, Chairman and CEO, Fired Up! Culture
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![Black and white portrait of a smiling woman with shoulder-length hair, wearing earrings, with the text 'Fired Up! Culture' in the bottom right corner.]()
Meg Winchester CDME, CMP
Vice President, SE Regional Director, Fired Up! Culture
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![Tammy Sargent]()
Tammy Sargent
Senior Advisor, Talent & Human Capital Solutions, Fired Up! Culture
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![A woman with dark hair pulled back, wearing a black top and gold earrings, sitting indoors with a blue window and decorative wall in the background.]()
Ann Edelman
Vice President of Public Relations, Zehnder Communications
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![Ashton English]()
Ashton English
Tourism Data Specialist at Visit North Carolina
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![Fallon Tullier]()
Fallon Tullier
Research and Technology Manager, Visit Baton Rouge
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![Jonathan Smith]()
Jonathan Smith
Director of Research,
VisitGreenvilleSC -
![Dede Haggerty]()
Dede Haggerty
Market Intelligence Specialist, Visit St Pete-Clearwater
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![Joseph St Germain, PhD.]()
Joseph ST Germain, PhD.
President, Downs & St. Germain Research
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![Soyoung Park]()
Soyoung Park
Assistant Professor, Florida Atlantic University
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![Timothy Bush]()
Timothy Bush
Chief Marketing Officer, Visit Lake Charles
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![Fred Dixon]()
Fred Dixon
President and CEO, Brand USA
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![Alexa Moore]()
Alexa Moore
Travel Creator and Freelance Travel Writer
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![Ana Garcia]()
Ana Garcia
Bucket List Content Creator
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![Jordan Basham]()
Jordan Basham
Wheretogeaux225 and T.V. host of Foodie Fix
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![Emily Gonzalez]()
Emily Gonzalez, CDME, TMP
Madden Media
Daily Schedule
Monday, September 8, 2025
Pre-Conference
Meetings
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9:00 am - 11:00 am: Executive Committee Meeting
Location: Board Room
2:00 pm - 5:00 pm: Board of Directors Meeting.
Location: Willowick I & II
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6:30 pm Chart House
Sponsored by Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Tuesday, September 9, 2025
9:00 am - 5:00 pm Registration
NETWORKING
8:00 am - Noon
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Location: Board Room
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Location: Post Oak 1
MORNING ACTIVITIES
9:00 am - Noon
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Location: Grand Foyer
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Southeast Tourism Society Service Providers and Partners are invited to join the STS staff for coffee, pastries, and insights from President & CEO, Monica Smith, on the STS membership. Information regarding the latest membership and event updates will be provided, followed by a Q&A session.
10:00 am - 10:30 am
Location - Memorial I & II
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(Part 1 of 2) Effective advocacy communication relies on telling a compelling story. Learn about the elements of and best practices for crafting an effective and powerful story that helps make a connection with and influence the audience.
NOTE: Attending this session is recommended if you are planning to attend Wednesday’s session, From Idea to Action: Test and Hone Your Advocacy Story (Part 2 of 2)
Anne DarConte, Senior Advisor, Hillstaffer
Location: Post Oak 2/3
Sponsored by OPB Agency
MIXER
11:30 am - 12:15 pm
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Join us for an opportunity to meet other new members and attendees and learn about how to make the most of your STS membership. All attendees are welcome to attend this networking event.
Location: Blue Martini
Sponsored by Dean Runyan Associates
12:30 pm - 2:15 pm
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Location: Grand IV
Followed by dessert
Location: Grand Foyer
GENERAL SESSION
ONE
2:30 pm - 3:45 pm
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2:30p - 3:45p
Welcome - Kyle Edmiston, President/CEO, Visit Lake Charles, Mayor Marshall Simien, Lake Charles, LA
Chris Ihrig, Chief Engagement Officer, FiredUp! Culture
Location: Grand I II
Breakout Sessions
SESSION ONE
Breakouts
4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
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Crisis Communication. It’s critical for tourism organizations to prepare for the broadest range of potential crises. Crisis communications is essential for the large crisis - a natural disaster, terrorist act, wildlife attack and to prepare for others including crime, diversity issues, legislative and political impacts, illegal behavior and more.
Ann Edelman, VP of PR/Crisis Communications, Zehnder
Location: Memorial I II
Sponsored by Advance Travel and Tourism -
Moderator: Deborah Stone, President, Pineapple Public Relations
Ana Garcia (@thebucketlistlatina)
Alexa more (@lilmsawkward.com)
Jordan Basham (@Wheretogeaux225)Location: Grand I II
Sponsored by Expedia Group Advertising -
Moderator: Shannon Gray, CEO/Founder, Gray Research Solutions
Panelists:
Ashton English, Research Data Specialist, Visit NC
Fallon Gerald Tullier, Research & Technology Manager, Visit Baton RougeLocation: Willowick I II
Sponsored by Downs and St Germain
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
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Sponsored by: Visit Lake Charles & Louisiana Office of Tourism
Wednesday, September 10, 2025
9:00 am - 5:00 pm Registration
BREAKFASTS
8:00 am - 9:00 am
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Location: Board Room
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Location: Post Oak I
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Location: Grand Foyer
GENERAL SESSION
TWO
9:00 am - 10:15 am
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Gain insights into AI's transformative potential, understand measurable impacts like time savings and enhanced results, explore common barriers including security, hallucinations, and governance. Learn the POINT methodology for optimizing generative AI, witness live demonstrations of effective prompt crafting, and discover practical applications in HR, social media, and visual content creation
Todd Brooks, Founder & CEO, Envisionit
Location: Grand I II
10:15 am – 10:45 am Vendor Trade Show and Coffee Break
Location: Grand Foyer
Breakout Sessions
SESSION TWO BREAKOUTS
11:00 am - Noon
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Tammy Sargent, Senior Advisor, Talent & Human Capital Solutions, FiredUp! Culture
Location: Memorial I II
Sponsored by JRudny -
Moderator: Kyle Stichtenoth, Sr. Regional Sales Manager, Advance Travel & Tourism:
Panelists: Anya Turpin, President & CEO, Visit Perry, GA
Paige Alost, Executive Director, Visit Natchitoches
Kendra Simpson, Director of Marketing, Play Coastal Mississippi
Location: Grand I II
Sponsored by Accent Creative Group -
Location: Willowick I II
Sponsored by Arrivalist
LUNCH
12:00 pm - 1:15 pm
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Join us for our Annual Meeting and Election of Officers and Directors, where we will review the past year's accomplishments, discuss plans for the upcoming year, and elect new officers to lead our organization.
All conference attendees are invited to attend.
Location: Grand IV
Breakout Sessions
SESSION THREE BREAKOUTS
1:30 pm - 2:30 pm
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Remember when showing up on Google just meant good keywords and a strong meta description? Yeah, neither do we. With AI Overviews hijacking the top of the SERP and generative engines rewriting the travel guide before visitors even click, DMOs are facing a whole new organic obstacle course. In this session, we’ll decode what AIOs and GEOs actually mean (spoiler: it’s not a new boy band) and how destination marketers can outwit the bots, reclaim visibility, and stay relevant in the AI age-without losing their minds or their rankings.
Emily Gonzalez, Destination Strategy Director, Madden Media
Location: Memorial I II
Sponsored by Tiki -
In this interactive session, we will start with a quick review of the highlights of the Storytelling for Advocacy session from Tuesday’s agenda. Then all attendees will work the steps for creating their story, while roaming “coaches” would be there for support and advice. Last, we would have some attendees share their story with the group, while the coaches provide constructive feedback. Anne DarConte, Senior Advisor, Hillstaffer
Location: Grand I II
Sponsored by Gray Media -
Moderator: Chris Cavanaugh, President, Magellan Strategy Group
Panelists:
Jonathan Smith,Director of Research, Visit Greenville SC
Dede Haggerty, Market Intelligence Specialist, Visit St. Pete-ClearwaterLocation: Willowick I II
Sponsored by SETTRA
2:30 pm - 3:00 pm Vendor Trade Show and Coffee Break
Location: Grand Foyer
3:00 pm Vendor Trade Show Breakdown
Breakout Sessions
SESSION FOUR BREAKOUTS
3:00 pm - 4:00 pm
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Transform your organization's culture from the ground up with this session that bridges the gap between data-driven insights and human-centered leadership. In today's rapidly evolving workplace, creating genuine employee engagement requires more than intuition—it demands a strategic approach that combines analytical rigor with authentic human connection.
Meg Winchester, VP, SE Regional Director, FiredUp! Culture
Location: Grand I II
Sponsored by Madden Media -
Dive into travel and tourism's brightest minds! Join your fellow STS members for a session brimming with inspiration. Get a sneak peek at the ingenious marketing campaigns submitted for the 2025 Shining Example Awards. Hear directly from your peers as they unveil the secrets behind their award-worthy creations – campaigns that are making a real difference in their communities. Then, attend the Shining Example Awards dinner to find out if any of the presentations spotlighted are winners.
Timothy Bush, Chief Marketing Officer, Visit Lake Charles
Location: Memorial I II
Sponsored by Simpleview -
An overview of destination best practices for using STR/CoStar data and a demonstration of how to create customized reports using the STR/CoStar platform. Chris Klauda, STR Director of Analytics and Laura Henderson, STR Senior Sales Executive
Location: Willowick I II
Sponsored by SETTRA
GENERAL SESSION
THREE
4:15 - 5:15 pm
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Moderators:
Joseph St. Germain, President, Downs & St. Germain Research
Soyoung Park, Assistant Professor, Florida Atlantic UniversityPanelists:
Joseph St. Germain, President, Downs & St. Germain Research
Soyoung Park, Assistant Professor, Florida Atlantic UniversityStephen Hightower, Food & Beverage Director, The University Club of Baton Rouge
Danielle Morgan, CDME, Executive Director, Mississippi Tourism Association
Location: Grand I II
Sponsored by Longwood’s
6:30 pm - 9:00 pm
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An industry fixture since 1985, The STS Shining Example Awards recognizes 13 individuals or organizations in 10 categories for their outstanding contributions to travel and tourism in the Southeast United States.
Location: Grand Foyer & Grand IV
Thursday, September 11, 2025
Breakfast
8:00 am - 9:00 am
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Location: Grand IV
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Singing of the National Anthem: Ella Claire Welch
Location: Grand IV
CLOSING GENERAL SESSION
9:00 am - 10:30 am
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Fred Dixon, President and CEO of Brand USA & Monica Smith, President & CEO, Southeast Tourism Society
Location: Grand IV
2026 Connections Location Announcement
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*Schedule subject to change