Skip to Main Content

The agenda is subject to change.

Wednesday, September 16

Program Time Location

 

Charlie Daley / Dave Thornton Scholarship Golf Tournament

Register now for a fun-filled day with friends and colleagues to benefit the DONYS Scholarship Fund 

Learn More & Register

  12:00 - 4:30 PM Indian Hills Golf Club


Advocacy Masterclass with the New York Sherpa

with Josiah Brown, the New York Sherpa and President of Famous Destination Marketing

Learn More & Register

10 AM - 4:00 PM

Carter Room

Radisson Hotel Corning

 
Welcome Reception & Mini Golf Tournament to Benefit the DONYS Scholarship Fund

Enjoy a complimentary drink ticket and light fare provided by our host DMO, Explore Steuben! Please register (free) so that we can provide a head count to our hosts.  

Optional: For $25, sign-up for a fun round of mini-golf! Your fee supports NYSTIA's tuition and internship scholarships.

Transportation: Hop on the complimentary shuttle bus, looping from the Radisson Hotel Corning starting at 4:00.

4:30 PM to 6:30 PM Park Avenue Sports Center

Freestyle Dining

Explore Steuben County!

After the Welcome Reception Explore Steuben County!

Nightcaps, Nibbles & Networking

Hosted by Skål Albany/Upstate

8:00 - 10:00 PM

East Room (bar area)

Radisson Hotel Corning

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Thursday, September 17

Program Time Location


Breakfast Program

Opening remarks

Welcome and Greetings from our Steuben County Destination hosts

Kevin Peterson, Explore Steuben

Pamela Walker, Mayor of Corning - About Pam

Jack Wheeler, Steuben County Manager - About Jack

Ross Levi, NYS Division of Tourism - I LOVE NY

7:30 - 9:00 AM

Radisson Hotel Corning

Finger Lakes Ballroom


Keynote Remarks

with Geoff Freeman, President & CEO of U.S. Travel

About Geoff

9:00 - 9:40 AM

Radisson Hotel Corning

Finger Lakes Ballroom


Tourism Excellence: Best Practice Workshops
see schedule below

10:00 - 11:45 AM

Radisson Hotel Corning

Finger Lakes Ballroom

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Tourism Excellence: Best Practice Workshop Schedule

Keuka Room

Seneca Room Cayuga Room

Turning an Overlooked Treasure into a Tourism Superstar

with Nigar Hale, Watkins Glen Area Chamber of Commerce and Paula Tarallo, East Shore Marketing - About This Workshop

We figured it out for YOU!  Easy, affordable, time-saving, and practical international inbound training!

with Jennifer Ackerson, Alon Tourism Solutions - About This Workshop

More Than a Guide: How Cooperstown and Otsego County Inspiration Guide Became a Workforce, Advocacy, and Belonging Tool

with Ryan Geraghty, This Is Cooperstown - About this Workshop 

Making Adventure Easy to Access: Creating the NY Susquehanna Basin Water Trail

with Kris Fitzgerald and Sarah Bilofsky, 2k Design - About This Workshop

From Tourism Business to Travel Trade Ready: The Amplify Effect

with Hayley Coriaty, Alon Tourism Solutions - About This Workshop

Yōkoso Cooperstown: Building Community-Wide Readiness for International Visitors

with Ryan Geraghty, This Is Cooperstown - About This Workshop

From Inspiration to Itinerary: Building Award-Winning Destination Content That Drives Visitor Action

with MacKenzie Zarzycki, Discover Saratoga - About This Workshop

Connecting Craft Beverage with History through Digital Storytelling

with Raphael Beretta, Destination Dutchess

About This Workshop

Junior ACORNS: Sustainable Stewardship through Youth & Volunteer Engagement

with Claudia Nusstein, Genesee County Parks, Recreation & Forestry Department - 
About This Workshop

Stories That Drive Travel: Elevating Saratoga County Through Strategic Media Relations

with Colleen Senglaub, Travel Alliance Partnership and MacKenzie Zarzycki, Discover Saratoga - About This Workshop

The Power of Comedy: Reimagining the Visitor Experience Through Inclusion

with Gary Hahn, National Comedy Center - About This Workshop

The Experience-First Approach to Agritourism Marketing

with Melaine Rottkamp & Kristina Mukherjee, Destination Dutchess - About This Workshop

Stewarding Harriet Tubman's Legacy: A Culturally Conscious Marketing Initiative

with Courtney Rae Kasper, Tour Cayuga - About This Workshop

Retaining a Tourism Workforce that Cross-Promotes Your Area

with Liza Ochsendorf, Warren County Workforce Development Warren County Career Center

Collaborate to Win: How 20+ DMOs Found One Voice with My New York Vibe

with Susan Green, Paperkite, Ryan Geraghty, This Is Cooperstown, and  Kristina Mukherjee, Destination Dutchess - About This Workshop

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Thursday, September 17th agenda, continued below:

Program

Time

Location

Luncheon Program

Welcome Remarks & Presentations

Ross Levi, NYS Division of Tourism - I LOVE NY

Destination Update - Kevin Peterson, Explore Steuben

"A Rising Tide" Tourism Advocacy Project - Michael Martelon, Sullivan Catskills Visitors Association
About This Presentation

12:00 - 1:45 PM

Radisson Hotel Corning

Finger Lakes Ballroom

NYSTIA Annual Meeting Program

Committee & NYSTIA Updates 

1:10 - 1:45 PM

Radisson Hotel Corning

Finger Lakes Ballroom

1:1 Networking Sessions and 10x10 Briefings

2:00 - 4:00 PM

Radisson Hotel Corning

Restaurant Lobby

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

1:1 Networking Sessions & 10x10 Briefings Schedule

1:1 Networking Sessions

Dining room/lobby area

10x10 Briefings

East Room

Meet face-to-face with solution providers through a series of eight 15-minute appointments.

These focused conversations offer the opportunity to make new connections, reconnect with friends and colleagues, exchange ideas, and explore how their products, services, or expertise can support your goals and contribute to your success.

Book Your Free Sessions

The Impact of Bring Travel Trade Ready, with Hayley Coriaty, Alon Tourism Solutions - About

Title TBA, with Rudi Thun, Mindtrip 

Title TBA, with Tom Martinelli, Content Studio NY 

No Host? No Problem. How the Capital-Saratoga Region Drove World Cup Tourism, with Seth Orozco, Elite Media Group - About

AI-Ready Destinations: How New York DMOs Are Winning the New Era of AI Search, with Kathleen Blan, ITI Digital - About

Title TBA, with Susan Green, Paperkite

Save Your Digital Media Budget, with Kimberly Corbett, Ad+genuity - About

 
 
 
 

Thursday, September 17th agenda, continued below:

Program Time

Location

New York State Tourism Excellence Awards Reception

Hot Glass & Cool Wine - Sip something refreshing while you watch molten glass come to life in a live hot glass  performance as part of the reception!

(Hot Glass Show starts at 5:30 PM)

5:00 - 6:30 PM Corning Museum of Glass

New York State Tourism Excellence Awards Banquet & Ceremony

If you are already registered for the Summit, a ticket to the awards banquet and ceremony is already included in your registration. About the Awards Banquet & Ceremony

6:30 - 8:45 PM Corning Museum of Glass

'Bougie & Boozie' Meet Up with the New York Sherpa

All are invited! Learn More

After awards - 10:00 PM Three Birds Restaurant & Axe Throwing Lounge

 

 
 
 
 
 
 

Friday, September 18

Program Time Location


Breakfast Program

with Andreas Weissenborn, SVP of Advocacy & Destination Advancement at Destinations International

About Andreas

7:30 - 9:00 AM

Radisson Hotel Corning

Finger Lakes Ballroom


Industry Updates

9:00 - 9:55 AM

Radisson Hotel Corning

Finger Lakes Ballroom


Closing Remarks

10:00 - 10:30 AM

Radisson Hotel Corning

Finger Lakes Ballroom


Adjournment

Explore Steuben County!

10:30 AM

Radisson Hotel Corning

Finger Lakes Ballroom