2025 Governor’s Conference
Learn MoreMissouri Governor’s Conference on Tourism
About
The Missouri Governor’s Conference on Tourism is an annual conference that features a strong line-up of expert speakers, as well as exciting social events to enhance your networking opportunities with top leaders and innovators.
Join us at the 2025 Conference, held at The Resort at Lake of the Ozarks in Lake Ozark on October 7-9.
Conference Hotel: The conference rate ($149-179 + tax and $10.00 resort fee) is available Oct. 6-9 at The Resort at Lake of the Ozarks. Reservations can be made via the link or by calling 573-693-9988 and asking for the 2025 Governor’s Conference on Tourism discounted rate. The room block closes September 8, 2025.
Questions? Please contact Jadrien.Bopp@ded.mo.gov
Donate to our 2025 Governor’s Conference Giving Back Cause: The Dream Factory
Registration
Full Conference Pass (meals included) (October 7-9) | Early Bird $350 / Standard $400
One-Day Pass (meals included) (October 8) | Early Bird $300 / Standard $350
Awards Banquet Pass Only | $100
Lunch Pass Only (subject to Governor’s attendance) (October 8) | $50
Early Bird Registration closes September 5. Final Registration closes September 19.
Destination Experience
Sponsored by Lake of the Ozarks CVB
Choose your Experience:
Lake Experience
Join us on Tuesday, October 7, for a boat ride on the Celebration Cruise to experience the Lake from the water. We will meet at The Encore Lakeside Grill at the host hotel and depart via shuttle at 11:30 AM. The Celebration Cruise will depart from land at noon for a 90-minute scenic cruise. During the cruise, drinks and appetizers will be provided. We will return to the hotel by approximately 2:00 p.m.
RSVP for this experience. (hyperlink RSVP to the form on industry portal)
OR
Golf Experience
Enjoy a complimentary round of golf at The Cove course at The Lodge of Four Seasons, one of the Lake’s premier golf destinations. To book your tee time on Tuesday, October 7, please contact The Cove Pro Shop at 573-365-8532. When booking, be sure to mention that you are attending Missouri’s Governor’s Conference on Tourism to receive your complimentary round of golf. Transportation is on your own.
Agenda
Tuesday, October 7
Registration
Sponsored by Madden Media
Exhibitor Trade Show Set Up
Destination Experience
Sponsored by Lake of the Ozarks Convention & Visitor Bureau
*RSVP required
Marketplace Reception
Sponsored by People Inc.
Join us for a Marketplace Reception at The Encore Lakeside Grill & Sky Bar before the Welcome Reception. The event will provide valuable time to network with your peers and establish connections with vendors at the conference. Light refreshments will be served.
Welcome Reception
Sponsored by Lake of the Ozarks Convention & Visitor Bureau
Ease into lake life with an evening of fun, heavy appetizers and lively music. Mingle with fellow tourism professionals and meet new contacts as you enjoy sunset views from The Encore Grill & Sky Bar.
Wednesday, October 8
Exhibitor Trade Show
Visit with business professionals and service providers who help support the tourism industry.
Registration
Sponsored by Madden Media
Breakfast
Sponsored by Osborn Barr Paramore
General Session
Sponsored by Tripadvisor
Generative AI and Tourism: Practical Applications for Missouri’s Global Future
Speaker: Janette Roush, Chief AI Officer and SVP of Innovation at Brand USA
Cut through the AI hype with Janette Roush, as she delivers a straightforward look at how artificial intelligence is reshaping tourism. Whether you’re already experimenting with AI or just getting started, you’ll gain real-world applications that organizations of any size can implement today. Learn how to work smarter with AI tools while positioning your organization for success in an era of rapid technological change—while also considering how the choices you make now will shape the way we work in 2030. No PhD required—just bring your curiosity and leave with practical insights you can put to work immediately.
10 Minute Break
Breakout Session
The Power of Being A Little Out There
Speaker: Jacquelyn Blackwell, Director of Tourism Brand Partnerships at Atlas Obscura
Our industry focuses a lot on beauty: magnificent sunsets, lush environments, happy people. But it can be challenging to compete in this space, especially with the vast wonders in the heartland. In this session, Atlas Obscura’s Jacquelyn Blackwell discusses embracing the quirky and unexpected to stand out – with the data to prove it. She’ll share case studies, best practices, and strategies that harness your community’s uniqueness to capture the attention of travelers’.
Breakout Session
Incorporating AI into Your Work
Speaker: Janette Roush, Chief AI Officer and SVP of Innovation at Brand USA
How do you progress from using AI to rewrite your emails to using AI to reshape your business? Explore use cases from across the tourism sector, discover tools that boost productivity without sacrificing creativity, and leave with a roadmap for embedding AI into your organization’s daily operations.
Breakout Session
Film-Friendly Communities
Panel: Andrea Sporcic Klund, Missouri Film Office; Cole Payne, Producer; Gina Goff, Producer; and Christian Mengel, St. Joseph, MO Convention & Visitors Bureau
Hear from MO-based producers about what they are looking for in film-friendly destinations and how locations are taking steps to be more welcoming and accessible during this panel discussion moderated by Missouri Film Office Director Andrea Sporcic Klund.
Break and Exhibitor Trade Show
Sponsored by Rural Missouri
Visit with business professionals and service providers who help support the tourism industry.
All Breakout Sessions Repeat
This is your chance to see another breakout session.
Luncheon
Sponsored by OBP Agency
General Session
Missouri Jeopardy
Host: Scott Caufield, Tripadvisor
Breakout Session
Stretching Tourism Dollars: Collaborating Through the Area Marketing Program (AMP)
Speaker: Heather Brown, Executive Director at Lake of the Ozarks Convention & Visitor Bureau
Learn how the Lake of the Ozarks Convention & Visitor Bureau’s Area Marketing Program (AMP) brings communities and tourism partners together to pool resources and expand marketing reach across the tri-county region of Lake of the Ozarks. This session will highlight how collaboration through AMP helps stretch limited budgets, strengthen regional visibility and support shared goals for promoting the Lake area. Whether you’re a local business, attraction or community leader, AMP offers a cooperative way to make your marketing efforts go further—together.
Breakout Session
Turning Insight into Impact: Research That Moves the Needle for Small Destinations
Speaker: Jerry Henry, CEO of H2R Market Research
In today’s rapidly shifting travel landscape, small and mid-sized CVBs can no longer afford to rely on assumptions or outdated intuition. This session explores how data-driven decision-making—anchored in smart, scalable research—can transform how small to mid-size destinations market themselves, prioritize investments, and connect with travelers.
Drawing on real-world examples and industry trends, attendees will learn the key types of research every CVB should consider (from brand health to visitor barriers), how to integrate complementary tools like analytics, AI, and geolocation intelligence, and how to balance cost with insight. Whether you’re just getting started or looking to elevate your research strategy, this session will equip you with practical tools to better understand your visitors—and what moves them.
Breakout Session
Break and Exhibitor Trade Show
Visit with business professionals and service providers who help support the tourism industry.
All Breakout Sessions Repeat
This is your chance to see another breakout session.
10 Minute Break
Missouri Tourism Commission Meeting
Seating is limited.
Awards Reception
Wine compliments of the Missouri Wine and Grape Board.
Awards Banquet & Presentation
Wine compliments of the Missouri Wine and Grape Board.
Thursday, October 9
Exhibitor Trade Show
Visit with business professionals and service providers who help support the tourism industry.
Registration
Sponsored by Madden Media
Breakfast
Breakout Session
Crafting Immersive Stories
Speaker: Jacquelyn Blackwell, Director of Tourism Brand Partnerships at Atlas Obscura
In a world where audiences crave more than just information, immersive storytelling has become the key to engaging travelers on a deeper level. This session will teach you how to craft stories that not only inform but also transport your audience into the heart of your destination. Discover techniques for creating vivid, multi-sensory narratives that make visitors feel like they’re already there, sparking curiosity and driving engagement. Learn how to leverage new media, dynamic content, and emotional connection to create unforgettable stories that resonate with today’s travelers and leave a lasting impression.
Breakout Session
The Future of Search
Speakers: David Kidd, VP of Digital Marketing, and Kirstie Bischoff, VP of Operations, SteadyRain
Join SteadyRain as they breakdown the current AI landscape and the affect that large language models are having on the consumer journey to discover new travel destinations. Discover how travelers are getting answers without clicking, how AI summarizes your business and what that means for organic traffic. You’ll learn actionable strategies to adapt your content, enhance local SEO and build the authority AI systems now prioritize.
Breakout Session
10 Minute Break
All Breakout Sessions Repeat
This is your chance to see another breakout session.
Break and Exhibitor Trade Show
Visit with business professionals and service providers who help support the tourism industry.
Missouri Division of Tourism Update
Speaker: Stephen Foutes, Missouri Division of Tourism
During this session, you’ll see examples of MDT’s work to showcase Missouri as a travel destination, hear programmatic updates and get a sneak peek at the Division’s marketing plans for spring 2026 and beyond.
Giveaways & Closing Remarks
Conference Concludes
Speakers
Keynote Speaker
Janette Roush
As Chief AI Officer and SVP of Innovation at Brand USA, Janette spearheads AI-driven strategies to enhance tourism marketing, streamline internal operations, and foster innovation for the benefit of both Brand USA and the broader U.S. travel industry. She joined Brand USA from New York City Tourism + Conventions, where she oversaw the organization’s paid media strategy, programs and media insights to drive visitation across the five boroughs. Prior to joining NYC Tourism, she spent more than two decades marketing Broadway at organizations such as Broadway.com and AKA NYC.
Jacquelyn Blackwell
Jacquelyn is your strategic friend in the world of tourism. With a wealth of experience cultivated over 12 years in the tourism industry, she brings a unique blend of expertise in strategy development, innovation, and the art of storytelling. Jacquelyn’s passion for travel marketing runs deep. From engaging with local community leaders to delivering impactful presentations at tourism conferences, her firsthand experiences have honed a keen understanding of what truly drives successful marketing for organizations.
Andrea Sporcic Klund
Andrea Sporcic Klund is the film commissioner for Missouri and runs the Missouri Film Office – a part of the Missouri Division of Tourism. She has been in the film biz representing Missouri for over 20 years. Since 2005 she has worked to market Missouri to the film and television industry nation-wide. She has helped coordinate production logistics for more than 30 feature films, and hundreds of television segments and series filmed all over the state. Before joining the film office she spent 8 years with Cinema St. Louis, the producers of the St. Louis International Film Festival as director of operations. She holds BA degrees in Theatre and Corporate Communications from Lindenwood University. She has also acted, written, directed and produced for the stage and screen.
Heather Brown
Heather Brown has served as the Executive Director of the Lake of the Ozarks Convention & Visitor Bureau since December 1, 2020. With a strong foundation in communication and business, Heather holds a Bachelor of Science in Communication with an emphasis in Public Relations and Marketing, along with a Master’s degree in Business Administration. A lifelong Lake of the Ozarks resident, Heather is dedicated to promoting the region not only as a top travel destination but also as a wonderful place to live and raise a family. She and her husband of 19 years, Travis Brown, are proud parents to two daughters, Coral and Chesney, and a son, Kastor.
Jerry Henry
Jerry Henry is the Chief Executive Officer of H2R Market Research, a leading firm specializing in travel, attractions, and entertainment research. With more than 40 years of experience in consumer insights and market research, Jerry is a respected thought leader known for building high-performance teams and delivering strategic, actionable insights. While his background spans multiple industries, Jerry is especially recognized for his deep expertise in the travel and tourism sector—including attractions, destination marketing organizations (DMOs), state tourism offices, and quality-of-life industries. He has been at the forefront of tracking U.S. travel behavior for decades. Under his leadership, H2R has developed the largest proprietary database of attraction industry norms in North America and, in partnership with PGAV Destinations, publishes Voice of the Visitor—the industry’s first and most comprehensive annual cross-sector study of its kind.
Pam Kramer
A proven leader in sports business, Kramer’s career includes 16 years at Sprint, where she played an instrumental role in developing and executing many of Sprint’s most successful and pioneering sponsorships, notably the 1994 FIFA World Cup USA, the last time the global event was held in the United States. Among her accomplishments is securing the placement of Sprint’s brand on the NFL coaches’ headsets, the first sponsorship of its kind by a consumer brand. Following her tenure at Sprint, which culminated in leading the company’s $100-million annual advertising efforts and earning the highly esteemed Sprint Chairman’s Award, Kramer joined the Kansas City Chiefs to lead business communications and advise team leadership on communications strategy. In 2021, the Kansas City Current retained her as transitional CEO during its critical start-up phase where she helped steer the organization in its development of the Kansas City Current brand and assisted launching the team onto the national stage. Most recently, she provided strategic oversight and guidance to the Kansas City Sports Commission as Fractional Chief Operating Officer (COO) before transitioning to the KC2026 team.
David Kidd
David is a results-driven digital marketing leader with over 15 years of deep expertise in growth strategy, analytics, SEO, and paid media. He leads the high-performing digital marketing team supporting clients with full-funnel marketing solutions that drive measurable growth. David combines data analysis with creative execution to optimize performance across channels, including search, social, and programmatic. His focus is typically around building scalable strategies, improving ROI, and supporting complex digital transformations. With a passion for performance marketing and a sharp eye for analytics, David consistently helps our growing list of brands increase visibility, engagement, and revenue.
Kirstie Bischoff
Kirstie Bischoff is a forward-thinking operations and marketing executive based in St. Louis, Missouri. As Vice President of Operations at SteadyRain, she leads cross-functional teams, streamlines business processes, and drives strategic digital initiatives for clients across industries. With a strong background in SEO, paid media, and digital strategy, Kirstie is especially passionate about the future of marketing and the transformative role of artificial intelligence. She actively explores how AI can enhance personalization, improve efficiency, and deliver smarter, data-driven results for brands.
Stephen Foutes
As director of the Missouri Division of Tourism, Stephen leads a dedicated team of marketers, communicators, researchers, program managers, legislative and financial specialists, and welcome center ambassadors focused on promoting Missouri as one of the country’s top travel destinations. A lifelong Missourian, he holds a bachelor’s degree in communications from Central Methodist College and has worked at the Division of Tourism in varying roles for more than 10 years.
Sponsorship
There are multiple opportunities to make your mark this year. Click below for sponsorship details.
Thank you to our 2025 Sponsors
AMERICA Journal
McDaniels Marketing
Your-Type LLC
Missouri Travel Alliance
Columbia CVB
Visit Springfield
Award Nominations
Nominations are closed.
The Governor’s Conference on Tourism Awards are open to DMOs, tourism attractions, lodging, restaurants, festivals/events, publications and other entities contributing to the tourism industry in Missouri. Entries should demonstrate exemplary customer service, initiative and have positively influenced the tourism industry.
Missouri Tourism Hall of Fame
Presented to an individual who has worked in the tourism industry for a minimum of 10 years and whose contributions have significantly and measurably impacted tourism in Missouri.
Sen. Emory Melton Legislative Award
Honors an individual who recognizes the value of tourism to the state and works through the legislative process to support Missouri’s tourism industry.
Marketing Campaign Award
Recognizes an effective integrated marketing campaign that results in increased tourism and economic benefit to a region.
Pathfinder Award
Recognizes an event or organization that successfully develops a niche tourism market.
Innovator Award
Honors a small tourism organization or individual who achieves significant results on a modest budget.
Navigator Media Award
Presented to a media outlet that promotes tourism in Missouri and its importance to the state’s economy.
Rising Star Award
Honors an individual who has worked for a tourism-related organization less than five years or who has transitioned to a new role and made significant advancements to the organization’s efforts.
Tracy Kimberlin Hospitality Award
Recognizes an individual, business or organization that has demonstrated excellent customer service.
Film Industry Champion Award
Presented to an individual who advocates for the film industry and works to expand its presence in Missouri.