The 2016 Washington Tourism Summit will be held on October 14th at the Crowne Plaza in SeaTac. This year we will present a new legislative plan that will create a long-term funding source for a statewide tourism marketing effort. As our members and industry partners know, a legislative taskforce has been meeting regularly this summer to develop our long-term funding plan that will be presented as legislation during the 2017 congressional session. This task force includes members of legislature from both the House and Senate and each of the political caucuses, as well as WTA board members.
The morning session will include members of the legislative task force who will provide an update on the legislative plan. The afternoon session will include a Rally for Success – the 2017 Grassroots Launch where you will learn how to mobilize your community to help pass this important legislation. This year we need all hands on deck and we will provide you with the tools and information you need to support this effort. Chris Ihrig, CEO of Fired-Up! Culture, will provide an exciting wrap up at the end of the session to crystallize the important messages of the day and finish the Summit on an enthusiastic and positive note.
We are pleased to announce that Roger Dow, the President and CEO of the US Travel Association will be the keynote speaker for this year’s Summit. Since 2005, Roger has led the US Travel Association and has been instrumental in transforming the organization into one of the most effective industry associations in the country.
“This year’s tourism Summit will be the most important to date!” said Christina Pivarnik, WTA Board member and Chair of the Summit Planning Committee. “We are excited to welcome Roger Dow as our keynote speaker and look forward to presenting the new WTA plan for legislation that will provide long-term funding for a sustainable statewide marketing effort. After hearing your feedback from previous Summits, we are also going to provide plenty of networking time so you can catch up with your colleagues from across the state. Please plan to join us in October!”
LEGISLATIVE WORKGROUP CONTINUES DELIBERATIONS ON TOURISM FUNDING
- start-up funding that would expire once an industry-based mechanism is generating funds;
- identifying current taxes, with a nexus to tourism, a portion of which or an increased amount could be repurposed to the program;
- identifying where and what state agencies are currently spending on tourism related marketing efforts (e.g. state ferries) and using these funds in a more strategic way;
- tax credits directed to a program; and
- generating new revenues through a voluntary fee structure collected by the state.
ASSEMBLING A TEAM FOR OUR NEW DIRECTION
The WTA board of directors has added to our team of professionals for our stronger, more robust grassroots campaign for the 2017 legislative session. We are excited about the team and their roles to help get legislation passed to fund a sustainable tourism promotion for all of Washington state.
Another new team member is Megan Folkestad, our key communication and coordinator point person supporting our public affairs between the grassroots and legislative teams. Megan is experienced with legislative policy, communications, and knows the legislators and their aides. She will quickly coordinate meetings, communication strategies, etc. You may also soon hear from Megan encouraging you to participate in meetings, hearings, and signing letters to support our legislative and grassroots efforts. Her email is megan.fpa@outlook.com.
The WTA board and staff are prepared to do whatever we can to actively implement the strategies to help us succeed. Our key point WTA staff person is Mike Moe, Associate Director. Mike will continue to sell advertising on the website and eNewsletters while expanding his role to include more advocacy assignments. Diana Thibado is our WTA office “secret weapon” and has expanded her hours to act as our administrator for membership, advertising sales, and coordinating the WTA board and committee meetings.
Our board of directors will be the face of the tourism industry representing our shared objectives to support and pass legislation at hearings, meetings, and with media.
SPONSOR THE 2016 TOURISM SUMMIT
The 2016 Washington Tourism Summit is the best event to connect with tourism industry partners from all over Washington State. Hundreds of members of the industry will converge on the Crowne Plaza in SeaTac to discuss the new legislative plan and to network. This year’s event will include plenty time in the morning and a reception in the afternoon for participants to have time to mingle with vendors. Free tickets come with every sponsorship as well as prominent display of your logo. For only $300, you can purchase a vendor table. There are also opportunities for time on the microphone in front of hundreds of tourism professionals.
Click here to see the different sponsorship opportunities. Please contact Mike Moe at mike@watourismalliance.com or call him at 425-444-0589 for further details.
MEMBERS IN THE NEWS
SUBMIT YOUR STORIES
Want to brag about something your destination was recently recognized for? Have news that impacts Washington State tourism? Please add the WTA to your distribution news list! We’re always looking for story ideas for the WTA monthly newsletter! To submit a story idea, email Diana Thibado at diana@watourismalliance.com
NEW MEMBERS:
RENEWING MEMBERS: