2020 Arizona Governor’s Conference On Tourism

The conference zoom recordings have all been added to our YouTube channel.  They are also linked individually down on the conference schedule.

July 22-23, 2020

The Arizona Governor’s Conference on Tourism is the premier educational and information sharing event in the state for travel professionals and destination marketers.

Tourism is Arizona’s No. 1 export industry, and each year GCOT provides its attendees the opportunity to exchange ideas with peers, learn from expert panelists, draw inspiration from nationally renowned speakers, and discover cutting-edge products and services.

Questions? Please contact us at (602) 542-0065 or info@azgcot.com

Events & Activities

Governor’s Tourism Awards Gala

2019 Governor’s Tourism Award Winners

Tourism Spirit of Service – Individual – Bob Lutes

Tourism Spirit of Service – Group – Arizona Outback Adventures

2020 Conference Schedule

All conference elements and sessions will be held virtually via Zoom.

Wednesday, July 22, 2020

10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Tourism Advisory Council – Closed Meeting

2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. General Session (Zoom Recording HERE)

• Arizona Office of Tourism Update, Debbie Johnson, Director, Arizona Office of Tourism
• 2019 Research Numbers, Colleen Floyd, Research Director, Arizona Office of Tourism
• Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics Arizona Launch, Dana Watts, Executive Director, Leave No Trace
• AOT Strategic Recovery Plan, Trever Cartwright, Founder/Partner, Coraggio Group

Thursday, July 23, 2020

9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Breakout Sessions

• Leave No Trace Breakout, Andrew Leary, Leave No Trace

Join Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics’ National Outreach Manager in this hands-on session focused on sustainability and the outdoors. Consider impacts within your own community and learn the most effective way to positively message for initiating behavior change within your destinations. You will also learn what AOT is planning with LNT for the coming year and how you can get involved. (Zoom Recording HERE)

• The Path Forward: Tools for Destination Recovery Planning, Matthew Landkamer, Coraggio Group

In the midst of the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, destinations everywhere are considering smart strategies for the rebuilding of their visitor economies. In this session, you will learn about:

• The New Approach to Creating Compelling Video Content, Anna Hrach, Convince & Convert

When it comes to creating videos that inspire and engage our audiences, we have a tendency to go straight to big-budget, picture-perfect, sweeping cinematic productions. However, it can be incredibly hard for brands and organizations to consistently live up to those video standards when teams are crunched, deadlines are pressing, and audience attention spans are growing shorter every day. Add the fact that video is now an essential and no longer optional component for engaging audiences, and creating video content feels like an almost impossible task. So how exactly do we create even more amazing, engaging video content without adding extra hours to the day or cutting critical line items from our budget? Anna will show you exactly how in this fun, lighthearted and entertaining session. (Zoom Recording HERE)

• County Visitation & Traveler Sentiment Post-COVID,  Colleen Floyd, Arizona Office of Tourism

Join AOT’s research division to learn what markets are visiting your county and how that has changed since before the pandemic. You’ll hear what data AOT is tracking in order to understand and respond to the constantly changing situation and develop marketing accordingly. (Zoom Recording HERE)

10:15 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Closing Keynote Session – Disrupting for Good: Using Passion & Persistence to Create Lasting Change, Chris Field

Our world is in desperate need of people who talk less and do more. Change in our own lives and those around us begins when we ask good questions and then dream, dare, and do. In this session, Chris will show you how to become a disruptor who cannonballs off the cliffs of complacency and changes the world around you. (Zoom Recording HERE)

2020 Keynote Speaker

Chris Field, Disrupting for Good: Using Passion & Persistence to Create Lasting Change

In life there are Dreamers and there are Doers. Some people, like Chris Field, are blessed to be both.

Born in Houston, Texas in 1982, he knew early on that he was different. In grade school he befriended a young man (also named Chris), and kept him from being bullied and harassed. On a trip to visit an uncle in El Paso, his grandmother pointed out that the children just across the border in Mexico had much more difficult lives than he. His response to that became a metaphor for all that he has done since: “What if I just tape money to a rock and throw it across to them? Would that help?”, he asked. He has been figuratively throwing stones of disruption ever since.

As a freshmen in college he ran for mayor of his hometown and finished third out of five candidates. He was encouraged to aim lower by the powers that be, but he aimed high anyway. There is something about stepping out like that. No matter the outcome, it emboldens us and tells us that we can.

He launched Mercy Project in 2010 to combat child trafficking in Ghana’s fishing industry. To date, Mercy Project has rescued, rehabilitated, and reintegrated more than one hundred children back into their families.

“My hope is that my book and each of these talks will inspire people to find issues where they can roll up their shirtsleeves and do their own disruption, in spite of the difficulties and perhaps even dangers of doing so,” he says.

2020 Speaker Lineup

Sponsorship Information

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