We have a very strong conference program this year and look forward to using this opportunity to go virtual to strengthen the Forum, build new connections and broaden the number of Marketing Outlook Forum Devotees who hopefully will be with us in Bethesda in 2021!

Each day before the main sessions begin, MOF staples will take place.
Find out more about of these very special sessions below!

A great way to kick off your MOF experience is the DMO Roundtable. The informal open-forum discussion typically surfaces the most urgent research and measurement issues confronting destination management and marketing organizations. If you’re a DMO, you’ll be interested to hear what your colleagues are up to and raise issues of your own. If you’re a supplier with DMO clients, it’s an ideal way to hear what the burning issues are for clients like yours.

Sponsored By SMARInsights

On June 16th Entrada embarked on a 17-day 4,600-mile RV journey traveling from coast to coast meeting with over 40 destinations along the way. At times we set up the “booth” in people’s yards, empty parking lots, under bridges, at parks… you name it. It was the hardest journey we have ever taken but also the most rewarding. We also brought a film crew and drivers along to document the journey so we can share the highs and lows during our session.

Sponsored by Entrada Insights

Privacy, the death of cookies, and identity marketing… What does it all mean and where do we go from here? In this session, Howard Tietjen and David Chastain of Epsilon will talk about the impact of third-party cookies going away and provide a recap of privacy in marketing. They’ll also go through identity resolution, how marketers can take back control and make some recommendations given the current landscape of the marketplace.

Join your counterparts and colleagues for a special virtual luncheon and awards ceremony, honoring those in the field of travel and tourism marketing. Entrants are judged on quality, originality, creativity, usefulness, results, and benefits to the travel and tourism industry.

Sponsored by The Arrivalist

Outlook for The Traveling Consumer During the Pandemic and Beyond

With the global spread of COVID19, the travel industry faced an unprecedented crisis and the outlook of the traveling consumer changed rapidly. To help industry leaders navigate their response strategy and communicate to their stakeholders and communities, Destination Analysts will share the latest findings from The State of the American Traveler^tm, the longest running tracking study of American traveler sentiments, motivations and behaviors.  Included will be new, custom data just out of the field collected specifically for MOF Week and presented here publicly for the first time.

Recovering Destinations’ and Travel Brands’ Reputation Post-Covid

Post-Covid Travelers will chose destinations and attractions they trust. While the reputations of many destinations and travel brands have been seriously challenged and negatively affected by the current crisis, this session will provide real-life and real-time examples of how our creative industry has adapted to restore its attractiveness and (re)gain consumers’ confidence as tourism recovers. Learn from practical insights covering early crisis management stories to data-based mid-term reopening strategies used in operating within the new Post-Covid era.

Resilience of Cities During the Pandemic and Protests  

The resilience of cities has been tested amid coronavirus and protests around the country. The media headlines referred to it as the end of big cities. It may take cities years to reach their former vitality. While this perspective paints a pessimistic portrayal of cities, adversity can bring out the best in cities. There lies a great opportunity to come out of this global crisis with a vision which reflects shared values, inclusion, diversity, well-being, quality of place, quality of life and long-term thinking; most importantly tourism’s role in the community. Learn how Visit Baltimore is leading the way through efforts in building an inclusive culture through the beloved Visit Baltimore brand. Most importantly, tourism plays a critical role in placemaking and defining the community shared values. Al has a great story to tell – adversity brings out the best in us. It is not the end of cities, after all!

Where do we go from here?

For over twenty years Marketing Outlook Forum has provided travel marketers with forecasting for the coming year.  In this year of global pandemic never has there been a greater need to know what the future holds. We are proud to bring together the traveler industry’s top three leaders to share their insights on what we can expect in 2021.  Roger Dow (US Travel Association), Chris Thompson (Brand USA) and Don Welsh (Destinations international) will be together in one place having a candid conversation about their vision for the future.  You won’t want to miss this powerful discussion.