KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Marlo Anderson
Amplifying the Awesome: Curiosity, Technology, and a Life Naturally Inspired
See the extraordinary hidden in every ordinary moment.
What if the smallest spark of inspiration could transform the way we see the world? In this visionary keynote, Marlo Anderson explores how curiosity and creativity, paired with the power of AI, can elevate stories, destinations, and experiences to new heights. Audiences will leave naturally inspired to think bigger, see differently, and harness both human imagination and technology to amplify the awesome in everything they do.
About Marlo: Marlo Anderson is the founder of National Day Calendar®, the #1 trending topic of all time, and was named by MSN as one of the Top 10 Influential Entrepreneurs to Follow in 2025. Known worldwide as the “Guru of Geek,” Marlo hosts popular radio and TV shows and has been featured on NBC Nightly News, Fox & Friends, Good Morning America, CBS Sunday Morning, USA Today, and Time Magazine.
From his roots in North Dakota, Marlo proves that innovation knows no borders. He inspires audiences by blending human imagination with the possibilities of AI, showing how everyday moments can transform into extraordinary opportunities. His mission is simple yet powerful: Celebrate Every Day.
Eva Faircloth
The Right Fit: Tools and Strategies for Successful Creator Partnerships
In today’s travel landscape, creator collaborations are more than a trend – they’re a strategic tool for authentic destination storytelling and sustained engagement. This session will break down why purposeful partnerships with creators matter for DMOs, how to evaluate and select the right voices for your destination, and best practices for devleoping relationships that go beyond one-off campaigns. You’ll also learn practical vetting tools to ensure both the creator and your destination are a great fit, plus strategies to extend collaborations into long-term partnerships that drive results. Destination partners will leave equipped to approach creator engagement with clarity, conficence, and a plan for lasting impact.
About Eva: Eva Faircloth is the owner of Front Porch Network based on the Alabama Gulf Coast. Eva has more than 25 years of marketing and public relations experience connecting brands with buyers, primarily in the travel and hospitality industry. She led the way to developing content creator outreach programs in the South Alabama market more than 15 years ago, establishing one of the region’s most effective marketing and PR initiatives benefiting both creators and destinations. Eva believes strongly in creating and nurturing long-term relationships between creators and DMOs to build successful partnerships.
Terry Baker
Hey AI… We Need to Talk: Creating Authentic Tourism Marketing in the Age of AI
AI can save time, spark ideas, and level the playing field for small DMOs, but only if it actually sounds like you. This session blends humor, strategy, and real-world tools to help destination leaders and travel writers set better boundaries with AI, train it to reflect their true brand voice, and use it for far more than content creation. Learn how to protect authenticity, sharpen strategy, improve efficiency, and turn AI from a generic content machine into a trusted strategic partner.
About Terry: Terry Baker is a storyteller, tourism marketer, and curious creative exploring what it means to stay human in the age of AI. She’s fascinated with helping businesses and organizations understand how to use AI technology with intention, keeping one’s voice, values, and authenticity intact. Terry is known for her creative, “what if” approach to ideas and her habit of juggling too many projects at once. She’s impatient, forward-thinking, and a little intense, in the best possible way. Her AI twin would tell you she’s brilliant and knows everything; her real self admits she’s learning by making lots of mistakes, staying curious, and sharing what she discovers along the way.
Anna Cook
Naturally Inspired Partnerships: Building Long-Term Connections with DMOs
The best partnerships don’t just happen — they grow. Too often, both creators and DMOs treat collaborations as one-and-done projects, missing out on the real magic that happens when you build something lasting.
In this Naturally Inspired session, Anna Cook of Stuck On The Go shares how she’s turned quick collaborations into long-term relationships that keep growing year after year. You’ll hear real stories from her own experiences, get ideas for creative ways to work together beyond blogs and social posts, and pick up tips for building genuine connections that benefit both sides. Walk away ready to plant the seeds for partnerships that thrive well beyond a single trip or campaign.
About Anna: Anna Cook is a full-time travel blogger and educator behind Stuck On The Go, where she has partnered with more than 30 destinations across the United States since 2022. She’s passionate about helping creators recognize their unique value and build authentic, mutually beneficial partnerships with DMOs. Anna has also shared her expertise as a speaker at Southern Travelers Explore and the Texas Association of Convention & Visitors Bureaus.
Abby Bilinski
The Creator Advantage: Making Short-Form Video Work (Without Chasing Trends)
Short- form video isn’t about chasing trends or going viral- it’s about building trust, telling better stories, and creating content that inspires real action.
In this session, content creator Abby Bilinski breaks down what actually make short-form video work in today’s crowded digital landscape. Designed primarily for creators- with clear takeaways for brands and tourism organizations- this session goes beyond surface-level tips to focus on storytelling, strategy, and conversation.
Attendees will learn how to:
- Capture attention in the first three seconds without relying on trends
- Turn real experiences into compelling short-form stories
- Create content with purpose- not just views
- Use calls-to-action that feel natural, authentic, and effective
- Build creator-led content that audiences trust and brands value
The session also offers insight for brands and tourism organizations looking to better partner with creators, highlighting why authentic, creator-led storytelling consistently outperforms polished, overly produced ads.
Where you’re a creator looking to grow with intention or a destination seeking more meaningful impact through short-form video, this session delivers clear, practical strategies you can apply immediately.
About Abby: Abby Bilinski is a content creator, short-form video strategist, and the voice behind It’s Abby’s World After All, a lifestyle and travel brand focused on family-friendly experiences, destinations, and real-world storytelling. With a background in education and years of experience working with brands and tourism boards, Abby specializes in short-form video that builds trust, inspires action, and drives measurable results.
Through authentic, creator-led storytelling, Abby helps brands and destinations connect with audiences in ways that feel natural, engaging, and impactful – bridging the gap between creators and brands through strategic video content.
Dr. Niki Davis
Naturally You: Redefining Your Brand as Your Creative World Expands
As your work grows, so does its complexity. New projects and partnerships bring energy, but they can also make even seasoned creators question how to stay true to their brand without feeling fragmented. This session is for storytellers, writers, and creators who already know their purpose but want to sharpen it. We’ll focus on uncovering the thread that connects everything you do, ultimately helping you choose opportunities that are a natural fit.
We’ll also look at what it means to stand out in a crowded landscape, clarifying what makes your work genuinely distinctive and memorable. This is about refining what makes you unmistakably you and letting your real voice carry your brand in a grounded, natural way. You’ll leave with an updated personal brand statement and the confidence to share your Naturally Inspired story with heart.
About Dr. Davis: Dr. Niki Davis is a culinary explorer who helps professionals uncover their purpose and share their authentic stories to build personal brands that truly connect. As a professor in the Hospitality, Tourism, and Event Management program at Southern Illinois University, she teaches tourism and professional development. She is also an established food writer and creator of the “Rooted in Foods” platform, a successful personal brand that explores the powerful connections between culinary heritage, family, and authentic storytelling.
Veronica Bareman
Naturally Inspired (And Finally Organized): Taming Your Creative Chaos With Airtable
Feeling inspired is easy when you love what you do — but keeping it all organized? That’s where the magic happens. In this fun and practical session, The Hip Grandma shares how she uses Airtable to turn creative chaos into a system that actually works. You’ll leave with simple tools and repeatable workflows to manage ideas, projects, and partnerships — so your creativity can truly thrive.
About Veronica: Veronica Bareman, better known as The Hip Grandma, is a travel writer, photographer, and fearless instructor who helps creators turn chaos into content. Between road trips, photography workshops, speaking gigs, and a constant swirl of posts and pitches, Airtable is the only thing keeping her from pulling out her pink hair. She’ll show you how to get organized and still have fun doing it.
Michelle Murray
Prepare to be Spontaneous: Speaking Tips That Will Bring out Your Natural Inspiration for Audiences of any Size
Whether you’re a content creator who posts video or voiceovers, an author or travel writer who talks to audiences of any size, a tourism professional who provides the media with valuable interviews, or someone who wants to ensure your messages leave people energized instead of lulled to sleep, this session is for you. Everyone can benefit from learning to communicate more effectively.
From watching your listeners and their nonverbal behavior to monitoring your own unique tendencies to “fill space” (among other popular quirks), you will learn practical tips to apply immediately. Coming up with thoughtful interview answers on a podcast, getting a reel ready to go in the first shot, and feeling confident in front of that next big meeting where you are the featured speaker…these are examples of what a naturally inspiring speaker does. You’ll gain the tips that Michelle has taught her students throughout the years, and you won’t even have a final exam.
About Michelle: Michelle Sprout Murray is a writer, speaker, and ice cream shop owner. She has over 20 years of experience as a public speaking instructor for several colleges and has traveled around the midwest as a motivational speaker. Her favorite place to be is onstage, and that is where you’ll find her a good majority of the time, whether it’s talking to audiences about her book, or singing/dancing/acting in several theatres around north Iowa. She and her husband co-own Birdsall’s Ice Cream in Mason City, Iowa, where she does all the social media, arranges events, and is chief taste-tester.
Josh Duke & Ali Adams
The Insider Advantage: This Destination Turned Locals Into the Most Powerful Storytellers
What if your destination’s most influential storytellers were already living in your community? This session reveals how Visit Hendricks County built its Insider Program — a network of passionate locals who create authentic, high-performing content that travelers and residents trust. You’ll learn how the program started, how contributors are recruited and supported and how their stories and videos consistently outperform traditional marketing. Walk away with a blueprint for activating local voices to expand your reach, deepen authenticity and strengthen your destination’s narrative.
About Josh: Josh Duke is the Senior Communications Manager for Visit Hendricks County and the architect of the Hendricks County Insider program. With more than a decade of experience in destination marketing, he specializes in community-driven storytelling that helps destinations build trust, authenticity and reach through local voices.
About Ali: Ali Adams is the Digital Content Coordinator for Visit Hendricks County, guiding short-form video content and creator partnerships tied to the Hendricks County Insider program. Her work focuses on digital storytelling and content strategy, helping destinations connect with audiences through authentic content across platforms.
Theresa Goodrich
Beyond the Algorithm: How Travel Writers Can Use Substack to Build Sustainable Audiences
Social media reach is shrinking, algorithms are unpredictable, and even well-established sites are increasingly dependent on platforms writers do not control. Substack offers writers a way to reconnect with readers directly and build an audience they truly own.
In this session, travel writer, novelist, and publisher Theresa Goodrich shares how Substack can be used as a powerful complement to a travel blog, not a replacement for it. Drawing from hands-on experience integrating Substack with long-form writing, SEO-driven sites, books, and newsletters, Theresa breaks down where Substack fits in a modern travel writing ecosystem and how to use it without adding more work or burnout.
Attendees will learn how to use Substack to deepen reader relationships, revive personal essays, test story ideas, and create more predictable income streams. This talk cuts through the hype to focus on practical strategies, realistic expectations, and sustainable growth for writers who want to spend more time writing and less time chasing algorithms.
- How Substack fits alongside blogs, SEO, and social media
- What types of writing work best on Substack
- Simple ways to repurpose existing content without rewriting everything
- Realistic revenue options for travel writers at different stages
- How owning your audience changes your long-term content strategy
This session is designed for travel writers who want more control over their work, their audience, and their future
About Theresa: Theresa L. Goodrich is an Emmy-winning author and content creator with a penchant for storytelling and a keen eye. As the force behind thelocaltourist.com, she’s dedicated to telling in-depth stories of magnificent, quirky, and unique places. She’s slightly obsessed with travel and history and has turned these passions into multiple books, including Planning Your Perfect Road Trip, Living Landmarks of Chicago, Midwest Road Trip Adventures, 2nd Edition, and Midwest State Park Adventures. She’s also the author of the Travel is Murder mystery series featuring travel writer Alex Paige. She speaks across the country about travel and road trips and teaches both travel writing and self-publishing. She’s driven, often literally, to inspire you to get off the interstates and explore the towns and communities that make this country a constant and welcome surprise.
Panel Discussion
Beyond the Brochure: Naturally Inspired Destination Guides That Tell Your Story
Crafting Authentic Destination Guides with Content Creators
Travelers today want more than a list of attractions — they want to feel the heartbeat of a place. That’s why destination guides are evolving from glossy brochures into meaningful storytelling tools that reflect the people and personality behind a community.
In this Naturally Inspired panel, Kerrie Kuiper and fellow destination pros share how DMOs and content creators are teaming up to craft guides that connect on a deeper level. You’ll see how authentic stories and creator collaborations are helping destinations like Fort Dodge, Shipshewana, and Fairfield breathe new life into their print and digital guides — and inspiring travelers to see their communities in a whole new way.
THROUGH THE OTHER LENS
This session creates space for an honest conversation that doesn’t always happen—between content creators and destination partners, separately, and without pressure.
Before the conference, attendees from both groups will be invited to share a few thoughts and questions they’ve always wanted to put on the table. Those responses help shape the conversation during this session.
During the session, content creators gather in one room, while destination partners gather in another. Each group discusses shared themes, questions, and “we wish you knew” moments that arise in real partnerships—but don’t always have a natural place on a conference agenda.
There’s no pitching. No debating. And no need to have the perfect answer. This is about listening, reflecting, and gaining a better understanding of how the other side thinks and works.
We’ll close by looking ahead—what insights stood out, what felt surprising, and what participants want to carry forward into future collaborations.
If you’ve ever thought, “I wish the other side understood this…” or “I’ve always wanted to ask…” — this session was built with you in mind.