The Midwest Travel Network Speakers Bureau can help you find the speaker for your next event. Our speakers speak on a variety of topics and look forward to networking with your group. Each speaker has listed five preferred speaker topics, but are all open to discussing other topics with you. We would encourage you to look for a speaker that is a good fit for your event. Every speaker starts somewhere. We are thrilled that we are able to help you make a connection that will help your event be a smashing success.
Sara Broers: Iowa
Sara Broers is the CEO of Travel With Sara, CEO of Social Connections, LLC, and the Co-Owner of the Midwest Travel Network. She has helped thousands of clients with their social media marketing and enjoys getting to know each of them. In 2019, she was the recipient of the Individual Leadership Award through the Iowa Economic Economic Development Authority. She enjoys helping people make valuable connections. She is the author of 100 Things To Do In Iowa Before You Die and Perfect Day Iowa. Sara is also the co-author of Midwest Road Trip Adventures and Midwest State Park Adventures. She and her husband reside in North Iowa. They have two grown sons and three grandchildren.
Speaker Topics:
- Perseverance And Success
- Your Blog Is Your Online Resume
- Why Tourism Matters In Your Community
- Local Does Matter
- Relationship Building Through Online Networking
- The Best Practices In Destination/Blogger Relations
Speaker Experience:
- Indiana State Tourism Conference
- Keynote Osage Iowa Co-op Annual Meeting
- University of West Florida
- South Dakota State Tourism Conference
- SATW Eastern Conference
- Keynote Speaker Bloggy Conference
- Character 140 Conference
- Women Empowering women
- Type A Parent Conference East
- Type A Parent Conference Boot Camp
- TBEX North America
- Midwest Travel Network Conference
- Upper Midwest Social Media Conference
- Ag Chat Conference
- Social Media Summit Midwest
- Women In Travel Summit
- Midwest National Scenic Byway Conference – Richmond, Indiana
- Midwest Travel Network Conference
- Continuing Education Instructor at Iowa Lakes Community College
Price: $1500 – $3500 plus travel expenses
Contact Sara: TravelWithSara@gmail.com
SHEILA SCARBOROUGH: Texas
Sheila Scarborough is a speaker, trainer, and writer specializing in tourism, travel, and social media.She co-founded Tourism Currents, offering online and in-person workshops and training in social media marketing for tourism, hospitality, and economic development.
She also co-founded and still writes for the award-winning Perceptive Travel Blog, is a PanelPicker Evaluator for SXSW – the South by Southwest conference – and serves on both the Engagement Committee for the Texas Downtown Association and the Entrepreneurship Council for the Round Rock TX Chamber of Commerce.
Speaker Topics:
- It’s Wednesday, So What Are You Posting on Facebook? Building a Social Media Content Calendar for Next Week
- Anatomy of a Successful CVB or DMO Blogging Program
- Help Me Get More Out of LinkedIn
- Get More Out of Your 24 Hours: Create More Content in Less Time
- No Budget? No Problem! Digital Marketing Moves to Make Now That Get the Most Bang for Your Nonexistent Bucks
- Social Media Content Ideas for Heritage and Cultural Tourism
- Social Media and Digital Marketing for Economic Development
- News You Can Use: Latest Trends in Social Media and Digital Marketing
Speaker Experience:
- International events related to tech, tourism, and social media in India, Malaysia, and Dubai.
- Faculty instructor for the annual Texas Travel Alliance Travel & Tourism College.
- State tourism conferences and summits in Iowa, Wyoming, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, Nebraska, Michigan, and Kentucky.
- Regional tourism workshops and conferences in Lehigh Valley PA, the Maryland Milestones heritage region, Lake Placid and the Adirondacks in upstate New York, and southwest Oklahoma/Great Plains Country.
- National Travel & Tourism Week featured speaker in Prince William County/Manassas VA, Kenosha WI, Laredo TX, and Bastrop TX.
- City tourism partner events in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Vicksburg MS, Oklahoma City, Huntsville AL, and Lake Charles, LA.
- Midwest Travel Network events in Clear Lake, IA and St. Cloud, MN.
- NTA Contact in Anchorage, AK, NTA Travel Exchange in Reno, NV, Signature Travel Network in Las Vegas, NV, America Outdoors in Salt Lake City, UT, the GBTA (Global Business Travel Association) North Central Chapter in Minneapolis, MN, and IITA (International Inbound Travel Association) Summit in San Diego, CA.
- Travel Blog Exchange (TBEX) travel blogging conferences in New York City, Keystone, CO, Toronto, Cancun, Bloomington, MN, and Lafayette, LA.
- Custom training webinars for Texas State Historic Sites, plus two Real Places heritage tourism and preservation conferences in Austin, TX.
- Multiple appearances at the Heartland Byways Conference related to scenic byways and heritage highways.
- Client conferences for Tempest/IDSS and Simpleview.
- U.S. National Main Street conferences in Kansas City, Seattle, and Richmond, VA, plus custom workshops for Wisconsin Main Street, Missouri Main Street, and the Texas Downtown Association.
Pricing: $800 – $5000 plus travel
Contact Sheila: sheila@tourismcurrents.com
Roxie Yonkey: Kansas
Roxie Yonkey is the Chief Exploration Officer of Roxie on the Road, LLC. Roxie has been publicizing Kansas for 30 years as a community journalist, graphic designer, destination marketer, public relations specialist, and travel writer.
Speaker Topics:
- On Kansas Roads: Treasure of the Sunflower State
- The Perfect Match: How to Bring Bloggers and Destination Marketers Together
- Say Yes To Success: How To Create and Seize Opportunities
- Getting Some Love: Public Relations for Destination Marketing Organizations
- Cash In Your Wallet: Tourism as Economic Development
Speaker Experience:
- Colorado Campground and Lodging Owners Association (CCLOA) Conference
- Sherman County Convention & Visitors Bureau Retreat
- Goodland Kiwanis Club
- Goodland Rotary Club
Pricing: $500- $1500
Contact Roxie: roxie@roxieontheroad.com
Marlo Anderson: North Dakota
Marlo Anderson, a serial entrepreneur, and futurist is best known for being the founder of National Day Calendar, a project that trended an amazing 450+ times on social media last year. Followed daily by more than 20,000 media outlets, National Day Calendar has a reach in the hundreds of millions and has become the biggest trending topic of all time.
This social media phenomenon has also been found on many popular TV and radio shows across the USA. Currently, he is the host of The National Day Calendar Video Vignette, co-host of The National Daily, and the host of Living With Technology, where he is known to his followers as the Guru of Geek.
Being a visionary, Anderson has the heart of a teacher and a passion for coaching start-ups. In addition to his Social Daze course that teaches companies of every size the power of leveraging trending topics, he also speaks in classrooms about the future of technology and is often called on by news organizations as an expert in social media and all things technology related.
Speaker Topics:
- National Days and Celebrations (e.g. National Coffee Day)
- Business or Event Start-Ups (starting/growing)
- Social Daze (Leveraging trending topics)
- Future of Technology (autonomous vehicles, etc.)
- Everyday Technology and Its Use
Speaker Experience:
8+ years speaking experience as a talk show host, keynote speaker, national day proclamation celebrations, Ted Talks, conventions, and classrooms
Pricing: $5000 – $15,000 plus travel expenses
Contact Marlo: marlo@qnetwork.com
Amy Piper: Michigan
Amy Piper publishes the popular blog Follow the Piper, is a freelance travel writer and photographer. She is also a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) with more than 30 years of experience managing visible Information Technology projects. She enjoys applying her project management knowledge to helping the tourism industry solve their pain points. She is on the Board of the International Food Wine and Travel Writers Association (IFWTWA), a member of The Midwest Travel Network, Travel Massive, TravMedia, and the International Travel Writers and Photographers Alliance (ITWPA.) She lives in Michigan.
Speaker Topics:
- What bloggers want destinations to know, what destinations want bloggers to know
- Project management 101 for bloggers and destinations
- How bloggers can use a destination’s annual report to be the go-to blogger
- You’ve taken the press trip: Now what?- Organizing to provide value
- The Great Lakes State: Under the radar destinations
Speaker Experience:
- Instructor at Davenport University’s Executive MBA Program
- 30 years’ speaker experience as a corporate trainer for various project management courses
Pricing: $750 – $2500 plus travel expenses
Contact Amy: piper@followthepiper.com
Cindy Ladage: Illinois
Cindy Ladage is the leading content creator of Traveling Adventures of a Farm Girl. Cindy is an active member of NATJA and she enjoys showcasing Rural America, which happens to be her backyard. She is a freelance writer for many online and offline publications. She is also a contributor to the popular website, Travel Awaits. Cindy is an encourager and she will show you how to find those hidden gems across our country.
Speaker Topics:
- Promoting Your Agricultural History
- Embracing Small Town and Rural Charm
- Supporting Local Tourism In Your Backyard
- Agricultural Preservation in the Midwest and Beyond
- Collectibles & Festivals: Highlighting Hobbies
Speaker Experience:
- Indiana State Tourism Conference
- Midwest Travel Bloggers Conference
- Rotary Groups & other civic organizations
- Corporate Training Presentations Through The State of Illinois
Price $500 – $1500 plus travel expenses
Contact Cindy: cindy.ladage@royell.org
Sheila Jenkinson: Nebraska
Dive into the heart of Nebraska and beyond with Sheila Jenkinson’s podcast, where every episode is a journey through the unique and inspiring. With 20+ years in radio, Sheila brings small towns to life, showcasing hidden gems and revitalization stories that make you want to explore more. Tune in, get inspired, and discover more of Nebraska and beyond!
The Growing Small Town Nebraska Podcast features community leaders and business owners discussing efforts to revitalize small towns in Nebraska as well as local tourism attractions and festivals. Tune in for inspiring stories and practical advice on living ‘The Good Life.’
Bonus content includes Sheila’s Shout-outs, highlighting fun and interesting things she’s taken in during her travels, plus Growing Nebraska & Beyond showcasing other places to take in and explore in larger Nebraska towns and beyond the borders of her home state.
Foundation Fridays are episodes brought to you through the Nebraska Community Foundation. Sheila interviews leaders of affiliated funds within communities throughout the state. These stories are about resilience, rebuilding, and revitalization in small towns throughout Nebraska and are launched twice a month.
With seven new episodes a month, the Growing Small Town Nebraska Podcast is your resource for all things Nebraska and even beyond!
Speaker Topics:
Collaboration and Communication – How to Work Well Together
So You Want to Start a Podcast?
On Leadership, Confidence Building and Practical Skills
Revitalization in the Cornhusker State
How to Plan a Trip Without Losing Your Mind
Looking Back While Moving Forward – How Small Towns Utilize Their History in Making Things New
- Keynote 2025 Nebraska Museum Association Conference
- 2024 Midwest Travel Network Conference, Shipshewana, IN
- Rotary Clubs and other civic organizations throughout NE
- 2015 MomCon, Indianapolis, IN
- 20+ years an an on-air radio announcer
- 2+ years an host of the GSTN podcast
$500-$1200 plus travel expenses
DANNELLE GAY: Wisconsin
Dannelle Gay is the CEO of Traveling Cheesehead Productions – a multi-faceted media company that covers a travel TV show, syndicated columns, freelance work, group tours, multiple product lines, several books, and philanthropy.
She is a firm believer in collaboration – being a long-term partner with someone instead of just a one-and-done opportunity. From her coffee line, wine line, dry goods line, digital line, tour division, and even initiating the Midwest Adventure book series with other talented Midwest Travel Network writers, she likes to partner with others to help all shine.
She is the author of 100 Things to Do in Wisconsin Before You Die, WWII Dispatches to Madison: Letters Home From an Army Air Corps Soldier, and has Unique Eats and Eateries coming in the Fall of 2025 as well as a contributor to Midwest Road Trip Adventures and Midwest State Park Adventures.
She, her husband Andy, and trusty Australian Shepherd Tazuna reside in Southern Wisconsin. They have a teen in college.
Speaker Topics:
- From Traveler to Tour Leader
- How to Build a Brand
- Destination Partnerships: Long-Term Relationships vs One-Night Stands
- The Power of Networking in the Post-Covid Era
- Press Trips: Expectations and Action Plans
- Collaboration Over Competition: How You Can Cash In
- Working With Your Spouse Without Killing Each Other
- How To Use AI Without Losing Your Voice
Speaker Experience:
- Wisconsin Community Media Annual Conference
- Wisconsin Veterans Chamber of Commerce
- TBEX North America
- IFWTWA Annual Conference
- SATW Central Conference
- Culture Con East
- Southern Travelers Explore Conference
- Sun Prairie Chamber of Commerce Sunrise Sun Prairie
- Wisconsin Agricultural Tourism Association
- Tupperware Annual Sales Force Convention
- Wisconsin Kobussan
- Multiple Public Libraries, Bank Groups, Veterans Groups, and Civic Groups
Price: $1500 – $3500 plus travel expenses
Contact Dannelle at DannelleGay@gmail.com