The Explore Asheville Convention & Visitors Bureau hosted the second annual National Tourism Week Summit 2018, a half day conference at the Renaissance Asheville Hotel.

Paul Ouimet of Destinations International shared the outcome of a recent Destination Assessment Survey, and provided insights from his strategic assessment work in over 290 other destinations. Attendees had the opportunity to attend marketing and sales educational sessions. The event culminated with a Tourism Industry Resource Expo with key groups who support tourism industry businesses, and a networking happy hour.

View presentations & pictures from the event:

• Keynote: DestinationNEXT: The Future of Tourism in Asheville
  Paul Ouimet, Destinations International
• Maximizing Your Exposure Across the Google Travel Funnel
  Kim Palmer, Miles Partnership
• Explore Asheville CVB Partner Connect photos on Facebook

 Speaker Bio’s

Paul Ouimet, Managing Director of DestinationNEXT, Destinations International

Paul has successfully delivered strategic plans and tourism master plans for several DMOs, governments, destinations, non-profit organizations, hotels and airports around the world. He has completed organization reviews and developed business plans for new ventures; and is excited to share key transformational opportunities for the Asheville area based on the results of the DestinationNEXT Assessment Survey.

Kim Palmer | As Director of SEO and Insight with Miles Partnership, a strategic marketing company, Kim specializes in organic traffic generation and analytics for DMOs and resorts, though she’s had her hands in every aspect of digital marketing.  Kim is a frequent contributor to the Miles Partnership blog on topics surrounding SEO and Google’s evolving role in travel, as well as Program Manager for Google DMO support services.

Shawn Boone | As National Sales Manager at the Explore Asheville CVB, over the past six years, Shawn has pioneered new markets, specifically in the mid-Atlantic and Midwest regions.  He is responsible for promoting Asheville as a meetings destination.

Deb Bowman | As Director of Sales for Accents on Asheville, an event management company, Deb has worked with groups to share her expertise in almost every aspect of meeting planning in Asheville for over 17 years.

Melissa Murray | For more than twenty-five years, Melissa has worked tirelessly to provide excellent service and outstanding organization to events around the globe. As Owner and Operating Director of Mosaix Group, a full-scale event management company, Murray has garnered multiple prestigious awards, including 2017 Woman Entrepreneur, Best In Business award.