Agenda

Check in for AdventureELEVATE from 8:00-8:50AM in the lobby of the Conference Center– swing by before breakfast to grab your name tag before the opening session begins at 8:55AM.

Few industries surpass travel when it comes to potential impact on our environment, on communities, on individuals as their worldview shifts in response to new and provocative experiences. The adventure industry is frequently on the leading edge of mainstream travel trends, and as the touchpoints with mainstream travel businesses and travelers become more numerous, the opportunity for us to drive and influence future trends and preferences increases. As leaders in adventure travel, what do we want our future legacy to be? What do you as a business owner or manager want your lasting impact to be? In this dynamic opening session, experienced outdoorsman, lifetime traveler and consultant Darvin Ayre will share case examples illustrating the power of cohesive industries. We’ll join in a facilitated “futuring” session; sharing and reacting to ranging perspectives on the trends, opportunities and challenges we face. We’ll leave this session ready to access the power of this passionate community to boldly begin co-creating and navigating our future together.

How can the adventure travel industry work with Indigenous communities in an ethical, sustainable and appropriate manner? The speakers in this session will share two Indigenous perspectives on tourism from both the community level as well as a national organization. This session will address how an experience of culture and nature available through connections with Indigenous people can foster authenticity and connection to place for adventure travel products.

Moderator

Get ready for some rapid-fire advice and information on technology tools your colleagues are using today that have transformed the business back office allowing more time to pursue our passion of adventure travel. From chat apps that reduce internal emails and consolidate project discussions, to cloud storage, which eliminates the need for internal servers and makes access to files possible and easy (from anywhere), discover marketing and project tools that make your creative and social media work productive and more efficient.

This participant-driven workshop will guide delegates through a customized discovery process using national management consulting company Chief Outsiders’ unique Growth Gears model. Tom Fritz, Chief Outsiders’ CMO, will lead the workshop utilizing his last 18 years of experience as VP of Marketing for Marmot Mountain LLC in the outdoor industry. Learn how to evaluate your business from both the inside-out and the outside-in, using a market-based framework developed by Chief Outsiders. This framework will help you develop successful future growth plans regardless the size of your business.

Eighty-one percent of marketing and communications professionals state that working with influencers is effective (see study). We’ll present how to kick start or improve your campaign by exploring best practices of working with bloggers and influencers. Learn how to leverage your internal assets or “currency” to get the most bang for your buck, and how to work cooperatively with other businesses and allies, along with practical considerations such as evaluating influencers, handling negotiations and creating contracts.

ATTA’s original D.N.A. Happy Hour is a new take on making business contacts. Tour operators, travel media, destination professionals, travel advisors, and industry partners — we’re all looking to build business relationships with like-minded people. Come prepared to share what is unique about your business – concisely – and you’ll share this in meaningful, fun conversations, with drinks and prizes provided by your hosts, Switzerland and ExOfficio.

Coeur d’Alene Visitors Bureau (CVB) invites you to a night out at The Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort Hotel with complimentary transportation. Shuttles depart from the Coeur d’Alene Resort at 6:30pm and 6:45pm and return from the Casino at 8:30pm, 9pm and 9:30pm. More information and registration sheet located at the CVB Networking table in the lobby of the Conference Center.

Learn more about the purpose, structure and progress that the new Adventure Travel Conservation Fund (ATCF) has made since its inception in late 2016.

Board of Directors include: Josie Norris (Conservation Alliance), Dan Blanchard (UnCruise Adventures), Roger Spatz (Eagle Creek), Brian Thompson (ExOfficio), Cynthia Dunbar (REI Adventures).  

Space is limited.

NEW! The Destination Showcase Marketplace highlights adventure travel destinations from around the globe. During pre-scheduled meetings, buyers and media meet with representatives from destinations to learn about opportunities, itineraries, destination developments, story ideas, and more. Before AdventureELEVATE you’ll request your top destination meetings, then your schedule of ten-minute meetings will be delivered in the weeks before AdventureELEVATE.

Destinations: learn more about taking part in the Destination Showcase Marketplace.

Eighty-one percent of marketing and communications professionals state that working with influencers is effective (see study). We’ll present how to kick start or improve your campaign by exploring best practices of working with bloggers and influencers. Learn how to leverage your internal assets or “currency” to get the most bang for your buck, and how to work cooperatively with other businesses and allies, along with practical considerations such as evaluating influencers, handling negotiations and creating contracts.

Moderator

When it comes to providing travelers with the tools they need to turn their adventure travel dreams into a reality, you’re likely an expert. But what are the keys — on a nuts and bolts level — to incorporating travel advisors into the marketing and sales cycle? The ATTA’s Adventure Pulse revealed adventure enthusiasts value the knowledge and expertise of travel advisors and tour operators because of they are experts in their niches. Furthermore, the younger the enthusiast, the more likely he or she is to book multiple, if not all, aspects of a trip through a travel agent or advisor. With plenty of time built in for Q&A during this panel discussion, learn from tour providers who rely on travel advisors for a critical channel of current and future sales.

MediaExchange — one of our most popular events — features one-on-one meetings with delegates and the attending adventure media, who write for media outlets such as AFAR, Travel + Leisure, Conde Nast, Outside, Wall Street Journal and many more. Select your top media choices and the ATTA team will craft your schedule of three to seven meetings based on your requests and the volume of interest from other delegates. By late March the ATTA will deliver your final appointments.

This participant-driven workshop will guide delegates through a customized discovery process using national management consulting company Chief Outsiders’ unique Growth Gears model. Tom Fritz, Chief Outsiders’ CMO, will lead the workshop utilizing his last 18 years of experience as VP of Marketing for Marmot Mountain LLC in the outdoor industry. Learn how to evaluate your business from both the inside-out and the outside-in, using a market-based framework developed by Chief Outsiders. This framework will help you develop successful future growth plans regardless the size of your business.

MediaExchange — one of our most popular events — features one-on-one meetings with delegates and the attending adventure media, who write for media outlets such as AFAR, Travel + Leisure, Conde Nast, Outside, Wall Street Journal and many more. Select your top media choices and the ATTA team will craft your schedule of three to seven meetings based on your requests and the volume of interest from other delegates. By late March the ATTA will deliver your final appointments.

Moderator

If you’re like many small business owners, your organization’s creation and growth has been the result of late nights and long weeks spent passionately building your legacy and carefully selecting a team that cares about the organization’s longevity. As your organization evolves and transitions, what are your options for the next step and how can you ensure your legacy is preserved? In this session, industry veterans and experts weigh the benefits of a range of succession plans including passing the business onto an employee, selling it to a friendly competitor, and agreeing to an acquisition by an outside party.

In this interactive session, Clark Scheffy, from the award-winning global design firm IDEO, shares techniques for creative leadership, guiding the audience through the designer’s approach to creative problem solving.

Gain perspectives and tools for thinking about business problems differently, allowing teams to generate unexpected, creative, and winning solutions. In this presentation and workshop you’ll access tools that bring great ideas to action for lasting impact in your business. You’ll work in groups to practice aspects of the process and come away with new strategies to apply in business right away.