Spring 2026 Continuing Education Series Webinars
Research: National Resident Sentiment Towards Sporting Events: Dr. Jennifer Stoll of Cimarron Global Solutions and Tammy Korte of Longwoods International
11 a.m., Tuesday, May 19, 2026
Join Tammy Koerte (Longwoods International) and Dr. Jennifer Stoll (Cimarron Global Solutions) for an in-depth look at findings from the second annual National Resident Sentiment Towards Sporting Events study. This session will present both national and Midwest results, revealing how residents perceive the impacts of sporting events in their communities. Leave the session with data-driven insights that you can use to leverage sporting events in your communities.
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Tammy Koerte is the Director of Research at Longwoods International, where she manages individual client research projects as well as Longwoods’ national studies on resident sentiment towards tourism and sporting events. She has extensive academic and professional experience in conducting and managing both quantitative and qualitative research. |
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Dr. Jennifer Stoll founded Cimarron Global Solutions in 2024, following the success of Stoll Strategies, which she launched in 2018. Known for her dedication to advancing the sport and tourism industry, Dr. Stoll excels in innovative research, communicating the value of sport and tourism, and strategic business advisory. Recognized worldwide, she guides clients toward impactful transformations through sport and tourism. |
Past Webinars
Tourism Reimagined: When Creative Risk Sparks Real Growth
Katy Livingston, Senior Creative Director and Matt Stiker, SVP of Brand Strategy with Madden Media
In a landscape crowded with look-alike campaigns and AI-generated “meh,” playing it safe has become the riskiest move destinations can make. This story-forward webinar explores how creative risk—when taken thoughtfully—can become a powerful growth engine for communities ready to stand out.
Hosted by Madden’s Senior Creative Director Katy Livingston and SVP of Brand Strategy Matt Stiker, this session challenges outdated norms in destination marketing and introduces a practical framework for evaluating creative risk, aligning stakeholders, and turning bold ideas into measurable results. You’ll walk away with real-world examples and actionable strategies to help your destination stop blending in, and start breaking through.
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Katy Livingston brings more than a decade of creative leadership and a background in visual communications to her role as Senior Creative Director at Madden Media. She’s passionate about shaping thoughtful, effective work that helps ideas connect—both emotionally and strategically. Having led creative for destinations including Alabama’s Beaches and Discover Puerto Rico, Katy focuses on building campaigns that don’t just look great, but truly perform. |
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Matt Stiker is SVP of Brand Strategy at Madden Media, where he helps transform big ideas into brands with real impact. With half of his career spent in tourism and destination marketing—working with places like San Francisco, the states of Oregon and Idaho, and Portland, Maine—Matt brings a deep understanding of how creativity, collaboration, and strategy come together to drive growth. He’s especially passionate about helping destinations embrace bold storytelling while building internal alignment. |
Leveraging Local: Creative Ways Communities Are Fueling Tourism: Mo Parikh, CEO and founder of Bandwango + Industry Panel
Every community has assets — but not every community is activating them to their full potential. In this session, Bandwango’s Mo Parikh will moderate a dynamic panel discussion exploring how communities can source, package, and activate their unique assets to encourage travel, tourism, and economic development. From cultural and historical resources to outdoor recreation, local businesses, public art, events, and unexpected hidden gems, this conversation will highlight how destinations are creatively leveraging what they already have. Mo will lead a panel of Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) who are using innovative and resourceful approaches to activate community assets. Panelists will share real-world examples of how they:
- Identify and inventory existing community strengths
- Turn underutilized assets into visitor experiences
- Build partnerships that unlock new tourism opportunities
- Use digital tools and trails to drive engagement and measurable impact
- Align tourism initiatives with broader economic development goals
Attendees will gain practical insights and replicable strategies for transforming everyday community features into compelling visitor experiences that increase visitation, extend stays, and support local businesses. Whether you represent a small town, regional DMO, or statewide organization, this session will inspire new ways to see — and activate — the assets already within your community.
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From bioengineering labs to mountain towns and global destinations, Mo Parikh has always followed curiosity over convention. Originally trained as a bioengineer, he took an unexpected turn into travel and entrepreneurship, guided by a deep interest in how people experience the world. A lifelong traveler and snowboarder, Mo became fascinated by the ways people discover destinations, especially the hidden local gems that often go unnoticed.That curiosity now shapes his work, where he blends teaching, entrepreneurship, and creative problem-solving to help organizations rethink experiences and deepen community impact. Whether exploring new ideas or new terrain, Mo is driven by the belief that meaningful experiences, like fresh powder, are worth seeking out. When he’s not working, he’s planning his next trip or waiting for the next snowstorm. |
Agritourism in Minnesota
In this session, Freya and Xinyi will start with a brief introduction to agritourism, then share national trends in agritourism and the implications for Minnesota, highlights and insights from the two annual Agritourism Exchange events that UMN Extension hosts, how destinations management organizations can work with agritourism operators, and close with resources that Extension offers for agritourism.
Off-season Product Development
This webinar explores strategies for building tourism products that thrive outside the peak season. For many destinations, seasonality creates serious challenges—when visitor numbers rise and fall too sharply, the resulting imbalance can strain local economies and communities. During this session, tourism professionals will gain insights into how partnerships, creative product design, and community collaboration can help smooth these fluctuations. The panel of experts will share practical tools and case examples to support off-season development, diversify tourism offerings, and reach niche markets. The conversation will also highlight approaches to strengthening economic resilience and advancing sustainability in destination planning. Featured speakers include Dr. Kristin Lamoureux, Professor and Director of the Masters in Hospitality and Tourism Mgt. at Virginia Tech University, and Simon Jones, founder of TourismWORKS and NatureScapes—two organizations dedicated to fostering the long-term sustainability of natural landscapes, seascapes, and the communities and cultures that depend on them.
The State of the American Road Tripper
Future Partners will unveil the latest insights into the evolving profile of American road trippers. Explore what drives their travel decisions, the experiences they value most, and the motivations behind their journeys. Gain a deeper understanding of how to effectively engage this influential audience—and uncover strategies to capture their attention and inspire their itineraries. Join Erin Francis-Cummings from Future Partners to explore the latest data in road tripping.
Importance and Implementation of Digital Accessibility - Miles Partnership
Join August Erickson from Miles Partnership as he explains digital accessibility and its existing legal requirements. Erickson will share actionable steps your organization can take to ensure your website is accessible to those with disabilities. From guidelines to testing, Erickson will review techniques and tools to help you navigate the world of digital accessibility.
SEO and the Evolution of Search - Madden Media
Organic Search is constantly changing thanks to shifts in user behavior and new technologies. From Google's AI Overviews to voice search and AI Mode, SEO expert Dylan Scacchetti will dive in to SEO and GEO trends, impacts and strategies to help your destination or business navigate the changing landscape of organic search.