2021 Oregon Governor’s Conference on Tourism

Opening Session Keynote

How will travel and tourism look after COVID-19? What lasting changes will we see, and what other challenges may the tourism industry face in the near future? How do we lead destinations through and out the other side of the pandemic? Frank Cuypers, Senior Strategist at Destination Think, will unpack the future of travel and tourism after COVID-19, and the changes and opportunities that lie ahead. With so many aspects of the tourism industry shifting, we are seeing the need to evolve destinations, build resilience and reimagine how tourism can create a better world.

Following, Todd Davidson, Travel Oregon’s CEO will provide an overview of Travel Oregon’s 2021-23 Rebuild Strategic Plan, our commitment to ensuring our work is positively impacting racial equity in Oregon, how we are re-imagining the future and our hopes for you to join us in the process as we begin developing our next Transformational Strategic Plan.

Closing Session
Reflecting on the past: Building an equitable tourism economy for the future
June 16, 1:15-3 p.m.

Join us as we travel to Pendleton and back to Portland. Michele Leedom, Principal at Clinton Street Consulting will guide us through the closing session that showcases stories from tourism industry leaders who are champions for DEI work and their communities. This past year, the pandemic and wildfires have challenged traditional business practices while at the same time, racial justice issues have been brought to the forefront. These conversations are meant to encourage you to utilize some of these thoughts and suggestions. Dive into and reflect upon your purpose and work, practice gratitude, and plan well for the years ahead.

We invited back panelists from prior years who will share reflections and their hopes for the future of this work:

Michele Leedom
Michele, Principal at Clinton Street Consulting, works across multiple industries with diverse teams helping leaders of organizations understand where their policies, practices, and behaviors, as well as their own biases, are preventing them from achieving their goals. Michele is committed to making an impact through training and advocacy. She enjoys partnering with organizations that are willing to challenge systems and structures that do not work for everyone and that actively work on creating an environment where our diverse population can succeed.

Tiah DeGrofft
Tiah serves as the Sponsor Director, a revenue-generating position that is highly important to the Pendleton Round-up.  She is the third female board member in the rodeo’s 111-year history and the first to hold an executive office. And the first to serve more than one term. Currently, she is the only woman serving on the board alongside 16 men. Tiah built her experience as a sports marketer, including stints at Oregon Sports Authority, Peter Jacobsen Productions, and Eident Sports Marketing.

Becky Waggoner
Becky is the Show Director for the United States’ oldest running outdoor Indian pageant and Wild West show. In this capacity, she works with 700+ volunteers and large portion of the tribal community –  that includes three major tribes. In an effort to preserve the 100-year-old history, Becky wrote Happy Canyon, a history of the Indian pageant in 2016.

James Jessie
James is the Chief Sales Officer for Travel Portland and has taken an active role in advocating the changes and pivots required to lead the Portland Hospitality community through the effects of the pandemic, as well as the national reckoning of racial equity. Mr. Jessie led the creation of the Portland Convention Business Recovery Task Force to prepare the Portland convention partners for the shifting dynamics of hosting conventions and meetings in the post-pandemic era. Likewise, James remains committed to addressing Diversity, Inclusion and Equity measures for people of color in the tourism industry.

Reflections Panelists

• Al Munguia, Co-Owner – Hood River Hotel
• Tamara Kennedy Hill, Commercial Strategy Manager – Port of Portland
• Joe D’Alessandro, President & CEO – Francisco Travel
• David Penilton, Co- Owner – America’s Hub World Tours, LLC

Stakeholder Workshop: A Transformational Strategy for Oregon Tourism
June 16, 3:30-5 p.m.

Registration for this workshop is now closed. Additional workshops for the transformational strategy will be taking place this fall across the state.

Following the 2021 Oregon Governor’s Conference on Tourism, Travel Oregon invites you to join us for interactive workshop with our strategic planning firm, Destination Think.

As we launch into the development of Travel Oregon’s longer-range visioning and strategic planning effort, it is vital we hear from you: Oregon’s tourism industry. We would love to gain diverse perspectives that have the potential to drive change and help inform the foundation of our four-year transformational strategic plan. Your participation is crucial and valuable to help transform the future of tourism in Oregon.

Sign up for Travel Oregon’s Industry Newsletter to receive more conference information as it becomes available.