Outside Industry Conference 2026
At Outside Attract, industry professionals will share data and learnings to inform approaches for delivering incredible experiences that lure new visitors and bring them back again and again. The event will take place as part of the Outside Industry Conference from May 28-29 at Auraria Campus in Denver, Colorado.
Discount tickets are no longer available online. If you’re an Inntopia user and still need tickets to the event, please contact customer care or your account manager.
Event Emcee- Tahnee Perry – Founder, A25
9:00 – 9:15 AM / King Center Recital Hall
Opening Remarks
Robin Thurston – CEO & Founder, Outside
Trevor Crist – Chief Business Officer, Travel & Event Services, Outside
9:15 – 10:15 AM / King Center Recital Hall
Keynote: Unpacking the Current State of Destination Travel
Join leaders from Phocuswright, Inntopia, CoStar Group, and East West Hospitality as they unpack the latest data, demand trends, and market forces shaping resort, lodging, and destination performance. Hear what’s really moving the needle in bookings, rates, and guest behavior, and how to position your business for the future.
Kris McKinnon – VP of Sales, East West Hospitality (Moderator)
Pete Comeau – Managing Director, Phocuswright
Tom Foley – Director Business Intelligence, Inntopia
Isaac Collazo – Analytics, CoStar Group
10:25 – 10:55 AM / King Center Recital Hall
Future Tech: Five Forces Shaping the Next Five Years
An outdoor focused venture capitalist reports on what he’s hearing in boardroom strategy discussions as companies prepare for five years of accelerating change.
Erik Blachford – Former CEO, Expedia
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM / King Center Recital Hall
Balancing the Guest Experience with Technology & Security (sponsored by Adyen)
Technology leaders from Arival, Pursuit Collection, Aramark Destinations, and Sage Hospitality Group sit down to discuss the evolving role of the CIO/CTO in hospitality. This session will explore how they’re tackling integrations, AI, data strategy, and cybersecurity while still enabling great guest experiences and scalable growth.
Bruce Rosard – Co-Founder, Arival (Moderator)
Sam Auck – Chief Platform Officer, Pursuit Collection
Dimple Jethani – CIO, Aramark Destinations
Matt Schwartz – CTO, Sage Hospitality Group
12:15 – 1:00 PM / King Center Dance Hall
Lunch Session: How Top Destinations Are Achieving Sustainable Growth (sponsored by Generali)
Destination leaders explore how they’re attracting the right visitors (not just more visitors) while balancing community, sustainability, and economic impact. Hear perspectives from Maine, Tourism Whistler and Costa Rica Tourism on data-driven marketing, partnerships, and the next era of destination strategy.
Melissa Maher – Founder. Pinnacle Enterprise Group & Former CMO, Expedia (Moderator)
Carolann Ouellette – Director of Maine’s Offices of Tourism, Film and Outdoor Recreation
Adalberto Rodriguez Fallas – U.S. & Canada Market Strategy & Partnerships, Costa Rica Tourism Board
Tory Kargl – VP Destination & Market Development, Tourism Whistler
1:00 – 2:00 PM / King Center Recital Hall
Destination Travel AI & Innovation Showcase (sponsored by Sensible Weather)
From dynamic packaging to AI concierges and smarter revenue tools, this session spotlights innovators reshaping how guests discover, book, and experience travel. Hear real use cases from founders and leaders at A25, QConcierge and Ramsi as they show what AI can do right now for resorts, destinations, and travel professionals.
Tahnee Perry – Founder, A25 (Moderator)
Jonathan Lei – CEO & Founder, QConcierge
Jeff Loucks – VP Revenue Strategy, Ramsi
1:05 – 2:00 PM / King Center Dance Hall
Finding Growth by Consistently Delivering Quality Over Quantity (sponsored by MMGY Global)
This session will explore how Colorado Tourism and Western National Parks Association are pursuing sustainable, guest-focused growth by prioritizing high-value travelers over simply increasing visitor volume. It will highlight how data, media partnerships, refined brand platforms, and a redesigned digital presence can guide the “best guest” to lesser-known experiences, boost in-market spending, and deepen their connection to destinations. Attendees will get a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to evolve and reinvent a brand, including lessons learned and how to build stakeholder support for bold strategic shifts.
MJ Legault – EVP Growth & Strategic Initiatives, MMGY Global (Moderator)
Michael Matthews – Chief Marketing Officer, Western National Parks
Shelley Cooper – Deputy Director of Marketing, Colorado Tourism Office
2:10 – 3:10 PM / King Center Recital Hall
The Critical Role of Activities & Tours in Modern Travel
Leading experience focused brands share what’s working, and what’s not, in driving direct bookings, managing distribution, and delivering standout guest experiences. Hear candid insights from Peek Travel and Marriott Bonvoy Adventures and others on using technology, partnerships, and packaging to grow high-value experiences.
Bruce Rosard – Co-Founder, Arival (Moderator)
Josiah Paul Filler – CRO, Peek Travel
Bridget Higgins – Global Head, Marriott Bonvoy Outdoors
2:10 – 3:10 PM / King Center Dance Hall
Finding a Winning Revenue Management Strategy in 2026 (sponsored by IDeaS)
Experts from Get Hoppy Consulting, Oracle, Sage Hospitality and IDeaS break down how resorts and operators can sharpen their pricing, packaging, and payment strategies in a volatile demand environment. Learn how to use data, distribution, and fintech to protect profitability while still delivering value for your guests.
Gregg Hopkins – Founder and Principal Consultant, Get Hoppy Consulting (Moderator)
Victoria Noe – Sr. Territory Account Executive, IDeaS Revenue Solutions
Matt Schwartz – CTO, Sage Hospitality Group
Conner Erwin – Senior Sales Director, Oracle NA
3:20 – 4:30 PM / King Center Recital Hall
How Travel Leaders Are Navigating Trends & Guest Expectations (presented by Maine Office of Tourism)
Top executives from Expedia, Aramark Destinations, Brand USA, and Guest Services discuss where the travel and outdoor recreation industries are headed next. This conversation will dig into demand trends, evolving guest expectations, and how leaders are thinking about growth, brand, and investment over the next five years.
Melissa Maher – Founder. Pinnacle Enterprise Group & Former CMO, Expedia (Moderator)
Sasha Day – CEO, Aramark Destinations
Fred Dixon – CEO, BrandUSA
Nico Foris – CEO, Guest Services
4:30 – 4:35 PM / King Center Recital Hall
Closing remarks
4:30 – 6:00 PM
Happy Hour (sponsored by The Flybook)
10:15 – 11:15 AM / King Center Classroom 206
Building Experiential Hospitality That Actually Works (sponsored by FareHarbor)
Why Marketing, Operations, Finance, and Technology Must Work Together to Deliver Seamless Guest Experiences
Jennifer Jones – President, J2 Hospitality Solutions (Moderator)
Conner Erwin – Senior Sales Director, Oracle NA
1:00 – 3:00 PM / King Center Main Street
Inntopia Ask an Expert (Commerce Focus)
Bring your Inntopia Commerce questions to this open Q&A with product experts, and walk away with practical guidance on configuration, packaging, reporting, and roadmap.
1:00 – 3:00 PM / King Center Main Street
Inntopia Ask an Expert (Marketing Cloud Focus)
Join Inntopia Marketing Cloud specialists for a live Q&A on data integrations, automation, segmentation, and campaign strategy tailored to your resort’s specific marketing goals.
1:45 – 2:15 PM / King Center Classroom 206
Inntopia: An Exclusive Tour of the Outside Experience Platform (OXP)
Explore OXP, a fully integrated, modern, audience-powered UI/UX layer developed by Outside’s world class product team utilizing Inntopia’s Commerce APIs.
1:45 – 2:15 PM / King Center Classroom 208
Your Always-On, AI-Optimized Marketing Expert — Powered by the Inntopia + ActiveCampaign
Most resorts don’t have a marketing automation expert on staff. Now they don’t need one. The Inntopia Marketing Cloud and ActiveCampaign partnership acts as a tireless, AI-optimized specialist — connecting booking data to smart, automated campaigns that execute with the precision of a seasoned pro, delivering the right message to the right guest at the right time, automatically.
2:30 – 3:00 PM / King Center Classroom 206
Inntopia: How Monarch Mountain Turns Guest Feedback into Action
This session dives into how Monarch Mountain and Inntopia work together to transform guest data into smarter decisions and stronger relationships. Monarch’s Eva Egbert and Hannah Grall will walk through how their team uses post‑departure surveys and Inntopia reporting to understand the full guest experience, uncover pain points, and spot opportunities across marketing and operations. Then, Inntopia’s Kristin Connors will show how those insights are used to shape acquisition strategy, build loyalty, and keep guests coming back season after season.
2:30 – 3:00 PM / King Center Classroom 208
Inntopia: How to Track Forward-Looking KPIs for Your Resort & Destination
Dive into Inntopia’s DestiMetrics and Business Intelligence tools to see how destination and property-level data can inform forward looking trends and behavior.
3:05 – 3:35 PM / King Center Classroom 206
Inntopia: Why Every Member of Your Team Benefits from Access to Guest Profiles
Unified guest profiles are a game changer for marketing, but the real impact comes when every team member, from the front desk to the call center, has fast, easy access to guest insights. In this session, you’ll learn how our new Chrome Extension gives your team instant access to guest profiles within their existing workflows, unlocking new opportunities for service and revenue.
3:05 – 3:35 PM / King Center Classroom 208
Inntopia: Outside Travel: An Incredible New Distribution Opportunity for Resorts
Each month, millions of travelers engage with content, apps, and tools across the Outside portfolio. With the launch of Outside Travel, lodging and activity providers can showcase their experiences to highly engaged audiences including everyone from cyclists researching trips on Velo to runners registering for races on RunReg who need a place to stay. Join this session for an exclusive look at how Outside Travel works and how to get started with this powerful new distribution channel.
