Conference Schedule
Note: All sessions are in the Great Hall unless otherwise noted.
Day 1: Monday, September 29, 2025
2:00 pm - 5:00 pm Vendor Set-up in the Great Hall
1:30 pm - 2:45 pm Marketing Shirtsleeves, MarketView (MACVB members-only)
1:30 pm - 2:45 pm Sales Shirtsleeves, MarketSide (MACVB members-only)
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3:00 pm - 5:00 pm MACVB Membership Meeting – Marketside, closed session for MACVB members only
5:00 pm - 6:00 pm Check-in at hotels and refresh for evening
6:00 pm - 6:15 pm Meet at the Tulyp Hotel, the Piek Event Space (top floor of the Tulyp Hotel)
6:15 pm - 8:30 pm Reception and Dinner, sponsored by Holland Area Visitors Bureau
8:30 pm - 10:00 pm Enjoy networking & and beverages on your own. See the Holland Visitors Bureau table at the dinner for more information.
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Note: The Tulyp Lounge is open until 10:30 pm. Big E's (located inside the Marriott) is open until 11:00 pm
Please wait until Tuesday morning to bring auction items to the Civic Center due to set-up/security needs.
Thank you!!
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Day 2: Tuesday, September 30, 2025
11:45 am - 1:00 pm Lunch in the Great Hall
1:00 pm - 1:15 pm Visit Vendors
1:15 pm - 2:15 pm Breakout Session I
"A Holistic Lodging Portrait of MI", Bram Gallagher, AirDNA, MarketView East
"First Impressions Tourism Assessment", Andy Northrup, MSU Extension, MarketView West
"Crisis Management", Boileau & Co. panel, Marketside
2:15 pm - 2:45 pm Afternoon Break - Visit Vendors, sponsored by TBA
2:45 pm - 3:45 pm Breakout Session II
"A Holistic Lodging Portrait of MI", Bram Gallagher, AirDNA, MarketView East
"First Impressions Tourism Assessment", Andy Northrup, MSU Extension, MarketView West
"Crisis Management", Boileau & Co. panel, Marketside
Day 3: Wednesday, October 1, 2025
3:45 pm - 4:45 pm DMO Round Tables -
AI in Marketing - MarketView West , moderated by Katherine Bitely and Trenton Bulat Internal Policies and Compliance (PA 59, ESTA, State of MI filings, etc.) moderated by
Linda Freybler and Julie Pingston - MarketView East
TBA - Marketside or Atrium
(Opportunity to rotate every 30 minutes)
4:45 pm - 5:15 pm Visit Sponsors
5:15 pm - 6:15 pm Reception in the Atrium - sponsored by Advance Travel & Tourism
6:15 pm - 7:30 pm Dinner in the Great Hall
Live auction immediately following dinner.
7:30 pm - 10:00 pm Casino and Games Night, Great Hall or Marketside (weather dependent)
- sponsored by Advance Travel & Tourism
9:15 pm - 10:15 pm Shuttle runs to the hotels, sponsored by the Holland Visitors Bureau
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Note: The Tulyp Lounge is open until 10:30 p.m. Big E's (located inside the Marriott) is open until 11:00 p.m.
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4:45 pm - 5:45 pm Shuttle runs to hotels and back to the Civic Center to refresh for dinner (optional),
sponsored by Holland Visitors Bureau
7:15 am - 8:15 am Shuttle from hotels to Holland Civic Center, sponsored by Holland Visitors Bureau
7:30 am - 8:30 am Vendor/Silent Auction set-up, The Great Hall
7:30 am - 8:30 am Strolling Breakfast in Foyer/the Great Hall, visit with vendors
8:30 am - 9:45 am Opening Keynote - Tom Martin, Converse Digital "Perfect Pitch: The Science of Getting People to Say YES to
Your Ideas"
10:00 am -10:30 am Morning Break - Visit Vendors and Silent Auction - The Great Hall
9:00 am - noon . WJR Live Broadcast, foyer, sponsored by Travel Michigan
10:15 am -11:30 am General Session Speaker - Justin Gibbs, Miles Media, " Harnessing the Power of Generative AI, sponsored by
Miles Media​
11:30 am -11:45 am Break, Visit Vendors and Silent Auction
7:45 am Recommended hotel check-out time
8:00 am - 9:00 am Visit Vendor Displays, strolling breakfast in Atrium/Great Hall
9:00 am - 9:45 am General Session -Tom Martin, Converse Digital, "Experiences are the Soundtrack of Our Life: Leveraging Visitor
Experiences to Drive Visitation"
7:45 am Announcements
9:50 am - 10:30 am General Session "Community Superpower: Resident Sentiment Towards
Sporting Events" Jennifer Stoll, Cimarron Global Solutions sponsored by
Longwoods International
10:30 am Silent Auction Closes
10:30 am - 10:45 am Break- Foyer, sponsored by 2026 Conference Host
10:45 am - 11:40 am General Session "DMO Panels - Speed Round"
Panel 1: Economic Impact Studies, Sarah Miller, Destination Ann Arbor, Kayla
Pionk, Go Great Lakes Bay CVB, Brad Barnett, Visit Keweenaw,
facilitated by Jamie Furbush, Frankenmuth CVB
Panel 2: Parks Panel, Andy Kenyon, City of Holland, Parks & Rec Director, Scott
Reinert, South Haven Rec Authority, Administrator, Panelist #3 - TBA facilitated by Linda Hart, Holland VB
11:45 am Break, Vendor Tear Down. Final Silent Auction items to be picked up. Please pay a final visit to
our sponsors/vendors and thank them for their support!
Noon Vendors/Speakers - Lunch Boxes to Go/Teardown Exhibits/Departure
11:45 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Travel Michigan Partners Meeting with Lunch - MarketView,
Note: This session is by invitation only from Travel Michigan
Silent Auction
Place your bids on a variety of gifts and packages at the 25th Annual MACVB Silent Auction. Monies raised will benefit the MACVB PAC. Checks should be made payable to "MACVB PAC". Personal checks and credit cards only. (No corporate payments.) Minimum bids must be met, or the item will be returned to the donor. All winning bids are "final".
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rev. 9/9/25 - lkd