Advisory board previews FADMO presentations and interacts with students at Industry Insights

April 16, 2018

After the morning research presentations and the business meeting in the early afternoon of April 13th, 2018, the advisory board participated in an Industry Insights session where they shared their knowledge and expertise to a group of 40+ students, faculty, staff, and the rest of the advisory board.

During the first presentation, the science behind Visit Tampa Bay’s Storytelling Campaign is explained. Led by Patrick Harrison, VP of Marketing with Visit Tampa bay, Howard Tietjen, SVP of research and Strategy with Madden Media, and Dr. Dan Fesenmaier, Director of the Eric Friedheim Tourism Institute, this session previewed a unique presentation that described how advertisers are tracking the effectiveness of their campaigns and how storytelling can increase interactivity.

The second session was a panel from the newest advisory board members on career advice and how research can provide the cornerstone for successful tourism campaigns and education. This session included seasoned tourism executives such as Chris Thompson, CEO of Brand USA, Bill Siegel, Founder/CEO of Longwoods International, and Joe Duggan, VP of Corporate Relations- Emeritus of Pheasants Forever.

One of the notable pieces of advice that Chris Thompson gave to students was to “stay curious- in your career and in your personal life.”

After the session, the advisory board, faculty, and students joined together for an informal reception and networking session.