Visit Canton Industry Development Day

The Visit Canton Industry Development Day is a half-day tourism conference for our Industry Partners. You're invited to join us for a luncheon with a keynote presentation from the Visit Canton team featuring announcements on the 2023 Annual Report, and 2025 Marketing Co-Ops and Grant Information. After lunch, enjoy a full afternoon of educational breakouts and networking. Partners are encouraged to send at least two representatives to the event to ensure you get the most out of each session. 

Industry Development Day Schedule

11:00 - 11:30 AM | Registration & Networking

11:30 - 1:00 PM | Luncheon & Keynote Presentation

1:00 - 4:00 PM | Educational Breakout Sessions & Media Expo 

Visit Canton Industry Development Day is FREE to attend. Please contact us right away if you need to cancel to avoid a cancellation fee. Can't stay for the full day? Registration is available to those only able to attend the luncheon, or only able to attend the educational breakout sessions.

Professional Development Education Breakout Sessions

• Accessible Ohio: A Partner for Inclusion
• Creating with Canva: Destination Designs with Flair
• Managing Leads in the Visit Canton Partner Extranet
• How to Partner with Visit Canton to Promote Your Business and Events
• Building a Legacy: Sustainable Nonprofit Fundraising Strategies for Long-Term Impact
• Changes in the Workforce: Attracting, Engaging and Retaining VIPs - Your Employees
  

Education Breakout Sessions: 1:15 - 2:00 PM

• Accessible Ohio: A Partner for Inclusion | Presented by Brianna Potter, Accessible Ohio Specialist Northeast Ohio at Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities
  
  Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities support and consult directly with Ohio businesses, venues, attractions, and communities to identify barriers, establish accessibility goals, and provide information about potential funding resources. Learn more directly from the Northeast Ohio Specialist about how the organization can support your goals in awareness and planning, navigation, experience, and personal care. 
  
  
• Creating with Canva: Destination Designs with Flair | Presented by Heather Taylor, CEO at Glitter Girl Media 
  
  "Creating with Canva: Destination Designs with Flair" is a fun, hands-on workshop where you'll master Canva's awesome tools to create stunning visuals for your destination marketing. Learn to whip up eye-catching flyers, social media graphics, and promos that will make your organization shine. By the end, you'll be a Canva pro, ready to wow visitors with your creative flair!

Education Breakout Sessions: 2:15 - 3:00 PM 

• Managing Leads in the Visit Canton Partner Extranet | Presented by Zita Blile, Sports Service & Marketing Coordinator at Visit Canton
  
  Hoteliers, are you or your sales team in need of a refreshers on how to manage leads in the Partner Extranet? Want to expand upon your existing knowledge? Join our team for a hands-on training on essential Extranet features, including responding to leads, entering pick-up information, and other useful tips & tricks. Bring your computer and extranet log-in to follow along for an optimal experience.
  
  
• How to Partner with Visit Canton to Promote Your Business and Events | Presented by ITI Digital and Laura Felberg, Partner Relations Manager at Visit Canton
  
  NEW IN 2024! Visit Canton is excited to announce a partnership with ITI Digital to help automate business updates and event listings on VisitCanton.com. Learn more about best practices for publishing your events and business details on Google My Business and other Google indexed sources to improve your SEO and automatically notify Visit Canton about new events and business updates. 

Education Breakout Sessions: 3:15 - 4:00 PM

• Building a Legacy: Sustainable Nonprofit Fundraising Strategies for Long-Term Impact | Presented by Bridgette L. Neisel, Vice President of Advancement at Stark Community Foundation
  
  Organizations can't always predict the future, but they can prepare for it. Discover how an endowment can help secure long-term support for your nonprofit's mission, ensuring financial stability and a legacy of impact. 
  
  
• Changes in the Workforce: Attracting, Engaging and Retaining VIPs - Your Employees | Presented by Melinda Huntley, Executive Director at Ohio Travel Association
  
  We'll look at the Ohio travel economy workforce, going beyond the numbers to talk about what front-line and other employees have told us is important to them. Then we'll talk about how you can create employee (and volunteer) experiences and packages to attract, engage and retain your greatest assets - your people.