Executive Insights Symposium 2026
May 4 | 8:00 am – 3:00 pm
An executive forum for tourism, destination, and civic leaders ready to align identity, data, and technology for deeper resident and visitor engagement.
Hear from attendees of the first Executive Insights Symposium.
It was really gratifying to spend time with thought leaders and to really take note of what is happening in our industry. I really enjoyed the balance, whether it was a small DMO, certainly the Granicus team, and then we even have people here from academia, and that was a really nice blend. And you're meeting some very bright individuals, some amazing CEOs, leadership from Granicus, from Simple View, and you have amazing dialogue. So it's a great opportunity to be upfront, know what's coming into the future. Being in a setting like this, I think, really creates a sense of psychological safety. I think there are so many issues we're contending with right now that are incredibly charged. And for us to be in an environment where we can just have open conversations with trusted colleagues, it really helps us get to real world solutions.
8:00 – 8:30 a.m.: Networking Breakfast
8:30 – 9:00 a.m.: Welcome
Opening remarks from David Peacock, Senior Advisor – Future of Tourism Group, outline the themes and structure of the day. A brief “around the room” provides context on attendees and their perspectives, setting up discussions focused on identity, engagement, and alignment.
9:00 – 9:30 a.m.: Identity Congruency in Placemaking
Frank Cuypers, Founder of Place Generation, explores how places are imagined by visitors and how the people who live there see themselves. This intersection is critical to get right as we work to serve citizens and visitors alike. Drawing on real-world casework from the VivaCITY EU project, Cuypers offers a compelling look at the true potential of sentiment research.
We are often caught between what places think they are, what they say they are, and what the world actually experiences.
- Frank Cuypers
9:30 – 10:15 a.m.: Leadership in Engagement & Alignment
Tania Armenta, President & CEO of Visit Albuquerque, brings a grounded, no-nonsense perspective on turning engagement into real alignment. Drawing on Albuquerque’s approach to working across government, economic development, and the city’s Indigenous and Hispanic communities, this session examines how tourism can reflect the lived identity of place. Alignment, in this context, is presented not as a campaign, but as a system built through consistent relationships and shared priorities.
Our shared vision is to enhance the visitor experience and the quality of life for our residents.
- Tania Armenta
David Herrell, President and CEO of Visit Quad Cities, examines how sustained economic momentum can be driven through civic advocacy, a commitment to regional coherence, and the intentional expansion of the region’s storytelling ecosystem.
We are in a constant battle for quality-of-life enhancement, and non-resident revenues through visitor spending are driving our region’s economy, 1.38 billion visitor spending, supporting over 9,000 jobs. We are in a critical time right now because it is a hyper-competitive space, and we must prioritize destination marketing and invest to position the Quad Cities globally.
- David Herrell
10:15 – 10:30 a.m.: Break
10:30 – 11:15 a.m.: Roundtable + Report Out
11:00 – 12:15 p.m.: Smart Cities
Seleni Matus — Executive Director, International Institute of Tourism Studies, George Washington University — brings decades of experience leading multi-stakeholder tourism development initiatives across the Caribbean and Latin America, where community priorities, environmental stewardship, and economic opportunity must be aligned to succeed.
Building on Dr. Phil Xiang’s 2025 exploration of smart tourism and integrated data ecosystems, she reframes the conversation through a human lens—focusing on how destinations function as human systems first, and how technology, governance, and community voice must be intentionally paired to support them. Intelligent destinations are not defined by their tools, but by their ability to align people, priorities, and place into systems that are both inclusive and resilient.
Tourism works best when communities are not just consulted, but actively involved in shaping the future of their destination.
- Seleni Matus
Jonathan Gomez Punzon, Head of Málaga Tourism Authority, looks back on a decade of building the Málaga brand by integrating destination strategy, urban governance, economic development, cultural diplomacy, and distributed storytelling.
When I am thinking about technology, I am always thinking about the people in the city behind it.
– Jonathan Gomez Punzon
12:15 – 1:00 p.m.: Lunch and words from our Symposium sponsor, Sojern
1:00 – 1:30 p.m.: Roundtable + Report Out
1:30 – 2:15 p.m.: Emerging Products & Thriving Places
This fireside chat with Karthik Anbalagan, GM, Emerging Tech at Granicus, explores the practical role of agentic AI in aligning civic and tourism systems. The conversation focuses on how emerging technologies are being applied today to create more connected, responsive, and human-centered destination experiences.
Helping governments harness the power of emerging technologies is ultimately about improving how communities experience government.
– Karthik Anbalagan
Adam Boscoe, GM, Destinations at Granicus, explores how smart city and smart tourism approaches can be put to work to support thriving places. The session examines the practical application of technology, governance, and transparency to create destinations that are both better to live in and better to visit.
At its core, this work is about building thriving places, communities that work better for the people who live there and for those who engage with them.
– Adam Boscoe
2:15 – 2:45 p.m.: Speaker Panel & Full Room Discussion
2:45 – 3:00 p.m: Synthesis + Closing Discussion
Download the 
2025 Executive Insights Symposium Report
Explore the key themes and leadership perspectives that emerged from Simpleview’s first Executive Insights Symposium. This report highlights the industry’s most pressing challenges, innovative strategies, and opportunities shaping the future of destination marketing.
Access the full report and uncover insights to guide your organization forward.
Thank you to our 2026 Executive Insights Symposium sponsor.
