Review of 2017 Wisconsin Governor’s Conference on Tourism

2017 is off with a bang and one of the fun events that the hospitality industry looks forward to each spring is the Wisconsin Governor’s Conference on Tourism. Here is a brief review of what we learned and experienced at this year’s conference. This year the conference was held at the Potawatomi Hotel and Casino, and per usual, was a great success. If you are new to the hospitality and tourism industry be sure to join us next year for the annual WIGCOT event, hosted in Appleton, where you can network and learn about the great opportunities ahead in our exciting industry.

What is WIGCOT?

WIGCOT, or the Wisconsin Governor’s Conference on Tourism, is an event where industry professionals meet over a three-day period to network and learn about the opportunities and important news that is facing the hospitality and tourism industry. The conference welcomes tourism educators, agency professionals, innkeepers, restaurateurs, and other representatives of the tourism and hospitality industry to come together for a statewide networking event. WIGCOT is an event that takes place before
the National Travel and Tourism Week, a week where tourism and hospitality professionals come together to showcase the importance of our industry to the United States economy and to build connections and educational resources for the tourism and hospitality industry. The conference is a phenomenal way to make connections and to gear up for National Travel and Tourism Week, a very exciting week in our line of work!

WIGCOT Overview

This year the Wisconsin Governor’s Conference on Tourism saw nearly 1,000 participants from locally operated restaurants to agency professionals and the like. The discussions this year at the conference centered on creating stories for the consumer to enjoy and turning these stories into experiences. The discussion focused on social media and using this digital media channel to create and to tell a story that will appeal to your target market. Sharing stories and experiences with guests is what makes hospitality shine, and something that we suggest you implement into your marketing practices this year!

Also at the conference, there was in-depth discussion regarding the new way of advertising on social media. Carousel advertisements are the new in thing in the world of advertising on social media. Carousel ads are advertisements that are grouped together to provide multiple impressions through various images and forms of media. We are most commonly seeing these forms of advertising on Facebook and Instagram, where posts are published, and the audience can view a small collection, or album, of media. This is something that is highly recommended to boost your social media for your business!

WIGCOT also presented great information on training employees and the laws that have changed this year, necessary information for all of us to know! The Division of Employment and Training discussed how to effectively use tools to aid in recruiting and training employees to maximize profitability for your business. For more information on our tips and tricks that help in growing careers in the hospitality industry, please visit our blog Staffing the Hospitality Industry in Wisconsin – What You Need to Know in 2017.