Tourism Talks
Tourism Talks
Take advantage of our free, partner-exclusive workshops for you and your staff from professionals in their industry. Enjoy coffee and a light breakfast while mingling with fellow partners before the presentation begins.
How Travelers Plan Trips in the Age of AI: What it Means for You and Your Business
Join Joe Conway, Owner of Sonar Digital, in a discussion on how AI is impacting the travel industry. The way people plan trips is changing. AI responses are intercepting search results before travelers have the opportunity to discover local businesses on Google. This means it’s no longer just about driving clicks, it’s about being included in the story AI is telling about our destination. When respected local industry organizations like Visit Portland list businesses, link to their sites, mention them in guides, share their stories, and tag them on social media, they generate the exact signals AI systems use to determine which businesses are established and worth recommending.
Tuesday, June 23, 2026
8:30 AM – 10:00 AM
Clarion Hotel | 1230 Congress St, Portland
Meet The Speaker
Joe Conway is a marketing leader and agency owner based in South Portland. He started his career as a writer, working with brands like Hurley, Converse, ESPN and L.L.Bean. That work taught him that strong creative needs to reach the right audience in order to move the needle for a business.
He spent the years that followed building expertise in SEO, analytics, and performance marketing, learning how to connect creative work to outcomes that actually mean something. His focus grew to include the technical and quantitative side of marketing, and he developed a clear picture of how strategy, data, and execution fit together.
Outside of work, Joe stays busy chasing his two young sons around the beaches, trails and ski slopes of Maine.
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSOR
Upcoming Topics
July 21: Navigating Your Business in Today’s Economy with Danielle Couture, Opus Consulting. RSVP
August 25: Good Company, Luca Richards
Are you interested in speaking? Contact us: partners@visitportland.com