Partner Highlights Blog

Read all about the adventures our Community and Partner Relations team have experienced with industry partners and while visiting
our tourism partners and DMO offices around the state.

Utah Office of Tourism Empowers DMOs with High-Impact Marketing Workshop

The Utah Office of Tourism (UOT) hosted a highly successful marketing workshop for county-level Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) on March 6 and 7, 2025 in Salt Lake City. The two-day event drew participation from 24 of 29 counties, demonstrating the strong commitment of Utah’s DMOs to elevating their marketing strategies.

A key highlight of the workshop was the expertise of Gerry Chiaro, Associate Professor and Director of the Integrated Marketing & Communications (IMC) Immersion Quarter Program at Northwestern University Medill IMC, who led several sessions. Professor Chiaro brought his extensive experience in marketing for major brands like Frito Lay, Pepsi Bottling Group, Gatorade, Pizza Hut, and McDonald's, as well as his experience in senior executive marketing and strategic development leadership roles in venture capital-backed internet marketing technology start-ups, to provide invaluable insights.

The workshop covered a range of essential marketing topics, including:

Understanding UOT’s brands and campaigns
Creating a compelling marketing plan to drive business outcomes.
Understanding visitors and choosing the right audiences for marketing efforts, including segmentation and targeting.
Setting behavioral and attitudinal objectives.
Positioning and creative strategy for competitive advantage.
Social media strategies for tourism success, with insights from Sparkloft Media, UOT’s social media agency.
PR and media communications in an evolving landscape, with perspectives from J-PR, UOT’s PR agency.
Activation and content journey mapping.
Working effectively with agencies.

Participants engaged in collaborative table work to develop their own Marketing Playbooks, ensuring actionable takeaways for their respective destinations.

The Utah Office of Tourism is committed to providing its partners with the tools and knowledge necessary to succeed in an increasingly competitive travel market. The success of this workshop, with contributions from staff and contract experts underscores that commitment and will ultimately contribute to the strategic and sustainable growth of Utah’s tourism industry.

Partner Visits

Read all about the adventures our Community and Partner Relations team have experienced while visiting our tourism partners and DMO offices around the state. We hope to visit your region soon.