SHOULD I ATTEND?

  • Do you own a business or run an organization in the tourism industry?
  • Are you a leader in South Dakota’s tourism and hospitality industry?
  • Do you have a small amount of staff or dozens?
  • Do you want to learn more about South Dakota’s tourism and hospitality industry and take it back to your job?
  • Are you curious about Travel South Dakota's  marketing efforts and how you can get involved?
  • Do you wonder how to best use Travel South Dakota's statistics to boost your marketing strategy?
  • Are you a postsecondary student looking to learn more about and eventually enter the tourism industry?
  • Are you a business that offers a service beneficial to tourism entities?
  • Do you want to connect with other industry colleagues and friends?

If you answered "Yes" to one or more of these questions, this conference is for you!

Need help convincing your boss you should attend?

Copy and paste the following into an email and personalize it before sending it to your supervisor:

Subject Line: Professional Development

Hi, (insert Supervisor’s name),

Registration is now open for the 2026 South Dakota Governor's Conference on Tourism and I’d like to attend on behalf of (insert your company/business name). It’s a conference for the tourism and hospitality industry as well as an opportunity to gain valuable knowledge and insights to help grow our business. It’s taking place January 20-22, 2026, in Pierre.

It’ll be an amazing chance for me to represent our business among more than 500 other attendees, industry leaders and influential speakers. I’ll also be able to bring back new skill sets and tools. More information is available at www.SouthDakotaTourismConference.com.

To ensure this benefits the entire team, I’d love to share what I learn by giving a brief presentation to our team after attending.

Looking forward to discussing this further!

Thank you for your consideration,
(insert your name)